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NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 6 FEBRUARY 2019 2 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The legal notice provides that government-owned agricultur- al land by title of lease may be granted to anyone who has suc- cessfully completed an academ- ic course in agricultural studies in the preceding five years from the entry into force of the regu- lations, but the PN is suggesting that this be extended to the last ten years. It is also proposing that all bona fide farmers should not be obliged to register themselves with the agricultural directo- rate, and that any decisions taken by the Lands Authority on lease transfer applications should be open to an appeals process. The PN is also proposing that the transfer of agricultural lesees be extended to siblings and grand children of the lease. Addressing the press confer- ence, PN MP Edwin Vassallo said that while the new legal notice was meant to facilitate the transferring of agricultural leases, it had ended up creating more impediments for farmers. "When farmers took stock of the new law, they realised that the government was actually creating more obstacles for the transfer of land and finding rea- sons to impede this," Vassallo noted. Legal notice intended to con- solidate agricultural land Reacting to the PN's propos- als Herrera stressed that the majority of agriculatural land in Malta was owned by the gov- ernment. He said that a study carried out by parliamentary secretary for agriculture Clint Camill- eri had commissioned a study which found, among other conclusions, that some 70% of agricultural land was not being used because it has been subdi- vided to an extent that makes it economically unviable. As such, he said the legal no- tice was intended to facilitate the transfer of agricultural land to bona fide farmers, so that they can consolidate their land and become more productive. "Farmers can buy other lease- holds and obtain enough terri- tory to make their business pro- ductive," Herrera said, stressing that if the land keeps being in- herited, farming will eventually finish because most of the land will be too small to work. Herrera pointed out that gov- ernment land can't be sublet or rented out, and that allowing the transfer of the lease was an exception to rule. "We made this exception only to protect and encourage agriculture." Regarding the PN's proposal to allow land to be transferred even if it contains a structure greater than 40 sq.m., Herrera said that studies and consulta- tions carried out by Camilleri's secretariat as well as his minis- try and the Transport Ministry, had concluded that the foot- print was big enough for an ag- ricultural store. "The idea is that if you have a store, that is fine. But if you have two tumoli of land and you've built a farmhouse and I let you assign it someone else, you can make thousands," Her- rera said. He said the PN also wanted to allow for the transfer of ag- ricultural land which inside the development zone in the same way, adding that the suggestion was "incredulous". "The scope is to protect agri- cultural land," Herrera insisted, adding that the PN's proposals were "pure land speculation to make a few people millionaires". Asked about the proposal to allow leased land to be trans- ferred to lessee's siblings and grandchildren, Herrera said that the legal notice already al- lows for the transfer of a lease to any other farmer, meaning that there was no obstacle in trans- ferring it to siblings, as long as it is to be used for agricultural purposes. PN claims new legal notice causes farmers more problems MATTHEW VELLA A L T E R N A T T I V A Demokratika is supporting the abrogation of Article 2 of the Maltese Constitution, which enshrines the coun- try's religion of Roman Ca- tholicism in the supreme law. "Malta is now a lay state and that this fact should be reflected in the constitution- al reform through an abroga- tion of article 2 of the Con- stitution. This would reflect the great strides forward made by the Maltese nation as a result of the divorce ref- erendum as well as through the introduction and rec- ognition of civil rights for the LGBTIQ community," AD chairperson Carmel Ca- copardo said. A preliminary discussion outlining proposals for con- stitutional reform by the Green Party, was held dur- ing a meeting with the com- mittee led by the President of the Republic Marie Lou- ise Coleiro, and also made up of representatives of the Nationalist Party and the La- bour Party. Cacopardo said a revised constitution should reflect Malta's historic strides and the way the country embrac- es ethical pluralism. "Instead of the Constitution linking with one religious set of be- liefs, the Roman Catholic, it should spell out its respect for all religions compatible with the democratic state." AD chairperson Carmel Cacopardo emphasised that AD's proposals have already been in the public domain for a long time. "Malta's electoral legislation needs to change in order to ensure that every vote cast by a Maltese citi- zen is valued and that pro- portionality between votes cast and parliamentary seats elected is not a right reserved for the exclusive perusal of the PN and the PL. But that in fact it is applicable to all parties, subject to a 2.5% na- tional threshold." AD's candidate for Europe, the LGBTIQ activist Mina Tolu, also emphasised AD's stand on the need for a gen- der balance inside parliament not just between men and women, but also for people "who identify themselves with neither of these genders, should they decide to contest elections." Alternattiva Demokratika also discussed the need that the President of the Republic should be elected by an elec- toral college that includes lo- cal councils. Cacopardo also said the Constitution must protect the environment as well as ensuring that each Maltese citizen has the right to take the government to court if it fails in carrying out its duties. "Together with a proposal to introduce the right to a propositional referendum this would strength the dem- ocratic process. In the com- ing weeks AD will present a document detailing all of our proposals to the Constitu- tional reform steering com- mittee led by the President of the Republic." "The Constitution, in its present form is the result of debates over an almost 60-year time-frame, and the consolidated compromises within seem awkward in our present-day reality. We need to understand the context which led to these conclu- sions and compromises be- cause they led to the country moving forward. In order to improve our Constitution we cannot start afresh but we must appreciate the achieve- ments of our predecessors and plan the next steps on this basis. This will lead us to improve the situation and produce a better constitu- tional document." Electoral laws must change in Maltese constitutional reform, Alternattiva says Malta's electoral legislation needs to change in order to ensure that every vote cast by a Maltese citizen is valued, Cacopardo said MATTHEW AGIUS TWO men have been remanded in custody af- ter mugging and beating up a 63-year-old man in Cospicua. Addie Magri, 47, from Senglea and Jurgen Vas- sallo, 21, from Cospicua were arraigned under arrest before magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit this afternoon, accused of the violent mugging which occurred during the afternoon of Febru- ary 3. Inspector Eman Hayman charged the men with the theft of cash and a mobile phone, which charges were aggravated with violence and with slightly injuring the victim. Vassallo alone was also charged with breaching probation. The accused men, who are both unemployed, pleaded not guilty to the charges. The defence asked for the appointment of a psychiatrist to assess Vassallo's intellectual capacity and to con- clude if he is fit for trial. Bail was requested for both accused. The prosecution opposed the request, telling the court that they were being accused of mugging a 63 year-old man, who was beaten and robbed in Senglea. The man had been walking and was ap- proached by the accused who demanded money, before assaulting him. The victim knew the fami- lies of the accused and identified the men to the police. An anonymous tip-off had also identified the accused, said the inspector. The younger accused had admitted to police, saying he was assisting Magri in the beating of the victim. Magri shrugged, and gesturing as if to say the inspector was incorrect. Lawyer Christopher Chircop, defence counsel to the two men, asked that Vassallo, who suffers from an intellectual disability, not be sent to pris- on. "Prison is not his place, they will do whatever they want with him there," said the lawyer. The prosecution pointed out the accused and victim live near each other and knew each other. Vassallo knew the consequences, said the inspec- tor. Vassallo's probation officer explained to the court that the man suffered from an intellectual disability and was being helped by Caritas. The court denied bail at this stage due the fact that proceedings were at an early stage and that the victim still needed to testify. The court made a recommendation that Vassallo be held at the Forensic Ward at Mount Carmel Hospital. Two charged with Cospicua violent mugging of elderly man The two, who were accused of beating up an elderly man and stealing cash and a mobile phone, were remanded in custody