Muzzling the experts
The news of Kenneth Grech’s reinstatement with the COVID team “in three or four weeks” seems positive. The subtext that “government is reluctant to provide details on timelines” is where the real message lies. Read: maybe never.
If the government was serious about undoing yet another faux pas, it would be ‘three or four minutes’. This has all the air of a voice of dissent being summarily swept aside by an increasingly dictatorial attitude. This, at a time when our COVID record should be sounding the alarm among reasonable people; when we’ve had the summer and Christmas season debacles… And now look forward to another one – fuq tlieta toqgħod il-borma – for carnival/non-carnival in Gozo.
Instead of acting in a way that would foster public confidence in the authorities’ handling of this pandemic, this ‘three or four week’ sop has all the air of a careless adult seeking to fob off a troublesome child with the temporary distraction/bribe of an ice cream cone!
The vaccine is indeed here; we have reason to hope. But there are still so many questions within the scientific community overseas.
Our lot irresponsibly give the ‘all clear’ message when it is anything but.
Anna Micallef – Sliema
Impartiality, accuracy on the airwaves
I refer to the editorial ‘News permitted to be partisan’ (January 18), which I read with interest.
This newspaper correctly mentions and quotes the provision of the constitution relating to impartiality in broadcasting but then adds: “the broadcasting law introduced a very specific and convenient caveat in this regard” and “that the general output of programmes broadcast by all other licencees [other than PBS] should be considered as a whole”. And again: “all stations, bar PBS… will balance themselves out”.
These statements are not correct and are misleading. In fact, the Broadcasting Act provides that the Broadcasting Authority “shall be able to” not “should” consider. Furthermore, Section 13, of which this ‘caveat’ forms part, states that with respect to a licencee: “it shall be the duty of the authority to satisfy itself that so far as possible, [the licencee] complies with all or any of the following requirements…”.
These requirements include “due accuracy” and “due impartiality”.
The formal opinion of the Broadcasting Authority in office at the time (of which, incidentally, I was a member) the Broadcasting Act was passed by the House of Representatives in 1991 was clear.
Although a slant was to be permitted in the programmes produced by the political party stations, the authority held that the above requirements were to be complied with. Unfortunately, the authority has always chosen the convenient path, rather than observing the letter and certainly the spirit of the law.
Contrary to that stated in the editorial, the authority was not bound to avail itself of this caveat. It did and matters got progressively out of hand over the years.
The editorial states that both the former chairman of the authority and the present chief executive officer complained about this situation. Then why did they not exercise their powers to remedy it?
Austin Sammut – Mosta
Public latrines
We have heard it for the umpteenth time that the government is aiming at high-end tourists.
To achieve this objective, we need to do much more to tidy up Malta.
This week, I used the public latrine in Ġnejna Bay. Sheer dirt. Really shameful!
And this is not the first time that I met with similar spots.
When are we going to learn?
Why do we Maltese not care more, much more, about our dear island? And why all this inaction by the competent authorities?
Paul Xuereb – Balzan
Road resurfacing
This week, workers from the roads department were seen patching up the numerous potholes that are found in the stretch of road in Victoria that leads from St Augustine Square going down to the village of Fontana.
This is proof enough, if one were needed, that this road is in a very bad state.
Common sense dictates that resurfacing is the only solution.
Why is the department being so hesitant in tmaking a decision?
Saviour Attard – Victoria
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