I refer to your reporting of an Opposition press release (TMI 18 July) on the phasing out of incandescent light bulbs.

Dr Leo Brincat is outright incorrect when he tries to attribute a change in position on the issue of incandesecent light bulbs by Government, when Malta was amongst the nations that voted in favour of a European Commission proposal for the gradual phasing out of incandescent light bulbs from the Common Market by end 2012 (DOI press release 1956 issued on 10 December 2008).

What Dr Brincat deliberately fails to mention is that the government criticised the Opposition's proposal of introducing an immediate outright ban on incandescent bulbs in Malta, on the basis that it made no sense to have such a local ban when it was easy for anyone to buy and import the same bulbs from the internal European market. For such a ban to make sense, Government opined that it had to be implemented on a Europe-wide level, and in fact supported and voted in favour of such a proposal.

Dr Brincat is also deliberate in failing to make any reference to the highly successful distribution of energy saving bulbs which was promised in the PN's electoral manifesto and which is currently underway. It is this Government's consistency and political foresight which leads it to propose and implement proposals which are meant to generate a change in behaviour amongst the local population in the use of more environment-friendly initiatives.

On the other hand, the Opposition had tried to ridicule such a proposal, and is now trying to ride on the bandwagon. This is highly typical of an Opposition that has made opportunism the pillar of its policies.

Keith Galea

Communications Officer

Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs