While tomorrow our country will be commemorating its Freedom from British colonial rule, these celebrations will be held under the rule of speculators who are exploiting our country for the benefit of the few. Today, Saturday 30th March, we are into our third day of our camp Assedju PA, where we are symbolically seiging the Planning Authority which is putting our country under seige with unbridled development which is ruining our quality of life and compromising our future on this island.
For decades, the business class has accumulated power of a disproportionate nature in our country, with the result that politics ended up becoming a slave to the interests of this class. The fuel station policy is a clear example of all this. Although it was the same authorities who admitted that this policy is doing a great deal of harm since it permits 3,000m² petrol stations on natural and agricultural ODZ land, it has remained unchanged. It is for this reason that applications continue to be presented under this flawed policy. At present that are 14 applications for petrol stations on ODZ land, with four of them already approved, and others which are still being processed. Together these make up a total stretch of land five time the size of the Floriana Granaries.
The petrol station policy is symptomatic of a much bigger and profound problem. The list of senseless and harmful development projects which have been approved is endless; one only needs to consider the approval of monstrous projects such as that of the db Group on the former ITS site and the approval of tens of dubious permits that go against actual planning policies.
It is crucial for the people to fight with all their might against this rule by big business and their politician friends, which is ravaging our countryside and bulldozing over the interests of the majority. We hope to see the day when we will be able to celebrate our freedom from the rule of speculators.
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Malta se tiċċelebra Jum il-Ħelsien taħt il-Ħakma tal-Ispekulaturi
Filwaqt li pajjiżna għada se jkun qed ifakkar il-Ħelsien tiegħu mill-ħakma kolonjali Ingliża, dan il-jum se jkun qed jiġi ċċelebrat taħt il-ħakma tal-ispekulaturi li qed jisfruttaw lill-pajjiżna għall-gwadann ta’ ftit nies. Illum is-Sibt 30 ta’ Marzu, aħna ninsabu fit-tielet jum tagħna fil-kamp Assedju PA, fejn qegħdin simbolikament nassedjaw lill-Awtorità għall-Ippjanar li qed tassedja lill-pajjiżna bi żvilupp bla rażan li qed jgħarraq il-kwalità tal-ħajja tagħna u jikkomprometti l-futur tagħna fuq din il-gżira.
Għal għexieren ta’ snin, il-klassi ta’ negozjanti kbar akkumulat poter spropozjonat f’pajjizna, bir-riżultat li l-politika spiċċat skjava li takkomoda lil din il-klassi. Il-policy dwar il-pompi tal-petrol hija eżempju ċar ta’ dan kollu. L-awtoritajiet stess ammettew li din il-Policy qed tagħmel ħsara kbira, peress li tippermetti pompi tal-petrol ta’ 3,000m² f’ODZ fuq art naturali u agrikola, u baqgħet ma ġietx mibdula. Huwa għalhekk li qed jibqgħu jiġu ppreżentati applikazzjonijet taħt din il-policy difettuża. Preżentament hemm 14-il applikazzjoni għal pompi tal-petrol fuq art ODZ, b’erbgħa minnhom diġà approvati, u oħrajn li għadhom jiġu pproċessati. Flimkien, dawn ikopru biċċa art kbira li fiha daqs ħames darbiet il-Fosos tal-Furjana.
Il-policy dwar il-pompi tal-petrol hija sintomatika ta’ problema ħafna ikbar u profonda. Il-lista ta’ żvilupp bla sens u ta’ ħsara li ġie approvat ma tispiċċa qatt; biżżejjed li nikkunsidraw l-approvazzjoni ta’ proġetti mostrużi fosthom il-progett tad-db Group fis-sit tal-ITS u l-ħruġ ta’ għexieren ta’ permessi dubjużi li jmorru kontra l-policies tal-ippjanar stess.
Jeħtieġ li l-poplu jiġġieled b’saħħtu kollha kontra din il-ħakma min-negozjanti l-kbar u l-politikanti sħabhom, li qed tħarbat l-ambjent ta’ pajjiżna u tgħaddi bħal gaffa minn fuq l-interessi tal-maġġoranza tan-nies. Nittamaw li jasal il-jum meta nkunu nistgħu niċċelebraw il-ħelsien mill-ħakma tal-ispekulaturi
