The government’s choice of ‘environment groups representative’ on the MEPA board
All environment groups were asked to submit names of their nominees for the MEPA board (this was the practice even with the previous government). The Ramblers Association submitted the name of its president, Alex Vella.
From among all the nominees, the government/prime minister chose him.
Now read this news report (the link to the whole story, with all the planning application details, is below) and pay particular attention to the last line, which I have reproduced here.
TWO WEIGHTS AND TWO MEASURES: RAMBLERS’ PRESIDENT HAD THREE ‘REFUSE PERMISSION’ CASES OVERTURNED BY MEPA
Sunday, 14 March 2010
by STEPHEN CALLEJA
For Alex Vella, president of the Ramblers’ Association, it is “unacceptable that… case officers recommend a refusal which is then overturned later by (Mepa) officials behind closed doors”, according to comments he gave to The Malta Independent last Friday. That is, unless the applications in question concern him.
In comments he gave this newspaper’s sister in the build-up to yesterday’s pro-environment protest in Valletta, Mr Vella described this kind of behaviour, and other issues concerning the way the Malta Environment and Planning Authority is run, as an “abuse of power”.
But there seems to be nothing wrong in Mr Vella benefiting from this kind of situation because, in three cases involving him in the past six years, the case officer concerned recommended that no permit be granted, but this was overturned by Mepa, which gave the green light in all three instances.
Efforts to contact Mr Vella to comment on this last Friday were futile. His mobile phone was ‘not in a position to respond’ during the morning, and in the afternoon the phone kept ringing but there was no reply.
Mr Vella, together with Flimkien Ghal Ambjent Ahjar leader Astrid Vella, led the protest march in Valletta yesterday. They both spoke at a press conference held on Wednesday to give reasons why there was a need for the demonstration. And, in further comments given to The Malta Independent on Thursday, and published on Friday, both expressed their disdain for the fact that Mepa approves applications against the recommendation of case officers.
But The Malta Independent on Sunday is in possession of documents showing that, on three occasions between 2004 and 2009, Mr Vella was involved in applications to Mepa that were approved in spite of a reasoned opinion against the granting of permission by two different case officers.
(…)
All three applications were filed by architect Robert Musumeci.
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The whole report:
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2010-03-14/news/two-weights-and-two-measures-ramblers-president-had-three-refuse-permission-cases-overturned-by-mepa-271676/
It seems almost pathological of the Labour government that all the appointments are being given to the most unsuitable persons ( arguably the exception being Judge Bonello).
(…exception being Judge Bonello) Who, consequently, is perceived to be completely out of place.
Could this mean that the FAA was used as a front to obstruct certain applications and to facilitate others?
I remember, many years ago, FAA came out in favour of a private sector proposal for Dock 1. An FAA prominent member (sorry but I forgot his name) was one of the investors.
That’s one resounding yes. The FAA is your typical rent-a-lobby.
Why do you think they kicked up such a fuss on Wirt Artna’s proposal for the saluting battery?
They were much more interested in getting any potential income from that project diverted to the restaurant owner than the merit of the proposal itself.
And now for some state funding, summer barbequeues, a couple of conferences and visits to Lecce, courtesy of Astrid’s latest couple of chums and their joint ‘business’ effort.
The problem with Joseph is that he’s not one who’ll leave his mark, only one who’ll sate everyone’s improvised wishlist and sense of failure.
Pathetic.
Why does this always happen? Why is it that people like this jerk, obviously housed in a big glass house, are the ones to throw the stones?
And how do they go about it? Not by, say, an inconspicuous comment on the Times boards or others. Noooo – they give ‘comments’ to the media, go and lead a bloody great protest and then speak at press conferences with St. Joan of FAA.
Well done ‘switchers’, one and all.
It is well known within the construction industry that Robert Musumeci is a very useful architect to have.
He had lost it when Victor Scerri was crucified. The first to notice was Consuelo herself: Lija didn’t happen.
And it was quite a coincidence that the mayor’s car was torched.
Hopefully Marlene Farrugia has all her applications in order. Musumeci should have some insight into how the elderly live.
What a sad choice to represent the environmental lobby on the national entity which is entrusted to protect our environment.
[Daphne – I have deleted your comment. Lest you think that I have done so ‘to censor you’ or ‘because the truth hurts’ or somesuch, I have thought it best to explain why. Because your brother’s son is married to my sister, and out of consideration for them, I have so far refrained, and will continue to refrain, from ripping you to shreds – even though you deserve it and I can take you apart in five minutes while eating breakfast. That you are utterly insufferable is common knowledge. That you are so indecent as to care nothing about the damage you cause by regularly, and with escalating nastiness, laying into your own nephew’s sister-in-law all over the internet, is not common knowledge. People think you are attacking a newspaper columnist and don’t realise that you are actually attacking your nephew’s sister-in-law. I think it’s best that people know now what sort of person you are. I will continue to avoid discussing you (not, I repeat, out of respect for you), and if you don’t have the good manners to start doing the same, after having consummately failed to have those good manners so far, kindly take your bitchy spite elsewhere.]