Updated 1.50pm
A minister, junior minister and Opposition MP were all on hand to inaugurate a new public toilet block in Marsaxlokk on Sunday.
Owen Bonnici, Alison Zerafa Civelli and Janice Chetcuti were among a nine-person group of dignitaries who smiled for the camera as they posed for photos inside and outside the seaside restroom facility.
Marsaxlokk’s local council spared no expense in unveiling the latrine, with a promotional video clip featuring drone footage taking viewers on a tour of the block.
The block features a nappy changing stand, a toilet stall for users with a disability and two showers with squat toilet fixtures, the video clip shows.
Photos published on the local council’s Facebook page showed that councillors and mayor Stephen Grech also joined the minister, junior minister and MP for the inauguration.
The toilet block's inauguration was timed to coincide with Jum Marsaxlokk, a council-organised event that celebrated the southern fishing village.
Owen Bonnici is Malta’s culture minister. Alison Zerafa Civelli is the parliamentary secretary for local councils, working within Bonnici’s ministry. Chetcuti is the Opposition’s spokesperson for animal welfare and consumer affairs.
Bonnici said he was in Marsaxlokk to tour the town and attend events organised by the parish and local council during Jum Marsaxlokk and was shown the new toilet block during the visit. The latrine was funded through money provided by the local councils directorate, he noted.
The inauguration recalls a similar event back in 2016, when then-Gozo Minister Anton Refalo was the guest of honour as a public toilet was inaugurated at Ħondoq ir-Rummien. On that occasion, the government had taken things one step further by issuing a press release about the inauguration through the Department of Information.
Marsaxlokk's public toilets have proven to be remarkably newsworthy in recent years. In 2016, the seaside town's local council faced a data protection investigation after installing CCTV cameras in a public toilet block's common area.
The issue resurfaced last year, when photos of the cameras prompted outrage on social media. Mayor Stephen Grech subsequently reassured people that the cameras were switched off and effectively served as decoys to deter would-be vandals.