Swieqi has been "raped and stripped of its dignity", the locality's Mayor Noel Muscat stated in an email sent to Prime Minister Robert Abela, Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg, as well as the Minister and Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government.
Attaching several pictures showcasing the situation with regard to garbage and trash collection in Swieqi. He said that the pictures, which showed garbage bags and trash on pavements, were taken on Sunday morning, only a few hours after the black bags were collected. Muscat described the situation as a "crisis" that must be tackled. He continued that what the locality needs is "the appropriate medicine, and not a dose of anaesthetic to hide the problem".
Muscat had already sent an email to the Prime Minister a couple of weeks ago, in which he raised concerns regarding the garbage situation in the locality and called on the Prime Minister to intervene immediately in what the Swieqi Mayor described as a "garbage crisis" that is making life unbearable for residents. Muscat had remarked that the locality was "losing control" and further warned that unless drastic action is taken, the situation could end up mirroring that of other overburdened areas.
Prime Minister Robert Abela had then, responding to questions posed by the press on 7 July, said he is "sure" that a solution can be reached regarding the 'garbage crisis' in Swieqi. The Prime Minister observed that he has a good relationship with the Swieqi mayor, even though the latter is a representative of the Nationalist Party. Abela commented that the two "are always in open dialogue with one another." As such, he affirmed that a solution can be found to resolve this issue. Abela had mentioned that this could perhaps include the involvement of the Cabinet members responsible for Local Government: the respective Minister, Owen Bonnici, and the respective Parliamentary Secretary, Alison Zerafa Civelli.
But in given the latest email by the Swieqi mayor, the situation has not yet been solved. In the latest email, the Swieqi Mayor commented that the locality will have at least another 1,000 short let bed nights by next summer, as he remarked that "this is a residential area, and not a touristic one".
He asked Prime Minister Robert Abela to "please stop the rot", as he further requested that Abela issue a moratorium on short lets until the carrying capacity exercise is completed. The Nationalist Party, during a press conference last week, had proposed a carrying capacity policy as a key solution to Malta's garbage problem, particularly in localities heavily impacted by tourism such as Swieqi, St Julian's, and Msida.
Muscat asked the Prime Minister to ensure that it becomes a requisite that the Planning Authority ask the developers to confirm whether they plan to offer apartments for sale or for short let upon an application for development.
Muscat commented that most of Swieqi is a priority residential area, which he said means that hotels, guest houses, and elderly homes cannot be constructed, and so he questioned why it is the case that short let apartments can also be built.
Continuing on that point, the Swieqi Mayor said that he would rather have hotels or guest houses be constructed, as he described such buildings as being better regulated, particularly in regard to garbage, noise control, and discipline. "But since the policy prohibits such development, then so should short let apartments be prohibited," he remarked.
He concluded by saying that the locality cannot go on in this way any longer. He added that this has happened because the central government has failed to listen to the locality's pleas since February 2016. "You must now make amends," Muscat said, as he added that the locality is prepared to cooperate for change, "but not for a status quo".