minn Angelo Micallef
Għal dawk bħali li għamlu l-kors tal-liġi ftit tas-snin ilu, il-ktieb Development Planning Legislation: The Maltese Experience tal-Profs. Kevin Aquilina żgur iqanqal diversi memorji.
L-awtur tal-ktieb, il-Profs. Aquilina kien mhux biss l-awtur ta’ dan il-ktieb li sa dak iż-żmien kien l-aqwa eżempju li kellna fil-letteratura legali Maltija b’rabta mas-suġġett tal-ippjanar, imma kien ukoll il-lettur li kien jgħallem l-istess suġġett fil-kors tal-liġi fl-Università ta’ Malta.
Ma kienx suġġett obligatorju imma wieħed li seta’ jiġi magħżul liberalment. Għalhekk spiss kien ikun klassi ferm iżgħar mis-soltu.
Kien suġġett tekniku ħafna u forsi mhux l-aktar suġġett li fit-tmienja ta’ filgħodu se tieħu gost tisma’ dwaru għal siegħa sħiħa. Imma kien suġġett mgħallem b’reqqa kbira u b’teknika kbira mill-Profs. Aquilina li eventwalment spiċċa biex anki ġie maħtur Dekan tal-Fakultà tal-Liġi.
Nhar il-Ħadd li għadda f’The Malta Independent on Sunday, il-Profs. Aquilina kiteb hekk dwar ir-riforma li Robert Abela pprova jgħaddi baxx baxx b’rabta mal-liġi dwar l-ippjanar, “These two ultra-reactionary bills are purposefully, cruelly, and deceitfully aimed to remove all remedies that environmental non-governmental organisations, local councils, and residents’ associations have to date to curb the enormous abuse that we have been witnessing over the years of the government-and-developers-captured Planning Authority and to ensure that all development applications that run contrary to the law, any development plan, and planning policy are approved with ease, with no possibility of challenge before an independent and impartial court or before the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal. Thanks to our progressive (sic!) government, these remedies will soon become something of the past, forgotten, dead and buried….
With these amendments, the environment will be left to its own devices with nobody to defend it. Government and developers will rape it, re-rape it, and continue to re-rape it with no dire consequences. The rule of law will now be replaced by the rule of corrupt ministers and developers. The law of the few anointed ones will prevail. There is a serious crisis of democracy in Malta. Of course, next year, we will read another useless rule of law report penned by the European Commission on Malta possibly criticising these measures as well but no concrete and effective action will be taken, as in previous years, by the farcical European Commission that continues to act in breach of its own treaty in relation to Malta when it desists from taking action against the Labour government.”
Argumenti tekniċi li jxejnu r-retorika li jridna nemmnu Abela
Kien artiklu bi kliem iebes ħafna minn bniedem li ċertament m’għandu ebda interessi partiġjani u li ċertament għandu kredenzjali li diffiċli ħafna titfa’ dubju fuqhom. Kien ukoll artiklu miktub b’argumenti tekniċi li jxejnu għalkollox ir-retorika li jridna nemmnu Robert Abela u li qed jagħmel minn kollox biex jimbotta.
Ħa nkun ċar, ħadd ma qal li l-idea ta’ riforma hija ħażina. Ħadd ma’ qal li r-riforma proposta hija kollha ħażina. Hemm ħtieġa ċara ta’ riforma u hemm numru ta’ punti fir-riforma proposta li huma pożittivi.
Imma li tipprova tgħaddi riforma b’numru ta’ punti hekk kontenzjużi baxx baxx u agħar min hemm li tkun arroganti biżżejjed li tgħid li min qed jagħmel il-mistoqsijiet qed jagħmilhom għax ma jifhimx fuq dak li qed jitkellem, huwa surreali.
Forsi Robert Abela sabha faċli jgħid lil dawk li marru jipprotestaw quddiem il-Parlament li ma jifhmux fuqxiex qed jitkellmu. Nixtieq nara lill-istess Prim Ministru jgħid l-istess fuq il-kritika mirquma tal-Profs. Aquilina li hu kiteb f’The Malta Independent on Sunday.
F’The Times of Malta, il-Profs. Ranier Fsadni kiteb hekk b’rabta mar-reazzjoni tal-Prim Ministru, “Oh, prime minister, you are so misunderstood. I’m sorry we’re so stupid. You deserve better serfs”. Tassew ma’ setgħax poġġa l-kliem aħjar il-Profs. Fsadni!
Dan l-artiklu deher f’In-Nazzjon tal-Ħamis 7 ta’ Awwissu, 2025.
