Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1101649
19 LETTERS & EDITORIAL maltatoday | SUNDAY • 7 APRIL 2019 Mikiel Galea One-eyed monsters on our roads THE importance of having properly functioning lights in a motor-vehicle is obvious. In spite of the supposed enforcement of VRT, cars with faulty lights, mostly evident after sunset, have become a common sight. A cursory personal survey of the situation revealed that at least one in twenty cars roaming our roads at night has only one functioning headlamp, and can easily be mistaken for a motor- cycle when approaching head-on. Lo- cal wardens apparently function only in daylight, and the presence of traffic police on our roads at night is virtually non-existent except around the festive season. Hence this blatantly dangerous situ- ation goes on unchecked, posing an obvious danger. Could the relevant law enforcement authorities please take note and address this festering irregu- larity in the name of road safety? Dr Lawrence Scerri, Kappara Broadcasting Authority's discrimination THE Malta Broadcasting Authority is blatantly discriminating against me and other independent candidates with regards to exposure on State TV, NET TV and ONE TV in the forthcoming European Parliament elections. I have been totally excluded from de- bates amongst different candidates and am not being given any TV spots to air. In contrast, the dominating Labour party and the PN are being given 60 minutes each of spots, despite the fact that the former are fielding 14 candi- dates and the latter 10 candidates. This means that the Labour Party is being given over 4 minutes TV spots per candidate, the PN is being given 6 minutes TV spots per candidate. But I, as a single independent can- didate, am given zero minutes of TV spots. With regards to political debates, the PL and the PN are given a total of 85 minutes each, which means 6 minutes per candidate for the PL and 8.5 min- utes per candidate for the PN. I, as a single independent candidate, am given zero minutes in debates. The Broadcasting Authority, com- posed solely of PN and PL nominees, treats me and other independent can- didates as morons, expecting us to de- liver a five minute monologue on TV. Their fear of political debate is so tangible. Moreover, to compound the blatant discrimination, the Broadcasting Au- thority has been permitting for months on end, and is going to permit till the day of the election, an uncontrolled 24 hour free for all for PN and PL candi- dates on their respective political party channels, NET and ONE TV. Not one single minute on these two channels is devoted to independent candidates. The Broadcasting Authority is basi- cally there to serve the interests of its two political masters and not to encourage a healthy political debate amongst all political candidates con- testing the elections. The discriminatory behaviour of the Broadcasting Authority is further proof of how most institutions in Malta have been taken over by the consolidated duopoly composed of PL and PN. Arnold Cassola, Swieqi Letters & Clarifications