Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/380554
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER 2014 News 7 TIM DIACONO ALTERNATTIVA Demokrattika said that plans for a public garden in the Valletta ditch under City Gate should not be shelved in favour of a car park. In December 2013, a spokesperson for Infrastructure Minister Joe Mizzi told MaltaToday that the govern- ment was reviewing architect Renzo Piano's plans for a public garden in the ditch. The review was being con- ducted together with the Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW), the firm responsible for the City Gate project. Nine months later, RPBW work- shop member Antonio Belvedere told MaltaToday that the government has not yet given them any feedback on the plans. "I haven't heard any news on this item… I hope one day we will be able to complete this part of the scheme," Belvedere told MaltaToday when contacted this week. In a reply to a parliamentary ques- tion tabled in July 2013, Minister Mizzi said that the government had scrapped plans for a public garden in the ditch to save €1.9 million. The plans were part of acclaimed architect Renzo Piano's project for the renova- tion of Valletta's entrance. However, in December a spokes- person for Mizzi said that the govern- ment was consulting with the RPBW to come up with a cheaper alternative to Piano's original design for a public garden. Belvedere insisted that there was "no plan to divert from our original scheme, which has been approved by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority". He said that the section of the ditch between the St James and St John Cavalier fortification branches was the most important because it is visible from the City Gate bridge. MaltaToday is informed that the government was considering asphalt- ing the ditch and transforming it into a public car park, as it had been in the past. Alternattiva Demokratika is fully against this option. "Valletta is accessible to public trans- port. If anything, the public transport service should be improved," AD's environment spokesman Ralph Cas- sar said. "We should not facilitate the invasion of cars into Valletta. "The garden is the most beautiful part of Piano's project," Cassar said. "If it isn't built, then people will be de- nied an open space in favour of cars' exhaust." AD leader Arnold Cassola com- pared these rumours to the news that a 'small part' of the Council of Europe garden in Ta' Xbiex could be handed over to private operators for com- mercial reasons. "It appears that this government is allergic to public gardens," Cas- sola said. "In such a small country, the idea of open public spaces is still be- ing kicked to the side." "The focus is entirely on the com- pletion of the Parliament building at the moment," Mizzi had told Malta- Today. "Once parliament is operating from the new building, then the focus will be turned to the ditch and other related projects." TIM DIACONO TEACHERS' union president Kevin Bonello has bemoaned the end of an 'era of charity' where vol- unteers working with children and disabled people risk being the tar- gets of frivolous abuse allegations. "The era of flexibility, charity and duties extra and above one's remit is unfortunately over," MUT president Kevin Bonello said in the light of ac- cusations of child abuse brought against Anthony Callus, a 46-year old MUSEUM (Society of Chris- tian Doctrine) volunteer, who was remanded in custody after pleading not guilty to abusing a 10-year-old boy. On 24 August, during a MUSUEM swimming outing to Bahar ic-Ca- ghaq, Callus was said to have lifted a 10-year-old boy out of the sea from his waist. The boy perceived this as 'abuse' because, according to him, Callus "slightly touched his genital region". Callus was kept in police custody for five days, with the courts allow- ing the publication of his name. The case is still ongoing but many people have taken to the social me- dia to defend Callus and to criticise the justice system for the way this case has been handled. Siggiewi mayor Karol Aquilina and Marsax- lokk mayor Edric Micallef have both gone public with their support for Callus. "Many teachers and volunteers are highly concerned that they might get unfairly labelled as child abusers," Kevin Bonello told MaltaToday. "Church-related NGOs and NGOs which work with children have con- tacted me with these concerns. "The way these incidents have been dealt with has delivered a severe blow to voluntary work," Bonello said. "People are now arguing that it is insane to volunteer for work with children, including in NGOs which deal with special conditions and dis- abilities. Excellent teachers might be tempted to find a less risky job too. "They are exposed to risks that are wholly dependent on interpreta- tion, with little investigation carried out." Paul Attard Baldacchino works as a child psychologist in Maltese pub- lic schools. "Teachers have told me that they are afraid of getting unfair- ly labelled as child abusers," he said. "I'm sure that teachers will now ap- proach students with more caution. For example, in primary school it is common for teachers to have some form of physical contact with stu- dents – hand holding in corridors, hugging, helping them put on their jackets. Some teachers are likely to get more anxious about this sort of contact." And a spokesperson for the Malta Scouts Association also confirmed that "an element of fear" existed "among most, if not all, youth work- ers." "The very nature of some work, including teaching children life- saving techniques such as CPR, wa- ter safety and swimming, requires physical contact with children. "This is by no means a new phe- nomenon either," the association said. "Adult professionals have been adopting a more distant and less caring attitude to children they work with for quite some time now." tdiacono@mediatoday.com.mt Call for Expression of interest for professional service providers Projects Malta Ltd., a subsidiary of Malta Government's Investments Ltd. is issuing an expression to all professionals and/or firms that are interested to offer their expert services in: Architecture & Design, Legal, Auditing, Finance & Feasibility Studies and Project Management. Projects Malta Ltd. will invite the shortlisted applicants to put forward their proposals and quotations for the provision of services for upcoming projects within the ambit of Public- Private Partnerships. Service Providers that are interested to be part of this database should send their statement of experience and any other material showcasing their qualifications to: Chief Financial Officer, Projects Malta Ltd., Clock Tower, Level 1, Tigne Point, Sliema by Wednesday 17th September 2014. 'Teachers fear unfair label of child abuse' Malta Union of Teachers president Kevin Bonello says climate of fear over child abuse allegations bringing to an end 'era of charity' 'There is an element of fear among youth workers' – Scout Association. Inset: Kevin Bonello 'Don't ditch garden ditch plans', AD pleads