Life rendered so cheap

The pending finalisation of meting out a decisive sentence of 40 years imprisonment to a self-admitted murderer of two, not one, human beings, reminds me of my letters to the editor (May 30, 2004, and May 29, 2022). They were aptly titled ‘Two for the price one?’ and ‘Nothing changes in Malta’, respectively. Each of the two cases involved double murders.

Now, in 2024, we are facing the same problem as the case of Jesper Kristiansen involved two murders at one and the same place and time, (in August 2020 in Sliema). Why do other countries convict a murderer for so many life sentences when found guilty of the murder of more than one person in one act of commission of the crime?

The scene of the double murder in Sliema in August 2020. Photo: Mark Zammit Cordina

I would have thought that our 79 MPs would seek that justice be done with the dead. Not likely, because lawyers are to be found everywhere, including many in our House of Representatives. 

Recently, in the famous case of the assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, one man received a jail sentence of 15 years for certain reasons while two other men admitted their guilt before the trial by jury started and were each sentenced to 40 years imprisonment. So it is that the killing of one person is equivalent to the killing of two or more persons?

This is absolute nonsense. Wake up those who carry the responsibility to re-write laws. The unlawful killing of persons by another person/s has been reduced to 40 years ‒ and even less ‒ which, with good conduct in prison and amnesties, could be reduced further.

Unfortunately, life has become so cheap.

Anthony J. Saliba – St Paul’s Bay

Plastic waste

When people of good sense are trying to reduce single-use plastics to a minimum, the plastic industry seems to be taking its revenge. 

I wonder who convinced old peoples’ carers to use single-use plastic aprons on the residents at least three times a day in most homes. Imagine the heaps of plastic waste created every single day!

Can environmentalists do something about it?

Albert Said – Naxxar

Elusive ‘maturity’

Further to the wise letter by Mark Said (‘16, going on 17’, February 13) about young persons possibly now becoming mayors of our towns and villages, I would like to raise one point. 

I followed with great interest the debate on that law as it went through parliament, and, as far as I can remember, not one of our MPs uttered the simple word “maturity” during their presentation in the House.

John Consiglio – Birkirkara