Devaluing the Kartanzjan

Up to some weeks ago, senior citizens claimed free entry to the Trade Fair by producing their Kartanzjan. This time they were advised by a notice at the door to pay 20c entrance fee.

It does not seem much at first glance, but this is how the complete demise of the Kartanzjan is eventually achieved by the affluent entrepreneurs of our island, who cannot do without the few cents from a pensioner's pocket!

Entrance fee to the Mellieha air-raid shelter is Lm1 for tourists and locals alike. Producing one's Kartanzjan is only met by a commiserating smile by the lady at the door!

The Gozo public transport system does not recognise Kartanzjan and unwary senior trippers from Malta are unpleasantly surprised each time a Kartanzjan is flashed under the nose of a Gozo bus driver!

A recent hike in the Gozo ferry fee restructuring included a hefty 50 per cent increase for Kartanzjan holders!

What amazes me in all this is not the complete lack of understanding of a pensioner's plight by small and big enterprises alike but the complete complacency that seems to prevail by those who are supposedly there to champion the senior citizen's cause.

I would have expected the Parliamentary Secretary for the Elderly, the National Association of Pensioners, trade unions and political party pensioner associations, among others, to kick up some dust about this gradual devaluation of the Kartanzjan's worth.