Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1217991
05.03.2020 9 EDITORIAL BusinessToday is published every Thursday. The newspaper is a MediaToday publication and is distributed to all leading stationers, business and financial institutions and banks. MANAGING EDITOR: SAVIOUR BALZAN EDITOR: PAUL COCKS CONTRIBUTING JOURNALIST: MASSIMO COSTA BusinessToday, MediaToday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN9016, Malta Newsroom email: bt@mediatoday.com.mt Advertising: afarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt Telephone: 00356 21 382741 A report on the construction industry and property mar- ket last October had flagged as a concern the tendency to accept compromised quality as a means of cutting costs. e context to this statement was the low quality of high-end apart- ments for which good rental money was being charged. But it appears that the tendency to compromise on quality is deep-seat- ed in an industry that plays an im- portant role in the economy. e problem is that poor quality in construction can be deadly as we learnt this week. e construction boom of the past five years has only helped to worsen this problem with companies relying on cheap labour to fill in gaps, and rushing to finish multiple jobs on time. Rules were changed last year in re- sponse to three major incidents that saw houses collapse as a result of ad- jacent construction sites. Whether Monday's fatal collapse was caused by the inadequacy of these new rules still has to be estab- lished. We can only hope that the ongoing magisterial inquiry and police inves- tigation that can shed light on what happened are concluded quickly and not allowed to drag on. Society's urgency for the truth to emerge has to be reflected by these institutions. Whoever was responsible for wrongdoing should be prosecuted and judgments handed down by the courts should reflect the severity of the situation. But there are two aspects that we feel the need to highlight. e first is the government's failure to ensure proper and expedient en- forcement of existing rules. Despite the changes enacted last year, people are still at a total loss as to who they should report if an ad- jacent construction site is causing damage or posing a risk to property and life. Enforcement must be beefed up and action taken without fear or favour. An industry that operates as if it is immune to prosecution is counterproductive for the economy because the damage it can cause is enormous. Authorities must not fear cracking down on cowboys. Such a crack- down will not damage the economy but rather help it because it ensures quality levels are upped and reputa- tional damage is avoided. But more importantly, it will help avoid tragic situations that leave ordinary citizens and businesses in helpless situations. e second point we raise is indus- try's responsibility to ensure that its actors live up to high standards and not succumb to greed. e construction industry must not shoot itself in the foot and it has to be forthcoming in weeding out the cowboys in its midst. e time for excuses and false warnings not to kill the goose that lays the golden egg, is over. If the sec- tor does not up its game, it will be the one killing the goose on the altar of greed. If there are gaps in expertise – ex- cavation appears to be one such area – industry must either import that expertise but also be forthcoming with proposals to encourage training of Maltese tradespeople. If developers are unable to shoulder the higher costs that come with saf- er work practices and good quality workmanship than they should not even consider venturing into the sec- tor. Cutting corners has to stop. Miriam Pace's death on Monday was one too many and developers will only harm the sector and the economy if they act as if nothing has happened. Killing the goose on the altar of greed