Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/163731
20 Letters / Opinion maltatoday, SUNDAY, 1 SEPTEMBER 2013 Evarist Bartolo Send your letters to: The Editor, MaltaToday, MediaToday Ltd. Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 | Fax: (356) 21 385075E-mail: newsroom@mediatoday.com.mt. Letters to the Editor should be concise. No pen names are accepted. Mallia must ask voters about EU withdrawal So Stefano Mallia has now confirmed that he has accepted to contest the MEP election in May 2013 on behalf of DynastyPN. A couple of months ago Stefano Mallia wrote an article in The Times of Malta suggesting the inclusion of a clause in the Maltese Constitution making possible the future withdrawal of Malta from the EU, subject to a two-thirds majority vote in our parliament. Mr. Mallia knows that before Malta joined the EU we had a referendum, so the Maltese people were given the chance to have their say on whether they wanted to join or not. But according to Stefano Mallia, the same people should NEVER be given the chance to have their say whether they want to withdraw from the EU, even if a very great majority would be in favour of withdrawal! And yet, Mr Mallia would now be going around Malta and Gozo asking Maltese and Gozitan voters to give him their vote, when he wants to deny them their vote – even if in the future they may want Malta to become once again an independent and sovereign country! Will he be explaining his suggestion to voters? Embracing a healthier lifestyle Eddy Privitera Mosta Boathouse permit is a ludicrous farce I read with incredulity the fatuous decision of the Environment and Planning Tribunal – as disclosed in the MEPAwatch column of 18 August – in relation to an enforcement notice issued against the owner of a "boathouse" in Santa Maria Estate, Mellieha. The Tribunal, unbelievably, revoked the enforcement notice on the grounds that the building was in fact covered by a 1976 permit, even though the building bore no resemblance to the one covered by this permit (it was constructed 25% higher, 20 courses instead of 15, and had been constructed in a different site than actually approved). These gross aberrations apparently did not concern the Tribunal nor remotely influence their ultimate decision! At this stage I would like to ask all concerned how the legal definition of a boathouse is determined and established, by whom, if all of those legally built (i.e., with a permit) now remotely resemble the original plans and whether any have not been massively altered without sanction? It would appear that one of the principal considerations, faults or wrongdoings claimed in this issue is the enforcement officer's gross negligence (neither mentioned nor identified as such, and his immense error was seemingly cavalierly brushed aside. What action will be taken against this unknown officer for a mistake of this magnitude?) "He mislaid the owner's personal details", which is confusing, as initially Mr Musmeci claimed that the boathouse owner was "unknown" – so which is it? There are a lot of unknowns here; how can an unknown owner then lodge an appeal? This mislaying of personal details apparently resulted in the enforcement notice being affixed on-site incorrectly (another massive error perpetrated by the enforcement officer). However, this affixing of notices on site raises more questions and concerns (never answered by MEPA when asked), such as who or what entity actually affixes these (as well as Planning Notices of Development) on the sites in question, and what measures are deployed by either MEPA or the clandestine contractor to record and log the affixing of such crucial notices by the "unknown" affixers? The issuing officers (both for Enforcement and Planning Application Development notices) simply issue them and do not affix them on-site or ensure they are placed on the correct site or possess any record of when or where they are affixed by the 'undivulged', third-party contractor tasked with such work, whose services are paid for out of the public purse. WHY NOT? I am in the process of requesting such information via the FOI Act provisions, as MEPA have persistently ignored my requests to reveal who this contractor is and how much does it pay for its services. (And help in ascertaining this would be greatly appreciated.) In conclusion, it would appear that ludicrous farce reigns supreme, in that the permit issued in 1976, whose eventual construction bore no resemblance to its constraints, did not matter one iota. Apparently a permit is a permit irrespective of such seemingly insignificant and obscure factors such as the location and specifications of the building! Go figure, and this absurdity simply proves the perception that in the Maltese lexicon there are two blank pages where "common sense" and "logic" should be… actually three blank pages, if you include "competence". Peter Murray via email YOUR FIRST CLICK OF THE DAY www.maltatoday.com.mt M alta ranks poorly alongside our European neighbours in the time spent each year on physical education at secondary level, according to a European Commission Eurydice Report. The report, published a few weeks ago, reveals that the belief that we allow too little time for sport in our education system is indeed well founded, with the time dedicated to physical education in Malta being less than a third of France's or Austria's. The situation is an alarming one. According to a European Journal of Sports Science study of 234 Maltese children, half of 11 and 12 year olds are overweight or obese, and this is mainly due to "low levels of activity". The study, authored by Russell Jago and Kenneth Fox, goes on to state that only 7.4% of boys and 1.1% of girls were active for the recommended 60 minutes of exercise, with 85% of boys watching between two and four hours of television every single day. These numbers are worrying for the health of society in general, putting a huge strain on the health service. This is not to say that improvements haven't been noted. Over the years there seems to have been more awareness of healthier foods and an understanding of the negatives of junk food and sugary drinks. I am happy to report on various nutrition initiatives taken by a large number of schools, including the preparation of healthy snacks and meals. The earlier our children are exposed to such lifestyles the more embedded they become. Sport is also another component of the equation that aims to address obesity. Parents need to expose children to different disciplines as early as possible. Football is, of course, a very popular sport in Malta, but there are many other kinds of sport which children could and should take up. Sport is not something that solely revolves around the younger generation. Over the past few years, as synthetic turfs became more common across the island, many people of different ages have taken up five-a-side football, and this has grown into an extensive community. Our aim is to continue helping to make sport more accessible to everyone and make sure that different kinds of sports are given space to grow. The use of the word "embracing" in the title of this article is intentional. Such core life values are not simply enforced in schools or elsewhere, but they must be embraced by the children themselves. Once they are, they will become part of their life and help keep them healthy. It is important that a generation fixated on game consoles and tablets learns about the positive energy derived from playing a sport and the sense of fulfilment that comes from a long walk in the countryside. During the scholastic year, which is about to start, we will be urging more education and understanding of a healthier lifestyle, so that children learn how they can benefit from good nutrition and physical education. CHECK OUT EVARIST BARTOLO'S LATEST COLUMNS ON http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/blogs It is important that a generation fixated on game consoles and tablets learns about the positive energy derived from playing a sport and the sense of fulfilment that comes from a long walk in the countryside