Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/706995
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 24 JULY 2016 26 Letters LABOUR MP Silvio Parnis has been re- ported to have entered the Gzira poly- clinic's pharmacy store without authori- sation, after security personnel failed to stop the parliamentarian from entering a restricted zone. In a letter to primary healthcare director Dr Andrew Amato Gauci, the director of the Gzira clinic confirmed that Parnis had entered the clinic's pharmacy store, upon which a sign reads "Strictly Pharmacy Staff Only". In her letter, Isabelle Zahra Pulis claimed the security guard "might have felt intimidated by the presence of a member of parliament who was trying to enter the premises." Zahra Pulis said the incident had been a one-off since the door is guarded by security personnel, but informed Amato Gauci that security had been instructed to tell Parnis he cannot enter the pharmacy again. The incident happened on Tuesday 23 May, when Parnis – a health supervisor at the Rabat health centre – informed his superior earlier that day that he was going out on "urgent vacation leave". In a letter to principal Dr Stephen West, Rabat's senior medical officer Dr Josianne Cutajar reported that on the day of the in- cident, Parnis presented himself at about 8:00am, saying he was going out on ur- gent vacation leave. Cutajar said she im- mediately updated the attendance sheet, and that later that day Parnis called her once again to inform her he would be out on vacation leave until the 7 June, 2006. In another letter seen by MaltaToday, Parnis later wrote to Stephen West on 8 June, confirming he had asked for leave due to "urgent work concerning my par- liamentary duty". Parnis claimed that after leaving the Ra- bat centre he went to check upon his for- mer colleagues at the Gzira centre's phar- macy store, and that as he was leaving a bystander complained to him for having entered the pharmacy store. Reports by Nationalist organ il-mument say that on the day of the incident, Parnis skipped a queue of people who were wait- ing for their medicines, and later con- fronted the angry crowd for complaining he had skipped the queue. Last week, a MaltaToday journalist vis- ited the Rabat health centre where Parnis works, confirming that the MP had clocked off before 11:00am. The newspa- per was told by an employee that "nobody knows what he (Parnis) does here". Parnis later told MaltaToday his ab- sence had been related to work at the Op- position's parliamentary office. The MP, who heads the M'intix Wah- dek charity, has stated in parliament he will be publishing the audited accounts for the organisation he founded back in 2003. Earlier this week, Parnis claimed he was the victim of a campaign to tarnish his reputation, after having received several anonymous letters alleging he had been associating himself with criminals. In his parliamentary adjournment, Parnis said he was "nothing but a worker's son who was working hard for the district", claim- ing he would "sweep the floor with the PN" (niknishom) in the upcoming elec- tion. Health director told how MP breached health centre rules Send your letters to: The Editor, MaltaToday, MediaToday Ltd. Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 | Fax: (356) 21 385075 E-mail: newsroom@mediatoday.com.mt. Letters to the Editor should be concise. No pen names are accepted. 23 July, 2006 Saving trees and purifying the air Trees are the longest living organ- isms on the planet and are one of the earth's greatest natural resources. For thousands of years trees have been the foundation of humankind's development and a vital basic source of material for so many of man's initiatives, such as fire, marine exploration, tools, machines, weaponry, housing and constructions. Trees are also vital to human life itself, therefore one must find it mystifying that the campaign "Save our trees" is needed to stop the relentless destruction of essential mature trees in Malta. Even more puzzling is the personal vilification of some campaign- ers by senior intellectuals, rather less intellectual bloggers and even politicians. Even several normally positive local councils seem to have fallen into the trap of purging mature trees. This is not just an aesthetic mat- ter; not just scenic. Trees have an enormous environmental, ecologi- cal and even economic value. Simple and basic research reveals that, in an era when utility cost is playing an important part, trees placed around buildings can reduce air conditioning need by 30%, the shade and wind buffering provided by trees reduces heat- ing and cooling costs, and each average sized mature tree saves an estimated 60 euros per annum in environmental benefits, including energy conservation and reduced pollution. Environmentally, trees play a huge part; a mature tree removes almost 70 times more pollution than a newly planted tree, a single tree produces 260 pounds of oxygen per annum, i.e. two mature trees create enough oxygen to sup- ply a family of four. One tree can absorb as much carbon in a year as a car produces in 26,000 miles, and in the course of its lifetime one tree can absorb a ton of carbon dioxide. Of course trees reduce erosion and moderate the climate and provide a habitat for many species of animals, birds, insects and plants, all of which are part of the basic life cycle of our planet. These statistics are frightening in the context of densely populated Malta, as trees are central in the cycle of life, and yet they are being systematically destroyed. Replace- ment by young saplings is just not good enough as these take years to grow to effective maturity. Malta is lucky in that being an is- land, oxygen supply blows in from the sea, and carbon dioxide blows away, but this does not reduce the need for land rooted recycling of the air we breathe. Remember too that the car per head ratio in Malta is enormous, thus multiplying the carbon dioxide production. It may be that certain engineers, architects and planners simply think only of the visual effect of their work, which is understand- able in a way, but it must be high time that properly structured and well informed environmental assessment is carried out when- ever there is a proposition to kill off mature trees, or indeed create massive new structures. So campaigners to save trees are not the eccentric "tree huggers" who are the target of comedians. They have a legitimate, valid and positive argument in the best interests of all – they should be listened to. Of course trees are also part of the system for creating purer air in Malta, by far Europe's most densely populated country, but because of the scarcity of land relative to the population, the ef- fect of the trees must necessarily be enhanced. So a comprehensive "pure air concept" is vital to the well being of the Maltese people. How does a "pure air concept " work? Simple – grow a large number of plants which convert carbons into oxygen. How do you grow a large number of plants in overcrowded Malta? Not so simple, but definitely feasible – by creating vertical wall gardens and roof gardens. Roof gardens are comparatively easy provided roofs are built which are able to support the weight and pressure. Vertical gardens require specially designed supports and walls, but if properly created are very attractive. Furthermore they require co-operation from archi- tects, engineers, councils and the Planning Authority. Many of the larger new buildings in Malta have at least one blank wall which could easily be a host wall to a new and environmentally beneficial vertical garden. Indeed, inclusion of vertical or roof gar- dens might even sway decisions in favour of new buildings. Michael Turner Valletta