Letters to the editor - September 2, 2024

Have we buried cremation?

The need of a crematorium has been with us for at least 20 years. Yet, the law regulating cremation was ‘finally’ passed only five years ago. Still, there is where the buck stopped.

The little that had been done has ended up buried in limbo. It was just ‘a sop to Cerberus’ by the government to bribe us all.

So, it is legit to ask: what or who is blocking the process? Could it be the national bureaucracy, the Church, the two great parties alternating in power, or what?

It cannot be lack of entrepreneurs because, already seven years ago, a group of funeral directors came forward with a very attractive offer. The government refused it. Why? Because we had no law yet regulating cremation. So, we keep gnawing at our countryside to enlarge our already sizeable cemeteries.

Finally, in 2019, the government passed the law. Still, five years later, no permit has been given for a crematorium. Hope had been revived in 2020 when the government promised that, by the end of summer 2022, the way forward for cremation would be decided.

Here we are, two (or four?) years later, at the end of summer 2024, and the government keeps silent on the matter. Should we hold our breath?

Cremation in Malta is a most sensible choice for all of us. Even for those having their own private grave; this is because the law says that you cannot have two burials in the same grave in the same year; if you are unlucky enough to experience a second loss you must recur to an alternative. But even if you are spared this inconvenience, you still must face a greater one: having to clean up the grave when it runs out of space.

Breaking up the remains of old, damp and mouldy coffins cannot be but very unpleasant; much less having to dispose of the very distressing remains of your dear ones.

The promise of cremation, a neat solution to all this, is old enough and becomes more urgent by the day. Those over 80 will now appreciate some interest and more haste by the government.

Joseph Agius – St Paul’s Bay

Maltese goat DNA

The population of the indigenous goat is under threat. Photo: Breeds of Origin Conservancy

I was glad to know that, finally, the various groups of those who own the Maltese goats intend to come together to save their goats from inbreeding.

It is the same with the American goat association. As of January 1, 2024, all bucks that are born must have the DNA on file before any of their offspring can be registered with the American Dairy Goat Association. And that is what the Maltese owners should do.

DNA is important because it contains the instructions needed for an organism to develop, survive and reproduce. A DNA programme is an opportunity to identify specific genetic information about individual goats and that is what they need it here in Malta.

Discipline is very important considering how small the genetic pool in existence. I definitely think that the owners of herds that have issues should be reprimanded somehow. However, a warning (because we know accidents can happen) for a beginning, is good enough.

Karl Flores – San Ġwann