Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1497813
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 23 APRIL 2023 COMMENT Freedom of movement for workers RENEE LAIVIERA PAGE 11 The Skinny Malta, shrunk down EDITORIAL Reforming the justice system PAGE 2 JOSANNE CASSAR A country with two faces PAGE 6 The share of persons who has no interest at all in working abroad, regardless of pay, declined from 28% in 2009 to 21% in 2022 What are we skinning? The news that a new legal no- tice now allows for properties which encroach on ODZ land to be sold, which generously expands the remit of a similar 2016 scheme. Why are we skinning it? Be- cause it's yet another sop to developers and the real estate and property market on the island, which continues to be granted the blessing of the gov- ernment to expand and destroy our countryside with impunity. Sounds to me like it's sanc- tioning what was happening anyway. In a sense, yes. The Planning Authority has said that in most cases, the legal notice would cover sanitary infringe- ments and internal structures which just about jut outside the 'red lines'. They would say that, though. In truth, there does seem to be a somewhat concerted effort to make it more onerous to regu- larise any infringements -- with heftier fees being applied, and with the PA assuring all of us that regularisation will not be an automatic affair. So this is all about making things efficient for all con- cerned. Yes, exactly. The offi- cial take on it, I suppose, would be that the legal notice would simply ratify into law what is already something of a fait ac- compli... What's that when it's at home (ODZ or otherwise)...? It's as if the authorities are saying: "We're lax about this stuff an- yway, nobody's complaining too hard about 'minor' in- fringements into ODZ, and there would be money to be made all- round." Looked at that way, it makes perfect sense. Yes, a closed cir- cle of pragmatic, profitable and decisive government action. It sounds too good to be true. In fact, it is a leap of faith meant to help us continue worship- ping the gods of construction without complaint. And what would the apostates and heretics say to that? Well, they might say that a rush to regularise illegalities does, at the very least, look like an ex- ample of extremely skewed pri- orities. It looks like the bad guys are helping each other out, though. It would make sense for them to legalise illegalities, yes. The apostates would do well to consider that they chose to be the good guys, then. In the kingdom of the blind, the one- eyed man is king. And in the island mecca for land-gobbling developers, ODZ is very much back on the menu. Now you're just being melo- dramatic. So what if a villa's pool or washroom juts out in- to the countryside a little bit? One small jut for man, one giant leap for the construction he- gemony. The future does indeed look bright. That it does, my friend. As bright as a sea of fresh yel- low limestone baking under the Mediterranean summer sun, with nary a spot of greenery to offer respite. Do say: "There seems to be a spirit of 'efficiency' that moti- vates moves of this kind -- the in-built justification that 'we're just making official what was happening anyway'. But the fact that it shouldn't happen in the first place takes a back- burner, which paints a very ug- ly picture of the island's ethical stance on this, and many other, issues." Don't say: "This is basically all about Ian Borg's swimming pool, right?" No. 188 - The Encroachment Reward SAVIOUR BALZAN When reports sound the wakeup call PAGE 5 MICHAEL FALZON Nothing but the truth PAGE 7