You asked whether it’s against the law to take water from a public fountain. Yes, it is.
Published:
June 30, 2013 at 5:37pm
Who’s the officer in charge of the distribution of public waters? Manuel Mallia’s chief of staff had better get onto him fast: “Don’t you know who I am?”
But then he needn’t bother. I don’t imagine for one moment that the Police Commissioner, after cooking food for his minister, is going to have him arraigned on charges of theft of public water.
The Code of Police Laws (Chapter 10)
148. No person shall take away, from any aqueduct, fountain, cistern, conduit, or other like place, public water, not provided for the gratuitous use of the public, without the permission of the officer in charge of the distribution of public waters.
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A waiver is being planned, the law will be revoked and we can then fill our jerry cans.
Taghna lkoll.
Malta taghna lkoll.
I imagine that “the officer in charge of the distribution of public waters” is the politically-appointed Tony Meilaq, Chairman of the Water Services Corporation.
He might actually argue that the water in the fountain is “provided for the gratuitous use of the public”.
In other words, there has to be a law which prohibits the public from drinking either from THAT fountain or from fountains in general.
Is there such a law?
(This is not a rhetorical question.)
On further reflection, it seems to me that the wording of the law means that the general rule is that water in fountains is provided for the gratuitous use of the public, and that it is prohibited to take water only from those fountains which are the exceptions to the general rule.
So, unless there is a regulation somewhere that the water of that particular fountain is not provided for the gratuitous use of the public, then the Minister of Police is not breaking the law.
Secondly, if such a regulation is found, then it must also be proved that the Minister is an accomplice in the contravention (since he does not go there in person).
If it is his wife who sends the presumed offenders, then it is the Minister’s wife who (because of myriad reasons) is criminally liable.
All told, it won’t be easy for the prosecution to nail him for this one, I’m sorry to say.
Maybe a parliamentary question to the Konrad Mizzi could enlighten how many permits were issued in Valletta.
Wake up Nationalist MPs.
Tieh nifs miskin.
In that case this is what we need in Valletta
http://www.ballardian.com/images/water_police.jpg
And am really curious what the menu was……
Majjalata bhal ma ghamlulu l-ufficjali Laburisti. tista’ ma tara xejn.
Look at this photo from Labour Pride (on Facebook):
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=490376261038568&set=a.257794870963376.61052.257777310965132&type=1&theater
and compare it with:
http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/550x/f9/58/a9/f958a900c491542c2eb3cf0f93479c47.jpg
You will certainly agree with me that the cat has been left out because of Godfather connotations … otherwise it would have been there …
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F529m17jwAA/TV0vBL7oMII/AAAAAAAADKE/-Srmt-o1Pm8/s1600/508643.jpg
And Blofeld from the James Bond movies.
Daphne, the operative word here is permission…..you never know…….maybe “the officer in charge of public waters” gave him “permission”.
So the Police Minister has broken the law.
Besides public fountains are not tested against legionella (legionnaire’s disease). So the minister better take more precaution from where he is taking his water.
My thoughts exactly. And not just legionella, but a series of other bacterium and diseases. How irresponsible he is.
Din aqwa. Jew mejjet bil-guh jew qammiel kbir.
I did a water test exercise on fountain water, once, not too long ago. I used crystal clear glass bottles which were dishwasher sterilised before the test.
People who saw me filling the bottles for my test stared at me. Imagine what would have happened if they saw me filling jerry cans for domestic use.
The result was dirty water. The water is not even good to wash the street with.
I’m in no way complaining that fountain water should be clean. Fountain water doesn’t need to be clean.