Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1481355
TRUTH IS OF NO COLOUR WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT SUNDAY • 2 OCTOBER 2022 • ISSUE 1986 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY maltatoday OF POLICE MALTATODAY SURVEY: Are you ready to take the pain for Ukraine? PAGE 12 Life/death UKRAINE MAT TH E W VELLA AIR Malta's bill for severance packages is edging close to €60 million after a total of 345 em- ployees out of 572 applied for the government payouts. On 14 January, government announced it would create a voluntary employee trans- fer scheme in a bid to cut Air Malta's workforce by half and save €15 million per year in wages as part of a restructur- ing exercise. But while staff had been ear- marked for early termination in August, they will now leave the national airline by 31 De- cember, 2022. With the airline enjoying healthier summer loads as tourism picks up from the pandemic, more workers have had to be retained for service despite plans by the finance ministry to release 600 airline employees into the public ser- vice. Around €65 million had been included in the 2022 Budget for 'national airline restruc- turing assistance', which could reflect the expected assistance the European Commission in Brussels will allow by way of state aid. €1.95 Free buses win 6,700 new patrons in September JAMES DEBONO IN the month prior to the intro- duction of a free-of-charge bus service, the number of registra- tions for Tallinja cards have in- creased by 6,718 – from 407,689 on 31 August, to 414,407 on 28 September, the Transport Min- istry revealed in reply to a ques- tion by MaltaToday. The increase is being inter- preted as a positive indication of the popularity of the free bus service which commenced operations on Saturday. As from yesterday all persons using the personalised Tallinja card were not required to have credit on their card in order to use buses. Availing of free public trans- port requires commuters to tap their personalised Tallinja Card on the ticket machine next to the bus driver every time they board the bus. PAGE 4 FREE BUSES Air Malta redundancies could near €60 million for 345 employees PAGE 2 Finance minister Clyde Caruana Humanists say it is time for Malta to introduce living wills PAGE 9 Officers speak about life the blue PAGES 14-15 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 2 OCTOBER 2022 COMMENT What are we skinning? The European Commission haul- ing Malta's limestone booty to court over the island's in- sistence on selling passports to rich foreigners. Why are we skinning it? Be- cause it marks a significant escalation of previous at- tempts to do the same, with the continent's ruffian teen- age child refusing to yield to the adults in the room yet again. But is it really all that fair to single Malta out on this? How do you mean? Other countries also sell passports. Cyprus and Bul- garia have stopped doing so. Malta is literally the last one standing here. Can you blame our govern- ment for keeping on keep- ing on, though? Yes I can, because the scheme is not the most pleasant of propo- sitions in whatever light you may choose to look at it… and yes, that includes the nakedly pragmatic financial one. But naked pragmatism is what the Maltese are all about. I would say it's more like: pragmatism decked out in a sheer dress hidden layers upon layers of rosaries but ban, Malta's gotten away with a lot since its accession into the EU in 2004. Now we'll even be allowed to carry on consuming gas and electricity as per usual. It's almost as if the continent didn't experience any signif- icant rumbles since Febru- ary of this year… It's a regular party up here in Malta town. Indeed, who wouldn't want to splurge on a passport and join in the fun? I hope the EU is happy in its role as party pooper ex- traordinaire. Fairly certain that being insufferably but- toned-up is their hard-won brand. Do say: "While matters of internal governance should indeed be the sovereign right of any individual EU member state, the passports scheme blurs that line by effectively allowing the pur- chase of blanket access to all EU states. The gnashing of teeth by the government is understandable, but so is action." Empowering girls RENEE LAIVIERA PAGE 11 The Skinny Malta, shrunk down MICHAEL FALZON A pumping station too many PAGE 7 No 159 – The Passports Pastizzi Yard Sale Conundrum JOSANNE CASSAR Who's really running this country anyway? PAGE 6 EDITORIAL Press laws not strong enough PAGE 2 SAVIOUR BALZAN Waiting for the messiah PAGE 5 More than ever, girls' voices are rising. We are witnessing young women as agents of positive change, organising and leading global movements. maltatoday | SUNDAY • 2 OCTOBER 2022 CLASSIFIEDS & COMMERCIALS ARTS • TV • WHAT'S ON PHOTO JAMES BIANCHI Daniela Attard Artist maltatoday Get the critical perspective on politics, culture and society Be the first to enjoy our print newspaper with a subscription When you need to decode what politicians are saying, when you want to understand why Malta's crazy construction industry is impacting upon your life, when you need to step out of the social media and understand the world from a different perspective, our journalists and columnists will provide you with expert reporting, analysis and commentary. Order now at maltatoday.uberflip.com