The Ġustizzja għal Artna campaign this morning wrote a letter to the Prime Minister, urging him to withdraw the malicious so-called planning reform and instead initiate discussions on genuine planning reform in the spirit of collaboration and unity.

Hon. Dr Robert Abela
Prime Minister of Malta

We are writing to you with a sense of urgency and deep concern regarding the present situation. As we had written to you in our letter last July – only a few days after the Government presented the planning bills to Parliament – the very foundations of decency and democracy are being threatened by laws that will dismantle all remaining safeguards protecting citizens against greed.

Since that time, the people’s justified anger at this attempt to undermine the interests of the common person in order to favour those of powerful developers has become increasingly evident. At this stage, and on the basis of these laws, no form of consultation can appease this anger or repair this so-called “reform”, which is flawed at its very core precisely because it was conceived with the wrong intention: that of enriching the few at the expense of the common good.

We therefore deeply regret that, following the launch of the Ġustizzja għal Artna campaign and last Saturday’s protest, you have shown your intention to persist with these laws. We believe that it is neither wise nor just for the Government to ignore the call of thousands of citizens and over seventy organisations from every walk of life – from residents to students, from hobby groups to academics.

For this reason, we once again urge you to withdraw these two bills and the three legal notices immediately. The people do not deserve to live under this constant threat, awaiting the destruction of their basic rights and the places they live in and cherish so dearly.

As we have insisted on several occasions, this is not a battle we wish to fight. We would much rather sit around a table and discuss the planning reform that our country so urgently needs. We have already expressed this desire several times, for instance in 2020 and again in 2023, when we presented a set of proposals for changes in laws and policies that, if implemented, would provide citizens with peace of mind and a better quality of life for everyone.

While we regret that these proposals were ignored by you, and that you instead chose to heed only the wishes of developers, we believe it is never too late.

We still have the opportunity to work together – involving the various groups in society, including residents, farmers, hobbyists, and all economic, cultural, and social sectors – to achieve a planning reform that strengthens, rather than weakens, our country.

We therefore make a heartfelt appeal for you to withdraw this legislative package and instead issue a White Paper on planning reform. This is the spirit of collaboration and unity we wish to see and participate in.

However, in the absence of such action, and in the context of an enormous threat posed by bills that read like a wish-list for developers, you will leave us with no choice but to intensify our struggle in favour of Ġustizzja għal Artna.

Regards
Andre Callus
obo Ġustizzja għal Artna campaign
www.gustizzjartna.org

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L-għaqdiet b’appell mill-qalb lill-Prim Ministru: Irtira dawn il-liġijiet distruttivi u ibda riforma ġenwina fl-ippjanar

Il-kampanja Ġustizzja għal Artna dalgħodu kitbet ittra lill-Prim Ministru sabiex tħeġġu jirtira l-hekk imsejħa “riforma” malizzjuża tal-ippjanar, u minflok jibda diskussjonijiet fuq riforma ġenwina tal-ippjanar bi spirtu ta’ għaqda u kollaborazzjoni.

Onor. Dr Robert Abela
Prim Ministru ta’ Malta

Qegħdin niktbulek b’sens ta’ urġenza u inkwiet għas-sitwazzjoni preżenti. Kif konna ktibnielek fl-ittra ta’  Lulju li għadda – ftit jiem wara li l-Gvern qiegħed fuq il-mejda tal-Parlament l-abbozzi fl-ippjanar – is-sisien tad-deċenza u d-demokrazija jinsabu mhedda minn liġijiet li ser iżarmaw is-salvagwardji kollha li għad fadlilhom iċ-ċittadini quddiem ir-regħba.

Minn dak iż-żmien ’l hawn, ir-rabja ġustifikata tal-poplu għal dan l-attentat li jitkisser iż-żgħir biex jiġi aġevolat l-iżviluppatur, ħarġet dejjem iktar biċ-ċar. L-ebda konsultazzjoni, f’dan l-istadju, u abbażi ta’ dawn il-liġijiet, ma tista’ ttaffi din ir-rabja jew issewwi l-hekk imsejħa “riforma” li hija ħażina fl-istruttura tagħha, proprju għaliex saret b’intenzjoni ħażina: dik li jitkattar il-ġid tal-ftit a spejjeż tal-ġid komuni.

Għalhekk jiddispjaċina profondament li, wara l-bidu tal-kampanja Ġustizzja għal Artna, u l-protesta tas-Sibt li għadda, inti wrejt l-intenzjoni tiegħek li tkompli għaddej b’dawn il-liġijiet. Naħsbu li la huwa għaqli u wisq anqas ġust li l-Gvern jinjora s-sejħa ta’ eluf ta’ ċittadini u ’l fuq minn 70 għaqda minn kull sfond tal-ħajja, mir-residenti sal-istudenti, minn għaqdiet tad-delizzji sal-akkademiċi.

Għalhekk, aħna nistednuk għal darba oħra biex tirtira dawn iż-żewġ abbozzi u t-tliet avviżi legali minnufih. Il-poplu ma jixraqlux jibqa’ taħt din il-mannara fuq għonqu jistenna li jitkissrulu d-drittijiet bażiċi tiegħu u l-postijiet li jgħix fihom u tant jgħożż.

Kif insistejna diversi drabi, din mhijiex ġlieda li aħna nixtiequ niġġieldu. Aħna nixtiequ li npoġġu madwar mejda u nitkellmu dwar ir-riforma fl-ippjanar li pajjiżna tant jeħtieġ. Din ix-xewqa diġà urejnieha diversi drabi, bħal pereżempju fl-2020 u fl-2023, meta għamilna sett ta’ proposti għal bidliet fil-liġijiet u l-politiki li, jekk jitwettqu, jagħtu kemm serħan tal-moħħ liċ-ċittadini kif ukoll kwalità tal-ħajja aħjar għal kulħadd.

Filwaqt li jiddispjaċina li dawn il-proposti ġew injorati minnek, u minflok rajt biss ix-xewqat tal-iżviluppaturi, naħsbu li qatt mhu tard wisq.

Għadna fiċ-ċans li, flimkien, bl-involviment tal-gruppi differenti fis-soċjetà, bħal dawk tar-residenti, tal-bdiewa, tad-delizzji –  tal-gruppi ekonomiċi, kulturali u soċjali kollha – naslu għal riforma fl-ippjanar li ssaħħaħ, mhux tkisser, lil pajjiżna.

Għalhekk nerġgħu nappellaw minn qalbna biex tirtira dan il-pakkett leġiżlattiv u minflok tippubblika White Paper dwar riforma fl-ippjanar. Dan huwa x-xenarju ta’ kollaborazzjoni u għaqda li aħna nixtiequ naraw u nipparteċipaw fih.

Iżda fin-nuqqas ta’ dan kollu, u fil-kuntest ta’ theddida enormi ta’ abbozzi ta’ liġi li huma lista tax-xewqat tal-iżviluppaturi, mhu se tkun qed tagħtina ebda għażla oħra ħlief li nintensifikaw il-ġlieda tagħna favur Ġustizzja għal Artna.

Tislijiet
Andre Callus
f’isem il-kampanja Ġustizzja għal Artna
www.gustizzjartna.org