Poor quality organic bags

Since the authorities have rightly ceased giving out organic bags due to the pandemic, the public have resorted to buying them from retailers.

All well and good. However, while the official organic bags were strong and bore illustrations on their use, the retailer ones are very thin. The latter are also very easily punctured by some peels of summer fruit and start dripping messy juice.

I have, therefore, used double bags to prevent this sticky mess  but to no avail.

So, may we, please, have sturdy organic bags so that they will last for at least a couple of days like the former ones, which were of better quality?

Alfred Conti Borda – Mosta 

PM appointed the public inquiry

Judge Michael Mallia (left), Madam Justice Abigail Lofaro and Chief Justice Emeritus Joseph Said Pullicino conducted the public inquiry.

My sons and I refer to Roger Mifsud’s letter entitled ‘The blame is at their door’ (August 30).

I will not say we were shocked by the allegations made by Mifsud as we have been targeted incessantly since October 16, 2017 and, incredibly, even blamed for Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination. Nothing surprises and shocks us anymore, however vicious, agenda-driven and nasty.

Nor do we give much thought to Joe Brincat’s eccentric statements and judicial manoeuvres. 

But we take exception to Mifsud’s assumption that we got the judges we wanted for the public inquiry and, hence, implicitly, the result we wished for.

The board of inquiry, for better or worse, was appointed by the prime minister. Our duty as the victim’s heirs was to ensure it met the requirements of impartiality, effectiveness and independence, from both the government and the victim’s family.

We have full faith in the “firebrand” Jason Azzopardi and have no doubts or regrets about the choice we made the same afternoon of that fateful day. I am indeed a lawyer, as Mifsud informs readers, but I am so glad I did not know better than to call Azzopardi that afternoon and ask him to assist us.

The public inquiry had a painful and unwelcome birth, nearly aborted at conception to continue the metaphor. It was only through the incessant pressure from the Council of Europe, my sons, our team of lawyers and civil society that it saw the light of day and came to, in our mind, a predicable conclusion.

The only controversy appears to be in Mifsud’s mind.  Our prime minister and our president have both personally apologised to us and Joseph Muscat has nearly apologised, conditional on the ridiculous demand that we first apologise to him.  

Peter Caruana Galizia – Bidnija, l/o Mosta

BOV protects customers

I was affected by the recent spate of scams through my VISA account.

After being fully guided by Band of Valletta’s electronic banking unit, the full amount scammed was recovered in a very short time.

I would like to thank BOV and warn the public to be aware of calls, messages, e-mails and generous offers over the internet and other social media platforms.

Chris Zahra – Birżebbuġa

Quaint Maltese customs

I spent most of the lockdown researching and writing a book that I have finally finished (this is not self-advertising: it will not interest readers as it is about Yorkshire’s wool industry).  

The printer has sent me two proof copies via UPS, which means that I could track their journey online, from England, via Germany, to France and, finally, to Luqa, Malta, where the parcel arrived on August 24.

UPS immediately “prepared the parcel for clearance” and, four hours later, it was scanned by the authorities.

Two days later, I asked where it is and was told: “Your parcel is pending release from a government agency. Release of the package to UPS may take up to 10 days.”

The parcel contains two books, nothing else.

What sort of problem can justify a further delay of (maybe) 10 days?

Revel Barker – Għajnsielem

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