Of mediocrity and sob stories

Abstract

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority and anything even vaguely related to it continues to transfix the public's imagination and still manages to stir up hype and awe. No wonder the authority is a favourite with prime time television programmes. Nothing untoward in that - after all, the mission statement of such programmes is not to educate but to generate revenue to keep them going. What is cringe-inducing, however, is the mediocre and superficial way in which planning issues in this country are treated in the media. For instance, I stumbled upon John Bundy's Friday evening programme on February 4 which tackled the Mepa hot potato. While reserving a praise for the presenter on some aspects (namely the orderly proceeding of the programme), his personal messages were somewhat contradictory. His decrying the boathouse shanty towns was laudable (even though he picked on the wrong example, since the Gliadira green shacks have a legal standing, courtesy of the Mintoff years). However, he raised some eyebrows with his appeal for the fast tracking of what seem at first sight to be small-scale and innocuous field rooms, which would involve clearing collapsed rubble wall debris and 'haxix hazin' (weeds) to enable families to have barbecues in fields, especially in view of rampant abuse in this area.