Roads to hell

Residents of Triq ta’ Bieb it-Torri and Nazju Falzon Street, in Msida have for years been putting up in total exasperation with the horrible state of the two roads. They are two roads through which heavy traffic passes on a daily basis.

To add insult to injury, since the pavements are practically non-existent and riddled with cracked slabs, both roads are full of potholes and driving through them is really a bone-shattering experience. Pity any pregnant women or elderly persons having to commute through them.

Can the authorities responsible for their upkeep please ensure that they are done up as soon as possible after so many years of gross neglect? Previous pleas seem to have fallen on deaf ears over the years.

Mark Said – Msida

To be served not serve

Labour MP Rosianne Cutajar

Ranier Fsadni’s weekly contribution entitled ‘How to save your honour’ (July 8) brought to mind one of the programmes of Il-Parlament tal-Poplu of some months ago, presented by Emmy Bezzina. Hopefully, the article will be brought to the attention of former parliamentary secretary Rosianne Cutajar.

If my memory serves me right, Bezzina was discussing money laundering, Konrad Mizzi, Keith Schembri and the rest of the infamous gang at Castille. One thing which stuck to mind was when he said some members of parliament do not deserve to be addressed as “Minister so and so”. How absolutely right he was!

Let’s take Cutajar’s case. When the allegations about her first appeared, she resigned or was made to resign as parliamentary secretary. The standards commissioner has now found her guilty of breaching ethics. However, unashamedly, she is still a member of parliament paid by taxpayers’ money,

Cutajar stated point blank that she does not intend to resign her parliamentary seat and, come next election, she will be there as a Labour candidate. Arrogant as always, she isn’t even going to wait until the Labour executive approves her candidature or not.

Candidates the like of Joseph Muscat, Chris Cardona, Mizzi, Carmelo Abela, Cutajar and others shouldn’t even bother to put their names forward, let alone contest a general election. Our country has had enough of such characters whose only aim in politics was to be served not to serve.

These, and others, are to blame for Malta being greylisted. This country has had enough of them and their ilk.

Emily Barbaro-Sant – Mosta

Drawing parallels

The restoration work currently being carried out on our local church in Għajnsielem brings to mind the story of the Irish painter who submitted the lowest bid for restoring a painting for his local wooden church and was contracted to carry out the work.

Since the bid was really very, very low there was no profit in it for the painter, so he eked it out by really watering down the paint. He did the job quickly and cheaply and was feeling very pleased with himself as he finished when,  suddenly, the heavens opened, the rain poured down and washed all the paint off the church.

The painter was really angry and called out: “Oh Lord, what have I done to deserve this?”

And a booming voice came down from the heavens above: “Repaint, repaint and thin no more.”

Terry Bate – Għajnsielem

Lincoln on Christianity

Fr Martin Schembri quoted Abraham Lincoln on “God” while being unaware that Lincoln’s “divine being” was not the Christian God.

Lincoln wrote: “The Bible is not my book nor Christianity my profession. My earlier views of the unsoundness of the Christian scheme of salvation and the human origin of the scriptures have become clearer and stronger with advancing years and I see no reason for thinking I shall ever change them.”

John Guillaumier – St Julian’s

High note

On July 10, I had the delight of listening to the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra playing Stravinsky, Wojciech and Bartok pieces at the open-air Pjazza Teatru Rjal, in Valletta. This was a stunning concert. The pieces played needed vigour, subtlety and crashing ferocity. All this the MPO achieved in spades!

A terrific concert and a big thanks to all the performers and crew.

Howard Wells – Cambridge

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