Last Saturday, I had the gross misfortune of visiting family and friends in Birkirkara's Valley Road area just at the time of the so-called "celebration" by the local football club.
The fracas was nothing short of an uncivilised and horrendous hooligan show! What's more two calls to the police station to try and draw their attention to the fact that there was a definite need for some law and order proved futile (the only police I actually saw in the area were some distance from this whole nightmare).
It is a pity that instead of celebrating any event in our towns and villages with dignity we reduce these activities to nothing better than the law of the jungle.
We have a lot of qualities and social activities which could create a very jovial and colourful spectacle in true Mediterranean style, but can we really imagine promoting anything like the activity which took place in Birkirkara last week?
My first suggestion is that we need to make sure these plans are discussed between the local community as well as the authorities and the council.
This will ensure that all three main stakeholders will approve the programme of events.
Next, the programme needs to respect the local community in the area where the activity is taking place.
There may be local residents who are unwell, who have young children or who need a fair degree of peace and quiet (they deserve that respect at least).
The programme must include a variety that is interesting for all ages and not just for a small minority - such as the youngsters who like to rave and party. The show needs to include some element of cultural and education - I would say some interesting events (video or live) by the football club itself would have been one such educational and entertaining theme which may give a fair amount of sense to the whole spectacle. Most of all, there needs to be a control by authorities on behaviour, food and beverage outlets and times.
These three basic elements could ensure that there is no abuse that affects the health and safety issues prevalent at these events!
What is more, if we have a definite programme which has been agreed between the local community, authorities, council and the owners of the catering outlets, then the results should be more positive - it is, after all, in everyone's interests to make sure that we maintain law, order and civil behaviour.
What happened at Birkirkara could repeat itself during this season's village festas; it could mean that if people do not have something to keep them occupied by way of a programme, they resort to hooliganism and all sorts of rowdiness! And by the way, though I may not have mentioned it, we do still need to learn not to litter and dump garbage in someone else's back yard, front garden or doorstep.
Our towns and villages are our homes, let us show pride in these gems for our sakes and for the sake of those who may wish to visit us and enjoy the real Malta and Gozo.