Ta' Astrid ghandhom bzonn il-flus
In the spirit of charity and public service, I am giving wider exposure to Flimkien Ghal Ambjent Ahjar’s appeal for money than it would otherwise receive on the organisation’s own website, where it was published today. No irony is too delicious for the Astrid gang: the two addresses mentioned in this appeal are of blocks of flats built on the sites of old Sliema houses that were demolished to make way for them.
Dear Supporters,
We would like to thank you for all your support during the difficult and long-drawn out campaign to ensure that the St John’s museum extension would be carried out without any risks to its foundations nor violation of its scheduled Great Siege cemetery. As you know we have incurred significant expenses due to having to purchase two full pages in The Times, and other media space, so we would like to remind you that any donations you can make would be very much appreciated.
Donations can be made by cheque payable to FAA and posted to 143/5 Tower Road Sliema or direct bank transfer to: Bank of Valletta A/c 400-1564-7670 or HSBC A/c 006-145437-001.
The plans for the creation of a one-storey car park for approximately 75 cars under St. George’s Square in Valletta are also being reconsidered following FAA’s bringing the existence of a network of passages to the attention of the authorities. We are attaching above our two latest press releases which might interest you.
Situations Vacant: Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar (FAA) seeks a Project Manager who would be seconded from within the Public Service. The work to further FAA’s different projects would include liaising with government departments and members of the public, as well as an element of administrative work including help with FAA’s website. The right applicant should be dynamic, motivated, computer literate, capable of working on her/his own initiative and also as a team member. This personally-rewarding post would suit a
graduate with an interest in Malta’s urban and rural environment, heritage, sustainable tourism and rural affairs. The vacancy is available to candidates up to Grade 7, present terms and conditions of Government employment including promotion opportunities would continue to apply. If you are interested in such a post, or know someone who might be, we look forward to receiving your application and CV at [email protected] or by mail to: 8/3 Ghar IL-Lembi Street, Sliema 1562. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.Best regards,
The FAA Committee
Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar
5th March 2009
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And once again I point out… Wasn’t it ‘the people’ who actually paid for that advertising in The Times? At this rate FAA will soon be holding another of its crappy/creepy fund-raising art exhibitions
I do hope that with a project manager, FAA will take up the more challenging mission of actually doing rather than criticising – imitating Din l-Art Helwa, Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna, Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti and, of course, The St John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation, together with the many others – they are all doing an excellent job and dirtying their hands. Instead of criticising, attacking and organising campaigns against what other organisations do, FAA should go the harder and more challenging way of contributing in a visible and tangible manner to the preservation and restoration of our heritage with their own money, time, energy, experience and expertise. Perhaps they’ll start appreciating what other ogranisations have been doing. I hope the government will not be paying for an FAA project manager with public funds while FAA moves closer to Labour.
“….The plans for the creation of a one-storey car park for approximately 75 cars under St. George’s Square in Valletta are also being reconsidered following FAA’s bringing the existence of a network of passages to the attention of the authorities”
The Times is full of opinion pieces claiming credit for this “discovery”. What a bunch of immature amateurs, and what a village mentality. They do not have any self-awareness and they do not care how idiotic they are perceived to be. The most important aim is to claim credit and be constantly in the limelight.
Oh they want money now. Really?
For any crappy reason, if anyone asks the question:
“who we gonna call?”
the answer is obviously gonna be:
The FAA
u halluna….
It says ” In the spirit of charity” – shouldn’t we donate, lest some Canadian is scandalised by our behaviour?
“Does seconded from the public service” mean that this person will be paid for from government funds? If so, I think someone within government must have lost a bolt or two to agree to this. It is madness to use tax money to help a bunch of weirdos embark on misinformation campaigns attacking any project which is not to their liking and dragging through the mud anyone who expresses an opinion or does something which is not to their liking. It is my tax money and (as FAA people would put it) we …. the people ….object!
Unless there has been a recent change in government policy it is extremely difficult for an NGO to obtain a seconded civil servant to help with its activities. BirdLife has a number of such employees but they are working exclusively in the nature reserves which are government property. They also guide schoolchildren during field visits organised by the Ministry of Education so basically they are still working for government, albeit under BirdLife’s day-to-day management.
I know for a fact that animal welfare organisations, for example, sorely need such help from the government but have never succeeded in obtaining it. I stand to be corrected on this but it would appear that FAA is receiving preferential treatment.
@ mc – I appreciate your concern. Yes, the project manager will be paid from your tax money. Kindly note what FAA itself says above: “Situations Vacant: Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar (FAA) seeks a Project Manager who would be seconded from within the Public Service.”
That is why I asked FAA to dirty its hands with the implementation of projects and do something positive rather than sit back and attack any project they do not like as well as the people behind it. I’m really tempted to ask for the immediate resignation of Astrid Vella and her committee since it seems that they have “incurred significant expenses” that they could hardly afford. They are using people’s money.
The question seems to have been asked repeatedly, but has not been satisfactorily answered. If the would-be project manager is to be seconded from the public service, who approved this sponsorship and on what grounds? Maybe “the people” should speak up and have this decision reversed.
@P Min jitwieled kwadru ma jmutx tond. FAA have misinformed people and attacked individuals far too often for them to change their ways. Assuming that a public officer will be seconded to FAA, every time they accuse an EIA expert of incompetence, abuse or worse on the mere pretext that he is paid by the developer, they will be committing yet another obscenity but this time using public funds.
On Friday, March 6, “P” wrote: “I know for a fact that animal welfare organisations, for example, sorely need such help from the government but have never succeeded in obtaining it. I stand to be corrected on this but it would appear that FAA is receiving preferential treatment.”
Correction: The SPCA of Gozo, an animal welfare organisation (no matter which way you spell it) has had the services of a wonderfully supportive and helpful bilingual man seconded from the public service for a number of (more than three or four) years.