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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 27 MARCH 2022 OPINION 3 LETTERS & EDITORIAL maltatoday | SUNDAY • 8 OCTOBER 2023 Mikiel Galea Letters & Clarifications Pension arrears are also due THE expected pension piecemeal in- creases intended to bring those pension- ers who were born before 1962 in line with younger pensioners' higher entitle- ments, will probably be announced in the budget. If this supposed 'remedy' stops there, it will, by its very nature, prolong the injustice being suffered by this class of older pensioners, considering they should also be paid arrears that the ex- pected protracted adjustment scheme will obviously create. By way of example, if these older pen- sioners are going to be granted a partial €100 monthly top up, over and above the cost of living increase, the govern- ment would still owe them another €250 for the opening month, and monthly thereafter (reduced proportionally by the monthly shortfall actually remaining over the years) until parity is reached with younger pensioners' pensions. Quite obviously, however, this would not suffice to balance things out, given that considerable arrears, relating to all the previous years' short paid pensions should also form part of the equation. It is worth recalling that this premed- itated discriminatory pension 'anomaly' had been proposed by a Nationalist ad- ministration and subsequently adopted by the incumbent Labour government. Both parties agreed to short pay all affected older pensioners some €350 monthly. Interestingly, MPs on both sides of the political divide, even those who serve for a single five-year legislature, have awarded themselves a privileged two- thirds uncapped pension, that currently averages €36,000 annually. This is double the maximum pension capped at around €18,000, payable to those born after 1962. The thousands of pensioners who have been discriminated against for so long will not be satisfied with crumbs. They justifiably expect to be treated fairly. Anything that falls short of this, would be adding, not easily forgiven insult, to very substantial financial injury. We will soon know if some form of ac- ceptable overall remedy will materialise, or if the government intends delaying such redress to allow sufficient time for the grim reaper to step in and bail out the exchequer. J-P Azzopardi Swieqi Change Marsaskala local plan to prohibit marina THIS summer, following two decades of wrangling over the fate of Ħondoq ir-Rummien, Malta received the news that development plans for the area were put to rest for good by the Appeals Court. This is a rare, and much needed, respite from the overdevelopment on- slaught afflicting our islands. This was followed by the Prime Minis- ter's reassurance that directions had been given to amend planning policy for the area to reflect this decision. On 20 Sep- tember, the Planning Authority kicked off the process to amend the planning policies outlined in the 2006 Local Plan for Gozo to prohibit any form of develop- ment within the area of Ħondoq except for possible afforestation. Following the successful campaign against the yacht marina in Marsaskala in 2021 and 2022, the Marsaskala Residents' Network (MRN) interprets the actions to save Hondoq as an encouraging sign that something similar could be assured for Marsaskala. Although Marsaskala residents have repeatedly been 'reassured' that the yacht marina will not be built, they know full well that the Local Plan states otherwise. MRN has asked the Prime Minister to change the Local Plan to safeguard the future of the bay. In his reply, the Prime Minster assured us yacht marina devel- opment is a type of project that can only proceed following the issuance of a call from a government entity, and 'reassured' us they do not intend to proceed with such a call again. This statement is hardly reassuring. Given Malta's recent history, MRN can hardly rest on the 'goodwill' and 'peace of mind' being offered by the Prime Minis- ter. Why is it taking so long to revise the local plans in Marsaskala to reflect the 'reassurance' being offered. Without legal reassurance MRN will not rest easy. MRN is therefore asking the Prime Minister – what is there to be afraid of? Why the hesitation, and why the delay? MRN expects the Local Plans for Mar- saskala to be modified and reflect the present reality. Prof. Ivan Sammut Secretary Marsaskala Residents Network