Local Councils removed from UIF Board

From the LCA newsletter, I have just discovered that the Malta Environment and Planning Authority has informed the Local Councils' Association that its membership on the Urban Improvement Fund Board has been terminated. This was done without any consultation with Local Councils whatsoever.

The LCA has informed the Parliamentary Secretary responsible for Local Government that the LCA will never accept that decisions are made without any formal consultations and it has requested the re-instatement of the LCA membership on the UIF Board.

The UIF revenue originates from MEPA development applications and then it is used to implement projects carried out by Local Councils as part of the urban improvement strategy. Various projects have been carried out by local councils thanks to this fund.

I hope that this is not the first step in stopping local councils from benefiting from this fund, this being also the first year since 1997 that our allocation has been reduced.

Daphne ma nqatlitx ilbieraħ

Daphne ma nqatlitx ilbieraħ.
Daphne inqatlet meta esponiet traffikanti tad-droga, bil-provi u bir-ritratti tagħhom, u dawn flok ġew arrestati sabu Gvern jgħattilhom. Għax il-papa kien midħla tal-Partit. Għax kien ħabib tal-Ministru.
Daphne inqatlet meta esponiet korruzzjoni fil-Korp tal-Pulizija, meta esponiet spetturi u kuntistabbli li kienu kompliċi mal-kriminali, u dawn flok tkeċċew sabu Gvern li jtihom il-promotions. Anzi, min minnhom kien laħaq tkeċċa qabel, sab Gvern li reġa' daħħlu lura.
Daphne inqatlet meta esponiet bil-provi każi ta' ħasil ta' flus fuq livell internazzjonali, minn reġimi dittatorjali, u l-Kummissarju, l-Avukat Ġenerali, u l-politiċi tagħna, flok ħadu passi raw kif għamlu biex l-evidenza tinqered jew titħalla taħrab.
Daphne inqatlet meta l-Avukat Ġenerali u tliet Kummissarji tal-Pulizija in fila, raw quddiemhom il-provi ta' kriminalita' organizzata min-nies fil-poter, u għalqu ħalqhom u m'għamlu xejn.
Daphne inqatlet meta l-politiċi tagħna ħ…

Daphne wasn't murdered yesterday

English translation of this original blogpost in Maltese.
Daphne wasn't murdered yesterday.
Daphne was murdered when she exposed drug traffickers, with photographs and evidence, and instead of being arrested they found a government ready to cover up for them. Because their daddy was into the Party's circle. Because he was a friend of the Minister.
Daphne was murdered when she exposed corruption in the higher echelons of the Police Force, when she exposed inspectors and police officers involved in criminal circles, and rather than seeing action being taken we saw a government rewarding them with promotions. And re-instating those who had been expelled in the preceding years.
Daphne was murdered when she exposed cases of money-laundering on an international level, involving high-profile politicians from dictatorial regimes, and our Police Commissioner, Attorney General and politicians, failed to take action. Rather, they sought to ensure these crimes were covered up and the evidence…

Il-kont tad-dawl u l-ilma...qed tinsteraq?

Ftit tal-ġimgħat ilu, il-gazzetta The Malta Independent investigat kif is-sistema l-ġdida ta’ kif qed taħdem il-kontijiet l-ARMS kienet qed twassal biex il-konsumaturi jirċievu kontijiet ogħla milli suppost (ara hawn). Diversi ekonomisti u akkademiċi wkoll tkellmu fuq dan u spjegaw kif dan qed jiġri, fosthom Marie Briguglio.
Kif qed jiġri dan? Ħa nipprova nispjega ftit kif taħdem is-sistema. Ir-rati li bihom tħallas għal kull unit mhumiex l-istess. Biex jiġi inkuraġġit li kemm jista’ jkun wieħed ma jikkunsmax aktar milli suppost, hemm skali (brackets) ta' prezzijiet li jogħlew skont il-konsum. Kif tindika t-tabella hawn taħt, jekk ma taqbiżx ċertu ammont ta' units f'sena, tħallas prezzijiet b'tariffi aktar baxxi, u aktar ma wieħed jikkonsma, aktar jiswew il-units. S'hemmhekk sempliċi.

Sa ftit tas-snin ilu, għalkemm numru ta’ familji kienu jirċievu kont ta’ stima kull xahrejn jew kull tlieta, il-kont attwali kien jinħadem fuq perjodu ta’ sitt xhur. Dan kien ifisser l…

Mark Anthony Sammut

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