The ninth and 10th districts I represent were for many decades the symbol of one of best quality of lives one can achieve. Early morning mass and a chat on the way home; a walk along the Sliema front at sunset during the stifling August heat to catch the sea breeze; a jog at sunrise from the ‘Love’ monument in St Julian’s to Manoel Island and back; a coffee at the Gabbana; a swim along the coast; a meal at one of the many restaurants and clubbing in Paceville.
The area is home to both old and young and a place to visit for many more Maltese and tourists. It is as beautiful as it is sometimes chaotic but possesses a charm few can stay away from. Ask anyone who was born and bred in the area and they will always have a yearning to return.
Recently, this has changed. Rape and murder on the beach; the Sliema mayor being attacked; a man’s assault as he jogged peacefully; knife attacks in Paceville; spates of robberies; brawls and gangs. You name it, we’ve seen it all over the past few years. The peace and tranquillity we have enjoyed for so long has been shattered.
There is an air of fear and apprehension that lingers. The elderly no longer feel safe in their homes, nor do they feel safe as they make their way to daily mass. They gather at the corner shop and look out for each other as they look behind their shoulders as they go about their day-to-day. This is not the place they grew up in.
Parents are not feeling safe enough to leave their children at home while they pop over for a quick last-minute shop. It used to be safe. Children would run around with their neighbours; create clubs and organise games but that time is long gone. This is not the place they want their children to grow up in.
Residents always felt blessed to be able to start their day off with a long seaside walk or jog. Early morning or late afternoon, there were scores of people enjoying the spectacular sea views. Not today. This has also become unnerving.
The place has changed. Society has changed too, most will admit, yet the basic freedoms that we all took so much for granted like feeling safe have now been threatened and we are not feeling comfortable. Our quality of life has seen a veritable decline.
Today music shakes our residents to the core, resulting in one sleepless night after another- Graham Bencini
Truth be said, there are other important factors to this decline. The first is the advent of the e-scooter. Try walking on the Strand and you are bound to be knocked over by one of these scooters whizzing past. With no respect for anyone, someone is in a hurry; another is competing with their friend and another is simply not bothered. It’s cool and it’s fun and… it’s become very dangerous. The list of injuries of people being hit by e-scooters is growing daily, yet regulation remains very weak and enforcement even weaker.
The second is noise pollution. The coastline has always attracted small groups of revellers especially during weekends. Barbecues, family outings, friends meeting up… this is all well and good until the advent of the Bluetooth speaker. With no respect for anyone, every night residents are forced to ‘attend’ beach party after beach party with the loudest music making its way into each and every bedroom across the seafront.
The pounding of the beat is nothing like an old Italian love song that would have belted across the bay when the Chalet was in full swing. Today, this music shakes our residents to the core, resulting in one sleepless night after another.
Imagine you were a resident in my districts. You are feeling unsafe both during the day and at night. You risk being knocked over at every turn or tripping on an e-scooter as you walk down the street. You lay awake at night praying that the pounding sound in your ears would desist and your windows would stop shaking.
The time has come for us to work hand in hand with law enforcement to restore safety and law and order in our districts. People have a right to feel safe. They have a right to the best quality of life and, finally, they have a right to be listened to. I have made it my mission to be their voice and will keep working so as to raise these all-important issues.
There is no price tag for peace of mind and quality of life; yet we all know the cost and the residents of the ninth and 10th districts are feeling it directly.
Graham Bencini is a Nationalist MP and party spokesperson on sport and national broadcasting.