The recent twist regarding regulations for the manufacture of fireworks begs for comment. The idea of building a mega-repository for manufactured fireworks, of local and foreign make, exposes two things, namely that the polity is not willing to fight illegality and that it is literally gambling on the fact that the incidence of accidents involving the illegal manufacture of fireworks is very rare.

The ingenious idea of having a central store for anyone who cares to use it is a prevaricative way to facilitate, condone and even encourage the illegal manufacture of fireworks. One could bet one’s last penny on the fact that most of the proposed units will be most assuredly taken over by those that do not own a licensed fireworks factory and manufacture fireworks in garages, club cellars and attics and workshops in inhabited areas and in secluded huts and rooms all over the countryside.

The problem that really needs solving is how to stop people breaking the law.

First one ought to decide whether one wants to stop illegal activities and the polity seem to have decided not to: too many votes at stake. Considering both the low incidence of accidents and the fact that after these do happen one cannot prosecute charred body-parts, then the solution of laundering the result of the illegal activities of these people is a very convenient and ingenious solution. It is also just a load of hogwash served to the gullible masses especially if the two main parties appear to be in agreement in order to save or redeem votes.

This mass storage implies piecemeal and periodical transportation to each particular unit.

The amounts transported would not be large. The smallness of each consignment facilitates the filtering of illegally manufactured explosives. A vanload would leave the illegal site and park at a legal site. Such sites are usually made available to the illegal manufacturer quite readily since fireworks people are no more than dirty hands that wash one another and remain dirty.

There, the load waits for the arrival of the escorting official to accompany it to the mega-repository at Dingli. The certification by this official that the load came from a licensed place is enough to legitimise the unlawfulness of the whole operation.

Whoever thought up this scheme forgot earth tremor. Despite the “state of the art” (quite a common boast nowadays!) safety measures in this projected mega-repository, the earth tremors resulting from the explosion of one of the units, again quite a rare occurrence could easily cause the ignition through friction of explosives stored in neighbouring units.

Most of fireworks manufactured locally are nothing more than modifications of fulminating powder, which has an extremely low combustion point.

By not fighting illegality but rather by finding a beguiling modus vivendi and a modus operandi, the polity have most hypocritically demonstrated that everything is under control, all is well, everybody is quite happy and contented, and so keep smiling. Well, being deviant and evasive to the extent of putting a lid on matters and conjuring cover-ups is quite common in Maltese politics.

But then, of course, there are still some around who will not be beguiled and enchanted.

Frank Galea

ZEBBUG