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maltatoday WEDNESDAY 25 APRIL 2018 8 The students' council we need News Manuel Zarb JAMES DEBONO A vernacular old building in Triq il-Knisja in the Gozitan locality of Xaghra is being pro- posed for demolition to be re- placed by six new dwellings. The development lies 200 metres from the Santa Verna archaeological site and would result in an increase in height and a "considerable intensifica- tion of volume," within sight from the archaeological zone according the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage. But photomontages submit- ted by developer George Fenech show the development is not vis- ible from the site of the mega- liths. Din l-Art Helwa is also ob- jecting to the demolition which will see the replacement of the building's traditional balcony with white aluminium aper- tures and wrought-iron railings which will be painted white. The façade will be built with limestone, which will be left unpainted. The existing building in- cludes animal pens and blends well with the rural environ- ment. Vernacular Xaghra building proposed for demolition The building in Triq il-Knisja in Xaghra and (inset) a drawing of the six proposed dwellings S tudents at the University of Malta and Junior College vote tomorrow to elect the University Students' Council. It is a contest few students care about. Disgusted enough with national politics, most students will not take the time from their day to vote in an election they see as a training ground – a preparation for the real thing. Despite that apathy, the Students' Council does matter. On the surface, the Council has a number of important roles. These include organising events, fostering student activism, making life easier and better for students, and representing their interests. There is also a more important role. Students' councils, whether they consciously set out to do so or not, generally define an entire academic culture. A Council open to pluralism and enquiry fosters people who respect each other. A Council which isn't spits in the face of any institution of education and its students. The worst possible students' Council we can get, then, is one without a spine. The thought that advancement in this country is tied to licking politicians' boots is tiring enough. What we risk now, in the climate of open intimidation and impunity we live in, is to end up with a Council which takes that spinelessness to heart. We cannot afford a Council which serves the interests of any master besides the student population. We cannot afford a Council which thanks Ministers for their undying, incredible devotion to serving students' needs when a road is opened. We cannot afford the dignity of young people at Malta's higher educational institute being sold for so little – for the sake of a few people, and their future in taxpayer- funded government consultancies. We need something different. What we need is a Council which trains its members to be genuine leaders, not communications assistants. We need a Council which is independent from Government or political party, not an extension of them. More than anything else, we need a Council which can speak freely and encourage students to do the same. Achieving that won't be easy, never mind the result tomorrow. The things which make a university valuable - free speech, free enquiry and the brazen hope to work for something better – are things which must be fought for. Students have to decide their future, lest it be decided for them. Manuel Zarb is a student at the University of Malta and a member of Awturi, an NGO working in favour of good governance PAUL COCKS THE first reading of three dif- ferent bills which put Malta as a leader in DLT (digital ledger technology) regulation were presented in Parliament yester- day. The bills – the Malta Digital Innovation Authority Bill, In- novative Technology Arrange- ments and Services Bill and Virtual Financial Asset Bill – were presented by Parliamen- tary Secretary for Financial Services, Digital Economy and Innovation Silvio Schembri. The Malta Digital Innova- tion Bill will establish a new authority to be known as the Malta Digital Innovation Au- thority, MDIA. It will be fo- cusing on innovative technol- ogy arrangements and their use cases. At its initial stage, the Au- thority will only regulate DLT and related Smart Contract. Schembri explained that the Authority will be autonomous and will act independently. It will be promoting govern- ment policies, educate on such technology arrangements and fostering, promoting and fa- cilitating the advancement and utilisation of innovative tech- nology and its design use cases. The Innovative Technology Arrangements and Services Bill will set out the regulatory regime required by the MDIA to operate. The regime will in- clude the registration of service providers including system ad- ministrators and systems audi- tors and certification of tech- nology arrangements. The auditors are the peo- ple who review and assess the technology arrangement against several pre-determined criteria issued by MDIA, while the administrator is a person who assumes responsibility to manage, or control the opera- tion of the technology arrange- ment. "At the initial stage, the re- gime will be on a voluntary basis," Schembri said. "The way this is being proposed, it encourages a company to be certified by the Authority and we feel that those companies which are serious will opt to certify themselves voluntarily." The Virtual Financial Asset Bill will establish the regula- tory regime for the MFSA to regulate the Virtual Financial Assets Market. "As a Government, we think that by regulating this mar- ket, it will be ensured that the three main principles of finan- cial regulation are adhered to and will be a market that pro- tects the investor and provides market integrity and financial soundness," said Schembri. He said that through the bills, Malta would be exposing to the world its determination in allowing this industry to grow within its ecosystem. "The feedback so far has been tremendous – keeping in mind the companies that have already announced their deci- sion of relocating and opening offices here," he said. "These bills will provide them with the legal certainty these compa- nies are looking for." Three bills to put Malta at forefront of DLT regulation presented in Parliament