Momentum says Sliema ticket booth crackdown hold highlights need for third party
'Only the election of independent and principled third-party representatives can break the stranglehold of the PLPN duopoly'
Momentum has emphasised the importance of introducing a third party into Parliament to tackle what it has described as the two main parties “pandering” to business interests.
The party was responding to a Times of Malta article about enforcement measures against illegal ticketing booths along the Sliema promenade being quietly dropped, following a deal being struck between operators and the council.
In a statement Sunday, Momentum called the developments “another blatant example of how both the Labour Party and the Nationalist Party continue to pander to powerful commercial interests at the expense of ordinary residents”.
Pavements and other public spaces are the property of the people, and not private operators “seeking to maximise profits through illegal encroachment”, it said, adding that law-abiding businesses were being undermined by authorities tolerating abuse for “political convenience”.
Momentum Chairperson Arnold Cassola, who is running for election in districts 9 and 10, said the lack of enforcement against the booths exposed the “hypocrisy and cowardice of Malta’s two-party establishment”.
“Ordinary citizens are expected to obey the law, yet when influential commercial operators illegally occupy public pavements... both the Labour Government and the Nationalist-led Sliema Local Council suddenly discover flexibility and understanding,” said Cassola.
He accused the PN of “pretending” to oppose abuse while controlling local councils that facilitate it, and the PL of speaking about enforcement while protecting vested interests. “They are two sides of the same coin”.
Momentum candidate for the 10th district, Pierre Schembri Wismayer, said the incident was symbolic of a wider national issue, where “if you are politically connected, rules become optional”.
“Residents, elderly persons, parents with pushchairs, and persons with disabilities are forced to navigate pavements blocked by illegal structures while authorities look the other way. This is unacceptable in any serious democracy,” said Schembri Wismayer.
Momentum said that meaningful change would only happen when voters elect a credible third party to Parliament capable of delivering a political shock to the system.
“Only the election of independent and principled third-party representatives can break the stranglehold of the PLPN duopoly”, the party said.
“Malta needs a Parliament that represents residents, pedestrians, families and honest businesses, not one permanently captured by developers and commercial lobbyists”.