There was news of contrasting fortunes when it came to the voluntary organisations sector this past week.

On the one hand, the government announced how it had spent €2.8 million in order to purchase the premises of the San Gaetano Band Club in Hamrun, as the musical society which operated out of it was facing eviction because the property was leased on a pre-1995 rent agreement – agreements which the country’s courts have declared to be unconstitutional.

In all the Government has acquired the premises of 5 band clubs and entered into a promise of sale with regards to another 7, thus intervening so that total of 12 band clubs avoid being evicted due to the pre-1995 rent laws.

The acquisitions will cost the government €19 million by the same all the agreements are signed.

The government’s decision to purchase these properties is on the premise that in doing so, it would be protecting the important cultural heritage that village feasts bring to the country.  The eviction of the band clubs would severely impact these village feasts which are synonymous with Maltese summers and are an important part of the village community.

The premise cannot be disputed: but in doing this, the government has created something of a class-divide in voluntary organisations.

This is evident when taking a second piece of news relating to voluntary organisations reported this week and comparing it to the fortunes of these band clubs.

The founder of an NGO which cares for stray cats took to social media on Wednesday saying that she was desperate for financial assistance in order to pay bills and other expenses related to the care of over 300 cats.  So desperate was she, that she said that she is willing to part ways temporarily with her wedding and engagement rings to be able to cover the expenses.

Bills, totalling more than €4,800, are putting immense pressure on the NGO, making it increasingly difficult to secure food for the cats, she said. 

It is a figure which pales into insignificance when compared to that which the government has spent in order to purchase band clubs. This spending too is integral to the operation of this particular NGO and to the welfare of the animals it cares for.

While band clubs seem to be the recipients of millions and millions in funding, there are plenty of other NGOs which must feed off the scraps.

There are government schemes for voluntary organisations which do exist, and which are important within the context of these organisations: but these are almost all project-based – meaning that one cannot simply apply for funding in order to cover basic running expenses – and they are highly competitive, with only the best projects being selected for funding.

If a VO who doesn’t happen to be a band club today is facing eviction, there is little that it can do.  Will the government be intervening in such instances as well? What about in cases of VOs which would like to rent or purchase some sort of property of their own to operate out of, something for which there is no local funding grant available for?  Will the government find a way to assist them too?

It’s difficult to draw a line when a precedent such as this has been set.  As things stand though, it appears that some voluntary organisations are considered more equal than others.