Today I will address one of the basic principles of the Ramblers’ Association: to create awareness and knowledge and to protect the natural beauty and cultural heritage found in our countryside. One of the reasons for writing these articles is to increase awareness and give information about our heritage. It is for this reason that we also organise walks and educational campaigns in our schools and university – leading students on walks in order to help them appreciate our heritage.

We set great store on the protection of this heritage. We will not and cannot accept that everything is changing in the name of ‘progress’, which is often is nothing more than ‘development without regulation’ that has made speculators and opportunists very rich. There is a real danger that, in just a short period of time, all the natural beauty of our country will be destroyed. It is this natural beauty that distinguishes our country from other countries, and it has to be preserved.

Twenty years ago, Mepa was created with its vision and mission of “passing on a better country than the one we inherited to future generations. Therefore, we should treat our environment like a treasure and we should do our best in order to protect it, take care of it and to make it better. The environment embraces everything – nature, cultural and architectural heritage, cities and villages, countryside, the sea and the air. We believe that together we can plan wisely so that this heritage, this jewel, will not be destroyed by time.”

These are the words expressed in the mission statement of Mepa. This statement also says that “the Mepa is obliged to ensure that the use of land and the protection of the environment will include all that is required by our communities, those of today and those of the future. We work in order to ensure that the quality of life will be in harmony with the natural and cultural environment. We strive to achieve this by implementing sustainable development in order to protect our environment.” That is Mepa’s proud mission – as stated by the organisation itself.

Can anyone honestly say that Mepa has succeeded in implementing its mission? Why is it then that, even after the marketing campaigns it launched, by writing to newspapers and prestigious publications, by advertisements, etc., all with taxpayers’ money, so many people, both Maltese and expatriates, are of the opinion that Mepa does not practise what it preaches?

One would be forgiven for being very sceptical about the “Mepa reform” now being discussed in Parliament. Without a genuine political willingness to do things the way they are lawfully intended, without legal responsibility attached to those in authority, without the mentality of meritocracy replacing political appointments, one fears it is nothing but the squandering of taxpayers’ money.

This is a real pity, because many Mepa staff are people who are dedicated to their work and are experts in their field. They carry out their duties meticulously and with a great sense of responsibility. They prepare reports in great detail based on the plans and laws that regulate the development of our islands. They go into European Union legislation, among which is Natura 2000, and see that these laws are integrated with our laws; they monitor technical developments and a variety of aspects specific to the environment, such as the quality of our air and our water. They investigate complaints made by the public, and write reports on them with recommendations for remedies etc. They do a great deal of work, with a great deal of dedication for which they deserve a lot of credit that they rarely receive. But, unfortunately, they are not the people on the DCC board, and they are the ones with the final say. A DCC board, made up of government nominees, will, without any shame, throw away all the work of the Case Officers and overturn their recommendations. They really seem to feel – and we begin to believe – that they indeed are above the law! Did anyone ever hear of steps having been taken against these people? Not only that: politicians even defend them if they are attacked, even by the dauntless Mepa Auditor himself, for their very dubious decisions,

Reading the reports of these Case Offices, you cannot but admire the honesty and precision with which they are written. The reports come up with conclusions based on laws that leave no doubt. The problems start with the DCC boards, which have their own way of weighing the facts presented but then shoulder no responsibility. It is they who have the real power and can even, without any explanation, completely ignore the Case Officers’ reports as if they had never been produced. Permits are consequently granted contrary to recommendations for refusal. But not only reports by Case Officers get the honour of the waste-paper basket but also those by the directorates and by other experts, all drawn up, at taxpayers’ expense, to give objective advice.

This is to the detriment of the environment of our country and to our finances, and is immoral. That it is still happening to this day, when so much investment has gone into the famous Mepa “reform”, is unbelievable. Is it a coincidence that, in the majority of cases, there is often someone with a name that spells ‘clout’?

I do not want to be totally negative. In the last few weeks we have seen important decisions being taken that were in conformity with the rules and regulations which, after all, we have a right to expect. However, we cannot overlook other decisions that we have condemned publicly and that were also slammed by the Mepa Auditor himself. Therefore we ask, when will there be an end to these harmful decisions? Do we need 10 more Mepa reforms before this goal is reached?

I will stop here, even though there is still a lot to say on the subject; but I will take it up again, giving examples where a lot of damage has been and is still being done to the environment; always with the blessing of the Authority. I will also mention the deplorable lack of law enforcement – enforcement that is provided for in the policy by which Mepa is governed. With the mechanisms provided, Mepa can revoke and repair the damage done to the environment. So far, very unfortunately, this mechanism has only been used for propaganda purposes and generally to address petty issues, while the big issues are allowed to go ahead unhindered.

There is indeed a great willingness on the part of some politicians to put right this way of doing things, but they are only a few and what they can achieve can never be enough. If our politicians are not even setting us a good example then what can be expected from the general population? For us, the Ramblers Association of Malta, this does not mean that we will give up. Instead we will continue to raise awareness and knowledge and to protect our cultural heritage and national beauty in the hope that one day our mentality will change and our heritage will be safe.

Ramblers Association of Malta

ramblersassociation.blogspot.com

www.ramblersmalta.org

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