Today, Moviment Graffitti is carrying out a direct action at Joseph Portelli’s illegal site in Qala.

This morning, activists stormed the site, temporarily occupied it, and carried out actions to draw attention to the fact that people like Joseph Portelli, and other developers, are systematically being allowed by our Government, politicians and authorities to wreak havoc on our country with absolute impunity.

The activists are demanding that the Government keeps its word and enacts the appeals law reform with immediate effect. The current law allows developers to commence works and complete them while the appeal in front of the Planning Tribunal (EPRT) or the courts is ongoing. The result of this — as we can see in Qala — is that projects that are having their irregular PA permits revoked by the courts, would have already been built.

Communities and organisations are having to bear the burden of appealing the obscene decisions of the PA, only for them to then have to deal with illegal buildings that no authority takes any effective action against.

The site of today’s direct action clearly shows the tremendous power wielded by the developers in our country and how our planning system is essentially rotten to the core. Without any permits in hand, Joseph Portelli had started digging two enormous pools on ODZ land in Qala. No action was taken to stop him. Not only didn’t they stop him, but after a while they issued him with the PA permits.

We appealed this permit and won the case. But although the Court revoked the permit, the swimming pools had already been built — all because of our ridiculous appeals law. For this reason, this scar on our land — which is completely illegal — is still here to this day.

We can mention many other similar cases, such as the grotesque blocks in Ta’ Sannat and Xewkija, a hotel in Mellieħa, and a part of this very same development in Qala. In fact, a good chunk of the monstrous building behind us is also illegal because its permit was revoked after we appealed it. But, just like the pools, it had already been built.

The absurdity of all this is reaching ridiculous levels. Two days ago, the Planning Tribunal rejected the residents’ appeal against a monstrous development in Mistra because, according to the Tribunal, the site has now been “committed” for development because of the works done. It is worth noting that it was the very same Tribunal that had allowed the works to continue while the appeal was ongoing!

We are convinced that all this is not happening by chance. The environmental destruction that is ravaging Malta and Gozo is deliberate. We have a Government ruled by developers that is more intent on filling their pockets rather than safeguarding our common good and quality of life.

It was Prime Minister Robert Abela himself who in May last year had stated that it does not make sense to carry out works while an appeal is ongoing. But today, more than a year later, there is still no sign of this law reform. Meanwhile, developers continue to ravage our country with the blessing of those who are supposed to keep them in check.

A law for gods and a law for animals.

Last April we wrote to the Prime Minister asking him to change the appeals law and to remove Joseph Portelli’s illegal swimming pools in Qala’s ODZ. In our letter we had warned that if this is not done, then we would have no choice but to escalate our actions to ensure that basic decency is restored.

Since then, the appeals law has remained unchanged, and Portelli’s illegal swimming pools are still here, untouched.

So, as we had promised, today we started escalating our actions. And we won’t stop here. We cannot remain silent and let greed and arrogance choke our country.

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“Ibdlu minnufih il-liġi tal-appelli” – Il-Moviment Graffitti b’azzjoni diretta kontra l-pixxini illegali ta’ Joseph Portelli fl-ODZ tal-Qala

Illum il-Moviment Graffitti qiegħed jagħmel azzjoni diretta fis-sit illegali ta’ Joseph Portelli fil-Qala.

Dalgħodu attivisti daħlu għal għarrieda ġewwa s-sit, okkupawh temporanjament, u wettqu azzjonijiet sabiex jiġbdu l-attenzjoni għall-fatt li nies bħal Joseph Portelli, u żviluppaturi oħrajn, qegħdin sistematikament jitħallew mill-Gvern, il-politiċi u l-awtoritajiet tagħna jagħmlu ħerba minn pajjiżna b’impunità assoluta.

It-talba ewlenija tal-attivisti hija li l-Gvern minnufih iżomm kelmtu u jibdel il-liġi dwar l-appelli. Din il-liġi bħalissa tħalli lill-iżviluppaturi jibnu proġetti li jkunu taħt appell quddiem it-Tribunal tal-Ippjanar (EPRT) jew il-Qorti. B’hekk, kif ġara fis-sit tal-Qala, meta l-qrati jħassru permessi maħruġa b’mod irregolari mill-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar (PA), il-proġetti xorta waħda jkun laħqu nbnew.

Komunitajiet u għaqdiet qegħdin ikollhom iġorru l-piż li jappellaw id-deċiżjonijiet oxxeni tal-PA, biex imbagħad isibu ma’ wiċċhom binjiet illegali li l-ebda awtorità ma tieħu azzjoni effettiva dwarhom.

Is-sit tal-azzjoni diretta tal-lum juri biċ-ċar it-taħsir bla qies fl-ippjanar u l-ħakma tal-iżviluppaturi f’pajjiżna. Mingħajr ebda permess, Joseph Portelli qabad ikisser u jħaffer fl-ODZ tal-Qala sabiex jibni żewġ pixxini enormi. Ma waqqfu ħadd, u mhux hekk biss – wara ftit, ħarġulu l-permess għalihom.

Aħna appellajna dan il-permess u rbaħna. Iżda għalkemm il-Qorti ħassret il-permess, minħabba l-liġi bażwija tal-appelli, il-pixxini laħqu nbnew. Għalhekk dan l-isfreġju ambjentali, kompletament illegali, għadu hawn sal-lum.

Nistgħu nsemmgħu ħafna każijiet oħrajn simili, bħaċ-ċapep ta’ bini f’Ta’ Sannat u fix-Xewkija, lukanda fil-Mellieħa, u parti oħra minn dan l-istess proġett fil-Qala. Fil-fatt, biċċa kbira mill-binja orribbli ta’ warajna hija wkoll illegali għaliex il-permess tagħha ġie revokat wara l-appell tagħna. Iżda, bħall-pixxini, din kienet laħqet inbniet.

L-assurdità ta’ dan kollu qiegħda tilħaq livelli redikoli. Jumejn ilu, it-Tribunal tal-Ippjanar irrifjuta l-appell tar-residenti kontra l-mostru fil-Mistra għaliex, skontu, is-sit issa laħaq ġie “kommess” għall-iżvilupp minħabba x-xogħlijiet li saru. Dan meta kien l-istess Tribunal li ħalla x-xogħlijiet għaddejjin waqt li qed jinstema’ l-appell!

Konvinti li dan kollu mhuwiex qiegħed jiġri bi żball. Il-ħerba ambjentali li qiegħda tifni lil Malta u lil Għawdex hija pjanata. Għandna Gvern immexxi mill-iżviluppaturi li jippreferi jimla l-bwiet tagħhom milli jħares il-ġid komuni u l-kwalità tal-ħajja tagħna.

Kien il-Prim Ministru Robert Abela stess, f’Mejju tas-sena li għaddiet, li stqarr li ma jagħmilx sens li jsiru xogħlijiet waqt li jkun għaddej appell. Iżda, illum, iktar minn sena wara, għad m’hemmx ħjiel ta’ riforma f’din il-liġi. Sadanittant, l-iżviluppaturi qegħdin ikomplu jagħmlu li jridu bil-barka ta’ min suppost irażżanhom.

Liġi għall-allat u oħra għall-annimali.

F’April li għadda ktibna lill-Prim Ministru u tlabnieh sabiex tinbidel il-liġi tal-appelli u sabiex jitneħħew il-pixxini illegali ta’ Joseph Portelli fl-ODZ tal-Qala. Fl-ittra tagħna wissejna li, jekk dan mhux se jsir, se jkollna nibdew neskalaw l-azzjonijiet tagħna biex niksbu dak li suppost huwa biss diċenza bażika.

Minn dak iż-żmien ‘l hawn, il-liġi tal-appelli baqgħet ma nbidlitx, u l-pixxini illegali ta’ Portelli għadhom hawn, mhux mittiefsa.

Għalhekk, kif konna wegħidna, illum bdejna neskalaw l-azzjonijiet tagħna. U mhux ser nieqfu hawn. Għaliex ma nistgħux noqogħdu b’idejna fuq żaqqna u nħallu lir-regħba u l-arroganza jifgaw lil pajjiżna.