Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1537976
legalised in 2002 after decades of discussions, the slippery slope ef- fect is clearly visible. The Nether- lands has moved from euthanasia of people who are terminally ill, to euthanasia of those who are chron- ically ill; from euthanasia for physi- cal illness, to euthanasia for mental illness; from euthanasia for mental illness, to euthanasia for psycho- logical distress or mental suffer- ing—and now to euthanasia simply if a person is over the age of 70 and tired of living. Dutch euthanasia protocols have also moved from conscious patients providing explicit consent, to un- conscious patients unable to pro- vide consent. This shows how the Dutch euthanasia protocols over a 23-year period have slipped down the slope with alarming speed. Le- galising euthanasia can give rise to a cascade of consecutive misuses and abuses that eventually will result in undesirable and highly distressing outcomes. In fact, the United Nations has found that the euthanasia law in the Netherlands is in violation of its Universal Declaration of Hu- man Rights, as it poses the risk to the rights of safety and integrity for every person's life. Furthermore, UN concern was also expressed about the potential failure of such system to detect and to prevent cases in which individuals could be subjected to invisible or/and undue pressure to access euthanasia and may circumvent the safety regula- tions that are in place. Suffering as spiritual development Considering all the above facts, death was never and can never be a medication. Suffering is a power, which when managed properly, us- ing the latest knowledge and tools, will foster spiritual development and the strengthening of the rela- tionship with others. In this way, suffering becomes a natural and es- sential component of human resil- ience, evolution and experience. Society needs to focus more on in- vesting in palliative care by substan- tially providing variable resources so that a compassionate alternative with practical solutions can be pre- sented to patients in the most dif- ficult time of their life. In this way they will be able to adequately and effectively manage their pain and suffering. Philosophers like Immanuel Kant, the German renowned philosopher who is the central figure in modern philosophy, argue that taking life, even to alleviate suffering, under- mines the moral fabric of society. ROBERT Abela was simply being disingenuous on Sun- day when quoting anecdotes of people suffering from cancer to justify the planning reform he wants to in- troduce. It is a shame the prime minister used illness to counter the widespread criticism of his reform. Critics are "ei- ther misinformed or acting in bad faith", Abela said. He reiterated that assertion outside parliament on Monday when he told activists they were misrepresenting the reform. We wonder whether he was also referring to Labour Party President Alex Sciberras, who put out two Face- book posts in the space of 24 hours, raising concern about government's bills and suggesting changes to them. The prime minister insisted on Sunday his planning reform would introduce "discipline, clarity and cer- tainty" to the planning process. For ordinary, honest law-abiding citizens, it will not. On the contrary, it will regularise indiscipline and promote uncertainty. As for clarity; the only clear thing is that government is bend- ing over backwards to appease developers and wrong- doers. The government is proposing giving the Planning Board discretionary power to make decisions that de- viate from existing policies based on spatial, architec- tural, or contextual considerations. In short, the board members are being given the power to go against the policies that should be guiding their decisions. A pol- icy's inherent function is to ensure certainty. If board members are going to be given discretionary powers to ignore policy, that is the antithesis of certainty—it be- comes a jungle. So, a board may decide to use its discretionary pow- ers to allow Mr X to build an apartment block of seven floors even if this goes against policy but shoot down Ms Y's application for a seven-storey block citing policy limitations. In this way, the board would open itself up to claims of favouritism. It will simply create uncertain- ty because policies will become meaningless. And with the government proposing an amnesty on il- legal development, it is baffling how the prime minister can even argue the changes will bring about discipline. Awarding wrongdoers seems to be Abela's mantra. If Abela is concerned about those he describes as 'vic- tims' of the system—people who would have bought a property that is then deemed illegal by the courts—his government should embark on an educational and in- formation campaign to urge those purchasing property to ensure that they also verify the planning status, apart from the customary legal searches, of the property at hand. But maybe when the prime minister spoke of clar- ity and certainty, he actually meant giving clarity and certainty to those who broke the law and did as they pleased. These people will finally get peace of mind that the illegal works they carried out will no longer be sub- ject to enforcement procedures. Indeed, these are the people who will agree with Abela that the reform will introduce discipline, clarity and certainty… for them. As for those who always obeyed the law, adhered to planning policies, sought to amend applications to con- form with requests made by the authority there is no reward. The honest citizens of this country will have to shut up and lump the fact that wrongdoing pays well in this country. The truth about the planning changes Abela wants introduced is that they will end up benefitting the Mi- chael Stivalas, the Anton Camilleris, the Sandro Chet- cutis, the Silvio Debonos, the Charles Polidanos and the Joseph Portellis, of this world. The cancer patients and the elderly couples cited by Abela to justify the reform are just a side show. The sop stories are just an excuse to justify the demands of those who want their illegal swimming pools sanctioned, their towers to go higher, their sprawling illegal buildings blessed by Abela's mag- ic touch, and their villas in outside development zones to be green-lighted. This reform is way more profound than the changes Abela had promised more than two years ago to the ap- peals system so that works are suspended until all stages of appeal are exhausted. Instead, Abela took the inde- cent road of ploughing ahead with proposals over which there was no dialogue with NGOs and residents. The only people Abela talked to were the developers. They were feted, listened to and appeased. And then, the prime minister had the gall to accuse critics of act- ing in bad faith. Planning reform: Appeasement, cancer and bad faith maltatoday MaltaToday, MediaToday Co. Ltd, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 MANAGING EDITOR: SAVIOUR BALZAN EXECUTIVE EDITOR: KURT SANSONE EDITOR: PAUL COCKS Tel: (356) 21 382741-3, 21 382745-6 Website: www.maltatoday.com.mt E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt 11 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 30 JULY 2025 EDITORIAL