Mark Anthony Sammut

In a letter I had written on the Times in June 2012 , I had expressed my concern at decisions giving up more pristine land for construction, in a country having more than 75,000 vacant dwellings. I had also lauded Mario de Marco for an article published in April 2012, in which he had expressed a political will to direct the construction industry away from the construction of further blocks of apartments, especially on pristine land, and towards the rehabilitation of old and vacant buildings to rehabilitate and give life to our village cores. Unfortunately, it seems that the very first decisions taken by the new government in this area seem to be directed in the opposite direction. First of all, starting from the new MEPA Board. Without going into the merits or de-merits of the appointed members, we do deserve some answers to some fundamental queries which have been raised by the media, especially since we were promised a new age of transparency and accountability. Tw...

This was posted today on a personal blog called  cominorepublic . I don't know the blogger but this post sums up precisely what's going wrong in the Maltese psyche. This is the link to the original . I am copying here because it's everyone's must read. The Taghna Lkoll Protocol 1. Joseph Muscat’s movement, whose seeds were sown almost four years ago with his “Inhobbkom” announcement to an already fawning public has finally reached full cult status. The absolute obliteration of values other than those that contribute to the neutering of the mind is manifest with every step the movement in government makes. The only universal values of the movement are (a) We are not political (read divisive), (b) We are proud Maltese, (c) We are all-inclusive. 2. Elsewhere this has been described in different terms (Prozac Nation was one of them) and what this amounts to is really an opiate of the kind described by the bearded fella from Trier. For although the cult does have “va...

Five young PN politicians, including myself, were interviewed by MaltaToday about what led to the PN's defeat at the polls and what the PN should do to reinvent itself. The below are my replies. Why did you join the PN? I joined the PN because it's the party which most reflected my political values. Free market, lower taxation, individual freedom, the emphasis on education to empower the individual, and believing in Malta's place in the European Union as an equal partner. In the past few years did the PN give enough space to young persons and women? I think women did and still do have an equal opportunity to voice themselves and work in the Party, not only through the MNPN but also in the central structures. Both the President of the Executive and the President of the General Council are women, and elected without the need of quotas. Having said that, all Party branches including MNPN and MZPN need to reach out more to get youngsters and women to participate...

A short note of thanks to the 544 voters who gave me their first-preference in the Gudja Local Council elections. This was an increase of 101 voters from four years ago, which positively reflected a 4% increase to the Nationalist Party in our locality, contrary to the national trend of the other elections held on the same day, and which has finally translated to a second seat for the Nationalist Party in the Gudja Local Council. I welcome Stefan Caruana, the new PN councillor elected, and newly elected PL councillor Demelsa Grech. Well done also to John Mary Calleja and Romeo Baldacchino, both re-elected as Mayor and Vice-Mayor respectively. And finally, thanks goes to George Fenech, Clayton Abdilla and Raymond Caruana, who though not elected were ready to offer their services to contribute towards our locality. I also wish to thank the voters in the Fourth and Fifth districts who trusted me with their vote on my first try at contesting the general elections. I vouch to kee...

Artiklu tiegħi li deher fil-ħarġa tal-'mument' tal-Ħadd 17 ta' Marzu 2013 Nibda billi qabel xejn nirringrazzja lil dawk kollha li urew fiduċja fija bil-vot tagħhom fl-elezzjoni li għaddiet. Minkejja li ma ġejtx elett, se nkompli nagħti sehmi u l-enerġija tiegħi fi ħdan il-Partit Nazzjonalista. Il-Partit Nazzjonalista tilef bil-kbir. U quddiem telfa bħal din, l-ewwel u qabel kollox irid ikollna l-kuraġġ nagħrfu b’umilta’ l-iżbalji. Mingħajr ippuntar ta’ swaba, mingħajr konklużjonijiet mgħaġġla, imma b’sinċerita’. L-ewwel pass biex tibda tfieq huwa li tifhem x’kien il-mard. F’din l-elezzjoni ma nemminx li  ġew riġettati l-policies, li f’ħafna minnhom ma hemm xejn differenti mill-Partit Laburista,  imma iżjed l-istil ta’ tmexxija. Biex niġbor kollox fi frażi waħda, ngħid li f’dawn il-25 sena edukajna poplu imma fl-aħħar snin ma trattajniehx ta’ edukat. Irridu nammettu li tajna stampa ta’ arroganza, u li din l-arroganza m’għadux postha fis-soċjeta’ tal-lum. Iż-żmien ...