National protest calling for the withdrawal of the bills on Saturday, 4th October
As Parliament opened its first session after the summer recess, dozens of citizens carried out a symbolic action as part of the Ġustizzja għal Artna campaign, sounding the alarm on the planning legislative package being pushed by Government that would spell disaster for our country.
Participants stood outside Parliament dressed as grim reapers to symbolise the so-called planning “reform”: planning bills 143 and 144 that would hand absolute power to the Planning Authority and make it almost impossible for the public to challenge its corrupt decisions; and three legal notices that would grant a blanket amnesty for all planning and environmental illegalities across Malta and Gozo, with no limits on size, type, or location.
Other grim reapers represented the forces driving these laws: greed and the developers’ dictatorship.
Mourners carried a coffin symbolising the death of our quality of life, environment, decency, democracy, and social justice.
This so-called reform has one aim: to crush the common person and transfer all power to developers and politically-controlled authorities. It will open the floodgates to destructive development in ODZs, UCAs, and other areas of social, historical, and cultural importance. No corner of the country will be safe from greed.
Moreover, citizens will lose the few tools they have to contest illegal decisions. Appeals will become harder, and even the Courts will lose the authority to strike down illegal permits.
The consultation process launched after public outrage in July, when Government first tried to sneak these laws through Parliament in the middle of summer, is meaningless. The laws are structurally rotten and cannot be fixed. While the consultation was supposedly underway, Government embarked on a propaganda campaign to promote the laws. This is clear proof that the Government’s intention is to bulldoze these laws through and dismantle all planning safeguards.
Selling a developers’ wishlist as a planning reform is not only deceitful and morally wrong. It is also insulting. The public sees through it.
People are determined to fight for their rights, for quality of life, and for a future worthy of their children. A national protest demanding the immediate withdrawal of these proposed laws will be held on Saturday 4th October at 10am, starting from the Law Courts in Valletta and marching to Castille.
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Ħassru l-Abbozzi ta’ Liġi, Mhux l-Ambjent Tagħna
Protesta nazzjonali se ssejjaħ għall-irtirar tal-abbozzi nhar is-Sibt l-4 t’Ottubru
Hekk kif il-Parlament fetaħ bl-ewwel sessjoni tiegħu wara l-vaganzi tas-sajf, għexieren ta’ ċittadini wettqu azzjoni simbolika bħala parti mill-kampanja Ġustizzja għal Artna, fejn wissew dwar il-pakkett leġiżlattiv tal-ippjanar li qed jiġi mbuttat mill-Gvern, wieħed li jfisser diżastru totali għal pajjiżna.
Il-parteċipanti qagħdu barra l-Parlament lebsin bħala grim reapers biex jissimbolizzaw l-hekk imsejħa “riforma” tal-ippjanar: l-abbozzi ta’ liġi dwar l-ippjanar 143 u 144 li se jagħtu poter assolut lill-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar u jagħmluha kważi impossibbli biex il-pubbliku jikkontesta d-deċiżjonijiet korrotti tagħha, u tliet avviżi legali li jfissru amnestija ġenerali għall-illegalitajiet kollha tal-ippjanar u dawk ambjentai f’Malta u Għawdex, mingħajr limiti fuq id-daqs, it-tip, jew il-post.
Grim reapers oħra rrappreżentaw il-forzi li qed imexxu dawn il-liġijiet: ir-regħba u l-ħakma tal-iżviluppaturi.
Inġarr tebut li jissimbolizza tmiem il-kwalità tal-ħajja tagħna, l-ambjent, id-diċenza, id-demokrazija u l-ġustizzja soċjali.
Din l-hekk imsejħa riforma għandha għan wieħed: li tfarrak lill-individwu komuni u tagħti l-poter kollu lill-iżviluppaturi u lill-awtoritajiet ikkontrollati politikament. Se tiftaħ il-bibien għal żvilupp distruttiv f’ODZs, UCAs, u żoni oħra ta’ importanza soċjali, storika, u kulturali. L-ebda rokna tal-pajjiż mhi se tibqa’ mhux mittiefsa mir-regħba.
Barra minn hekk, iċ-ċittadini se jitilfu l-ftit għodod li għandhom biex jikkontestaw deċiżjonijiet illegali. L-appelli se jsiru aktar diffiċli, u anke l-Qorti se titlef l-awtorità li twaqqaf il-permessi illegali.
Il-proċess ta’ konsultazzjoni li tnieda wara r-rabja pubblika ta’ Lulju li għadda, meta l-Gvern ipprova għall-ewwel darba jgħaddi dawn il-liġijiet fil-Parlament bil-moħbi, ma jfissru xejn. Il-liġijiet huma strutturalment ħżiena u ma jistgħux jittranġaw. Waqt il-konsultazzjoni li suppost kien hemm għaddejja, il-Gvern beda kampanja ta’ propaganda biex jippromwovi l-liġijiet. Din hija prova ċara li l-intenzjoni tal-Gvern hija li jgħaddi bħal gaffa b’dawn il-liġijiet u jżarma s-salvagwardji kollha tal-ippjanar.
Dawn ix-xewqat tal-iżviluppaturi mlibbsa ta’ riforma tal-ippjanar mhumiex biss qarrieqa u moralment ħżiena. Huma wkoll insult. Il-pubbliku jaf eżatt x’inhu jiġri.
In-nies huma determinati li jiġġieldu għad-drittijiet tagħhom, għall-kwalità tal-ħajja, u għal futur li ħaqqhom igawdu uliedhom. Is-Sibt 4 ta’ Ottubru fl-10am se ssir protesta nazzjonali li tibda minn quddiem ll-Qorti fil-Belt Valletta u timxi lejn Kastilja, sabiex titlob l-irtirar immedjat ta’ dawn il-liġijiet proposti.
