The Voice of the Maltese (driven by the voice of its readers ) Issue December 8, 2015 116 oonnlliinnee mmaaggaazziinnee HM Queen Elizabeth II and heads of gov - n ernment pose for a group picture during 2015 i the opening of the CHOGM 2015 in Malta HOGM C visited Malta re Part of the spectacular show by Maltese Maltese Prime Minster Joseph Muscat attentively artists at the official listening to the Queen as she addressed the opening of CHOGM CHOGM participants at the official dinner. LEFT: Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (on right) facing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at an official dinner on the sideline of the Heads of State Conference, CHOGM in Malta. Both also had a special meeting with the Queen who wanted to make acquaintance of the new Prime Ministers of the Common - wealth whom she had never met before. 2 The Voice of the Maltese Tuesday December 8, 2015 Changing regulations about property in Malta o you own property in Malta? Maurice Cauchi Related to this If so, according to some re - we find restric - Dports in the newspapers in tions of time Malta, there seems to be some risk what is required is that evidence is available to that someone might build on your presented to the Planning Board that make objections property without your permission. a permit has actually be granted by to any decisions A few weeks ago the Times of Malta the owner before the applicant is made by the (October 5) published an article stat - given permission to go ahead. Board. It is obvi - ing that: “As part of the changes to It is obvious that stricter criteria ous that it might planning legislation, government is must be applied to ensure that an take a consider - proposing to remove the require - owner is not deprived of his land able time to cor - ment for developers to obtain the through lack of communication. This respond from landowner’s consent when applying is particularly the case for those of us Australia and from other places around to develop land which is not theirs, living overseas where it could be the world, the time allowed for objec - leaving only the obligation for the quite difficult to be aware that such tions, and this is also something which owner to be notified.” applications have been made with the Board must take into consideration. Along the same lines, Malta Today the Planning Board. It would appear More and more we find that postal (November 25) under the heading: that the Board has no obligation to in - services especially from Australia to "New law would allow development form the owner that such applica - Malta are being delayed, and it is not applications on someone else’s land , tions had been made. the first time that a letter, even a reg - said: “If approved as istered letter, has taken a couple of it is, the new plan - weeks to reach us. This could make it ning law resurrects more difficult for an adequate re - the prospect of peo - sponse, including objections to be ple applying for de - made in time. velopment on other It is therefore important for those people’s property owning property in Malta to be aware without seeking their of these suggested changes, if they are consent.” eventually approved by Parliament. No doubt such infor - In particular, if you receive registered mation can lead to a letters from Malta, you should make considerable amount sure to take advice and deal with of anxiety among them promptly. property owners. In We shall make it a point to follow particular, this is of this issue over the next months and interest to many of us bring you up-to-date with decisions migrants who have that have been taken regarding this some difficulty in problem. keeping up with what is going on in Malta. The last thing we want is to Editorial comment: find, on one of our occasional visits to Malta, that someone has actually he Voice has asked for further clarification on this matter and therefore built a villa on our plot of land with - Tadds the following: out we knowing about it! When an application for development is initially submitted to MEPA, appli- But what is the fuss all about? If one cants need to list their personal details. looks at the proposed Bill, Develop - Applicant also sign a declaration stating his/her legal right and true owner- ment Planning Bill 107) which is cur - ship of the property. If the applicant is not the owner or only part owner, rently being discussed in Parliament he/she needs to declare that the true owner or co-owners have been informed in Malta we read (Article 71(4): by registered mail and a consent has been granted. At this stage of the appli- When the applicant is not the owner cation process, MEPA fails to verify the veracity of the information provided. of the site,...... the applicant must still Basically, an application for development could potentially be submitted notify the owner of his intention to without verifiable proof of property ownership. However such cases are al- apply by means of a registered letter, most non-existent or extremely rare. a notified copy of which must also be The disconnect takes place when ownership is contested. MEPA still takes sent to the Planning Board. the position that legal verification of ownership is not in MEPA's remit but it It would appear from the wording belongs in a Court Of Law. This is where the bone of contention lies. of this Bill that, as long as the appli - Proof of ownership to support the declaration has to be part of the initial ap- cant provides evidence that s/he had plication process. If resolution on legal property ownership cannot be agreed sent a registered letter to the owner, to or achieved, the case would then and not before, be referred to the Courts that is sufficient for a permit to be is - of Law. Furthermore if property ownership is being contested, MEPA should sued. One would have expected that not accept an application until property ownership is resolved. Tuesday December 8, 2015 The Voice of the Maltese 3 Malta still far from being a multicultural society study suggests that Malta still ples of multicultural - has some way to go before be - ism, they have few Professor coming a multicultural society. friends from different Colleen A Ward The study was conducted by Dr Gor - cultural backgrounds. don Sammut, a lecturer at the Depart - It further indicates that ment of Psychology, University of diversity is not gener - Malta and presented at the Presi - ally seen as an asset; dent’s Foundation for the Wellbeing negative perceptions of of Society, titled, ‘Multicultural Mat - Arabs are widespread, ters: Diversity, Policy and Ideology’. and that two-thirds of The lecture that was delivered by Maltese agree that im - Professor Colleen Ward a Professor of migration threatens Psychology and Director of the Centre Maltese culture. for Applied Crosscultural Research, Meanwhile, during Victoria University of Wellington, her lecture, Professor New Zealand was organised by the Ward noted, “multicul - Foundation in collaboration with the turalism has not failed Department of Psychology at the Uni - in Europe because true versity of Malta, multiculturalism has Dr Sammut’s research shows, that never been achieved.” although Maltese endorse the princi - Whilst some world leaders have in its turn, typically misconstrued as decried the failure of multi - integration, requesting minority culturalism, Professor Ward groups to change their cultural cus - maintained, “Multicultural - toms and practices to those that suit Dr Gordon ism is not just about having a the dominant population. Sammut diverse population. Rather, a Professor Ward’s research, con - multicultural society is one ducted in New Zealand, the United where diversity is valued and Kingdom and the United States, seen as enriching and where shows that the experiences of “every - diversity is supported by day multiculturalism,” particularly policies and programmes that contact and equity across ethnic and ensure equity across all cul - cultural groups and a general appre - tural groups.” ciation of diversity, are linked to pos - Professor Ward also noted itive outcomes for both individuals that many European societies and society – greater wellbeing and have not achieved multicul - greater social cohesion. turalism but have instead She suggested that multiculturalism managed cultural diversity can be promoted by programmes that through a framework of encourage intercultural contact and strong assimilationist poli - dialogue, policies that support cul - cies. She added that multicul - tural diversity, equitable participa - turalism is typically blamed tion, public education to inform for the shortcomings of ef - citizens about the complex nature of forts at assimilating minority multiculturalism, and positive por - groups. trayals of multiculturalism in the She said that assimilation is, media. A proud sponsor of The Voice of the Maltese Tel (02) 9622 7799 website: www.breakawaytravel.com.au Breakaway Travel 94 corner of Main & Campbell blacktown@breakaway - Streets, Blacktown NSW travel.com.au ...... for all your travel needs. 4 The Voice of the Maltese Tuesday December 8, 2015 The introduction of Ration Cards ue to the fact that there was a great shortage of food on the is - MALTA: Echoes land during World War II, sDome of it caused by people hoarding from the past away large stocks of goods, , the Mal - tese Government introduced the so- called ration cards which were also Doris Cannataci used in connection with Victory Kitchens. It was in February 1941 that the Gov - ernment decided to start a ration sys - tem on a national scale in order to ensure that food was distributed to everyone and also to conserve the supply.