Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1511356
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 27 MARCH 2022 OPINION 3 LETTERS & EDITORIAL maltatoday | SUNDAY • 12 NOVEMBER 2023 Mikiel Galea Letters & Clarifications The €400 million fact Allow me to rebut the letter titled The €400 million Lie by correspond- ent Eddy Privitera (MaltaToday, 29 October, 2023) which was a childish and futile attempt at damage limita- tion. It was implied that the Auditor General found the sum of €260 mil- lion were salaries paid to workers employed at three hospitals - St Luke's Hospital, Karin Grech Hospital and Gozo General Hospital. As a point of fact, the Auditor Gen- eral found the opposite. In this context, in a public speech delivered by PN MP Adrian Delia in Valletta on 29 October it was stated that the sum handed over by the so- cialist government to Vitals Global Healthcare and to Steward Healthcare International for 2014-2023 period was €408,962,816. What your corre- spondent failed to say was that this sum of money did not include the sum of €188 million which was supposed to have been paid, as salaries, to em- ployees and, at the end of the day, this sum of money had to be forked out by the Malta government as well. In this situation, one hopes that, if the magisterial inquiry led by Mag- istrate Gabriella Vella recommends criminal action against former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, Police Com- missioner Angelo Gafà will behave without fear or favour. Due to the above, perhaps Privitera can explain why, whenever journal- ists ask Prime Minister Robert Abela how much money was handed over to Vitals Global Healthcare and Steward Healthcare International in the 2014- 2023 period of time, he simply runs away. Edward Torpiano Floriana Hampering traffic flow Whoever dreamt up the cycle lanes on Mosta bridge ignored the very ba- sic fact that the bridge is used mostly by motorists and not cyclists. I use this road on a daily basis and I have noticed increased congestion ever since the cycle lanes were intro- duced. Reducing the previous two- lane carriageway leading from Mosta Fort to Triq Ragusa to one lane is simply causing a traffic jam during rush hour. The reason is that cars that want to head towards Naxxar on the left get caught up behind those that have to cut across oncoming traffic to turn right into Mosta. To add insult to injury it is not as if these cycle lanes are being used reg- ularly – in five days last week, I only noticed five cyclists making use of the dedicated lanes. If having a cycling lane there was imperative, why not consider building a narrow separate bridge across the valley for pedestri- ans and cyclists for their exclusive use? M. Abela St Paul's Bay Market watchdog If what the Finance Minister said recently on how Malta's small market makes it prone to cartel practices is true, what is government waiting for to ensure the institutions tasked with protecting consumers and ensuring fair competition get down to doing their job? The consumer affairs and competition authority cannot simply be a complaints authority that settles disputes between customers and busi- nesses. It should be much more than that. It should be the watchdog that surveys the market constantly and take action whenever it finds uncom- petitive practices, cartel behaviour and monopolies acting like bullies. The authority should be feared by the commercial and business community. This has nothing to do with market interference but ensuring the free market functions freely to the benefit of consumers. N. Pace Swieqi