Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1455666
13 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 27 FEBRUARY 2022 by a smaller majority. With the environment being a major concern of undecided voters, Labour was bound to send a greener message. Yet this still raises a funda- mental question for activists fighting against the power of big developers: should they seek more fundamental chang- es through active political par- ticipation, or does their power stem from its ability to condi- tion major political parties by investing energy in local cam- paigns where they are not per- ceived as a threat by residents hailing from both sides of the local spectrum? The latest twist suggests that civil society is becoming more powerful in conditioning the two parties rather than in cre- ating an alternative to both. But this is not enough to se- cure policy changes and lim- it the power of big money by addressing issues like party financing. Or at least, not just yet. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt LAURA CALLEJA THE Malta Entertainment Industry and Arts Association (MEIA) has called for the removal of all COVID-19 restric- tions on the entertainment industry immediately, questioning why the sec- tor is being continuously discriminated against while political activities have been allowed to go ahead. On Thursday, Health Minister Chris Fearne said that standing events out- doors would be given the go-ahead without restrictions as of 11 April. However, for indoor events, a valid vac- cine certificate will be required. When questioned by MaltaToday during a press conference on calls from the entertainment industry, the health minister again reiterated his appeal for people to be responsible and said that "it is not fair that there is a free for all situation." "The protocols by the Labour Party are being observed. People attending are being asked to register beforehand to organise these into clusters during the event. Naturally, if not everyone cooperates from both parties, problems will arise," Fearne said. However, MEIA president Howard Keith Debono lambasted the author- ities for continuing to apply what he said was a two-tier system, where polit- ical activities were allowed, yet the en- tertainment industry, a sector that has taken a major hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic, continued to be burdened by restrictions. "We are confused. This needs to stop now. All restrictions must be removed now," Debono told MaltaToday, adding that the latest announcement by Fearne fails to address the ongoing discrim- ination and the urgency to remove all measures with immediate effect. "Whereas outdoor standing events can start to be organised in April, polit- ical mass rallies with supporters stand- ing outside tents are now a daily oc- currence. Whereas patrons can already enter bars without a vaccine certificate and rightfully so, entry to standing events in clubs can only be held with a vaccine certificate and only from April," Debono said. The music producer said entertain- ment players had been discriminated against enough, and workers in the in- dustry continue to suffer from illogical measures that create a non-level play- ing field, with blatant irregularities and a two-weights, two-measures scenarios. "We reiterate our call for the immedi- ate removal of all measures on the be- lief that the virus does not distinguish between venues and human behaviour." 'For two years, we haven't been able to work' Full-time musician Nick Morales spoke to MaltaToday about his indus- try's hardships since the COVID-19 pandemic struck. "For the last two years, we haven't been able to work. People need to un- derstand I worked hard to make sure I could do this for a living; getting anoth- er job is just not an option. So, seeing political activities going ahead when our sector has suffered so much is pret- tying annoying and upsetting," Morales said. Morales highlighted that this was not the first time the authorities have al- lowed events to take place outside the COVID-19 regulations. Back in January, the Malta Film Awards caused controversy due to, in part, the lack of COVID-19 regulation enforcement – which saw audience members go mask-less, which was a vi- olation of the regulation. And back in November 2021, heavy criticism came the way of a SIGMA gaming summit that was allowed to ig- nore COVID rules without respect to social distancing. This was at the same time the Malta Book Festival had been bogged down with strict COVID-19 guidelines. "They are basically telling us that some are more equal than others and encour- aging people to break the law," Morales said in frustration. "Mass events are not organised from one day to the next and that festivals can take upwards of a year to plan – it's not as simple." lcalleja@mediatoday.com.mt Election rallies means COVID rules on events must be scrapped "We are confused. This needs to stop now. All restrictions must be removed now."