Now that the council elections are over, one can reflect dispassionately on the massive drive organised by all political parties to show us their prospective candidates and parade them as being deserving of our vote. Equally important is the emphasis made by political parties to remind voters of the sterling work done in the past years in each respective locality. All this is déjà vu and rekindles the feeling of smoke, spin and mirrors so prevalent in the arsenal of political parties that they use with impunity to deliver their message in a last minute attempt to sway the votes.
Focusing on the locality of Mosta (previously a Labour majority), one meets with extreme disgruntlement from residents who for five years had to put up with neglected roads, broken pavements and lack of recreational facilities among other things. It is an open secret that the council did not function properly and that due to internal squabbles among Labour councillors precious time was wasted. This was particularly evident in the disagreements between the mayor and his deputy, which over the years resulted in a dearth of projects and total neglect of the roads and their maintenance.
Last winter took a heavy toll on Mosta’s roads, resulting in minor cracks widening to create multiple potholes. Regrettably, scant attention was given to repairing them (let alone entirely rebuilding them) and Mosta council appeared to be in no hurry to resolve the problem. A look at the pitiful state of residential roads in many areas of Mosta reflects the apathy and lack of initiative of the exiting council led by a mayor with a siege mentality that verged on the tragic-comic. Surely, both parties have rallied their supporters to offer an alternative solution and this may well result in Mosta becoming a swing locality. What is so ironic is that many parents are now fathering the orphan, all clamouring to help with its welfare and each offering best care and improved standard of living. The town with the iconic church dome is the third largest community, yet over one million euro in funds were left unused (much like the biblical story of the wasted talents). The back streets cry out for maintenance and it is common to hear lamentations from car owners faced with stiff bills to replace ripped tyres and repair shaky car suspensions. Yes, one does not have to be a Harvard graduate to conclude that the current practice of light patching deep holes is a laughable and expensive solution. In its five years of lack-lustre administration, the pot kept calling the kettle black and repeatedly complained of a repair backlog that it couldn’t afford to clear.
Instead of continually patching up road surfaces with a bucket of tar, councillors should request more funds to properly surface badly built roads. For a start try asking Transport Malta to fund such repairs from its deep coffers, as over €80 million is collected annually in road and vehicle taxes, licences and other administrative charges. The time has come for residents to join the “occupy movement” at least in principle and one hopes that the electoral results reflect their claim for better accountability of their taxes. It is no exaggeration to say that while most residents particularly those living in the Tal Wej area do not bother to protest (or write to their MPs), few realise that the laid-back attitude is driving them into a state of resentful acquiescence. One should visit Mother Teresa Street or Salvu Barbara Street in the Tal-Wej area during the winter months when there is continuous flooding. In a state of apathy, many residents ignore the hype and rhetoric from party apologists saying that Central government will soon start a massive plan to resurface 800 arterial roads which, when fully executed, will return broken surfaces to their pristine condition fit for an island that was allocated over €850 million in cohesion funds.
To be fair it is true that a number of arterial roads have had an excellent makeover, and are a pleasure to drive on, but others, particularly those in Mosta’s residential roads are ridden with potholes, which are dusty in summer and collect nasty puddles in winter. But enough about moaning and let us focus on the positive.
A propos of the Tal Wej area, it is worth remembering that Mepa has recently scheduled this parcel of land bordering Naxxar as a protected area. Regrettably, this announcement came too late as building permits have slowly encroached on this large tract of land. Hurrah for the environmentalists who have lobbied – unsung and unaided – for years to protect this sacred burial ground from the ravages of demolition and building work. According to a recent announcement by Mepa, the area has been declared as rich in garigue community and is being listed as an area of ecological importance. Mosta residents are proud of their environs but regret that none of the candidates mentioned the future restoration of this historical site in their manifesto. It is a pity that the derelict site, which has practically become a dumping ground for discarded building material, features dolmens, cart-ruts, ancient quarries, shaft and chamber tombs, vine trenches, a 16th-century chapel and two corbelled huts. This sacred burial ground, which contains a network of rock pools and ancient tombs, is considered by experts to date back to the Bronze Age. Apart from Bronze Age remains, one can also admire Phoenician tombs. Phoenicians came to Malta around the eighth century B.C. and settled in some of the strongholds of the previous Bronze Age cultures. Phoenician tombs are dug deep into the rock and their design is usually of the shaft and chamber type. A shaft, usually square but occasionally round in shape, opens at its base to one or more chambers with the entrance to the chamber often worked to receive a closing slab stone. Experts tell us that the cremated or buried remains were usually placed on a raised ledge of rock inside the chamber itself, a measure taken to prevent destruction of the burial in case of water seeping into the chamber.
As stated earlier, the residents living close to the Wej area are eager to preserve this archaeological gem, which is rich in garigue (scientific translation: a community of low scattered, often spiny and aromatic shrubs with a herbaceous undergrowth typical of rocky ground, particularly karst land). As often occurs with Phoenician tombs, cart-ruts are found in the vicinity. This begs the question: can the incoming council try to obtain funds to protect such a rich heritage and erect a visitors’ centre” The answer is in the hands of residents who, empowered with the vote, sent a strong message in the ballot box for the much needed reform.
Voters expect funds from the EU will be allocated to clean the tombs and build adequate boundary walls to cordon off this heritage that our forefathers left us to enjoy and cherish. Perhaps the ghosts of our Bronze Age ancestors buried in the Tal Wej cemetery will rise from their tombs and ask us to respect their abode. After all, it is no secret that the European Commission has recognised the need to continue to upgrade our natural heritage and for posterity (example: repairs of Valletta bastions).
Finally, it is much appreciated that Mepa has recognised the importance of the heritage left by our Bronze Age ancestors, so let us hope that the new council at Mosta will live up to the mammoth challenge of upgrading its run down infrastructure and improve living conditions for the inhabitants in this locality with its splendid iconic dome.
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The writer is a partner in PKF, an audit and business advisory firm members