With reference to Karm Vella’s letter entitled ‘The Trash Mountain’ (Malta Today Wednesday 27th February), I would like to clear many of the misconceptions in his letter.
The aerial emission project is one of the main aspects of rehabilitating the old landfill. €8.3 million have been allocated for this initiative and this project is being co-financed by EU Structural Funds through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). WasteServ’s commitment is to collect the hazardous gases and clean them before allowing them to be released into the atmosphere, and this is rendering highly successful results.
In fact, more than 90 wells have been installed, together with interconnecting pipe work to extract this gas. The efficiency of capturing gases has reached 91% of the emissions captured and laboratory tests have proven that 96% to 98% of the dioxins from gases extracted have been destroyed by the treatment system. Also, for the technically minded, the effectiveness of treatment of methane is in the region of 86%, reducing the impact on the rate of the Carbon Dioxide being released into the atmosphere. As can be witnessed by passers-by, the drilling equipment is still drilling into the landfill to install more wells and collect more gases. By the end of this year, all works shall be completed and the entire mountain shall be prepared for capping and plantation.
On the other hand, the material excavated to create the Engineered Landfill (and not dump) is mainly being stored to be used to cap the old Maghtab landfill. I am sure that this is what Mr. Vella is referring to in his letter, which could be seen from St.Paul’s Bay. The small amount transported to the top of the mountain is in preparation for the covering of the area from where engineered soil is being taken to cover the Northern Bund (the section next to the Coast Road).
It is encouraging to note that the Christmas tree experiment was noticed and appreciated. Our way forward is now to extract and utilize renewable energy from waste. The larger concentration of methane is formed in the Engineered Landfills, where air is not allowed to reach waste and therefore does not encourage fires similar to what we have witnessed within the old Maghtab dump in the past 30 years! The Zwejra engineered site is currently being covered by a mixture of clay to avoid water infiltration from the top. The High Tension Cables are now being installed between the sub-station at the Maghtab Complex Gate, which is connected to the Grid, to the Gas Plant Area where another sub-station is to be built to terminate the cables and provide a feeding point for the electrical energy produced by the generators operated by the landfill gas.
As regards the monitoring issue, an air sampling unit could easily be missed by a driver when his eyes are set on the road. A visit to our facility could be made and a tour organised so that the interested party can witness the testing and also be provided with details of readings and results of analyses carried out at accredited laboratories abroad. Water sampling from existing boreholes are also taken periodically as obliged by the conditions imposed on WasteServ by the local authorities.

Ing. Vince Magri
CEO WasteServ Malta

In many instances, education is being treated in a superficial manner in the current electoral campaign. Instead of using electoral rhetoric such as that regarding the so-called ‘repeaters’, it would do more justice to discuss education in a serious manner.
Malta requires more investment in education, especially for the most vulnerable groups. It is a fact that great advances were made in Malta’s educational sector, and it is a fact that Malta possesses educational institutions of a very high level. Yet, at the same time, Malta occupies the bottom places in EU tables on areas such as youth participation in post-secondary education. Therefore, it is agreeable to have a stipends system that is based on financial payments and educational grants, so that no student would give up continuing studying due to financial reasons.
Above all, Malta requires a comprehensive and life-long educational system. The introduction of colleges is a positive step forward, yet the Maltese educational system is still based on the selective politics of streaming, which is resulting in large numbers of youth, especially from the working class, who are ending up without qualifications.
Our country also requires politics that encourage community involvement in socio-educational activities, thus increasing social capital. Besides, children should be subject to less stress and should be given more chance to enjoy their childhood.
Zminijietna - Voice of the Left also stresses the importance of education and training of workers. Such training should respect the experiences of workers and not impose alien and humiliating experiences on them.
In sum, we strongly believe that education should be based on social justice.

Michael Briguglio
Public Relations Officer
Zminijietna - Voice of the Left

Malta currently comes out worse in the Corruption Perceptions Index than Slovenia and Estonia, but better than Bulgaria and Romania. In 2007 Malta dropped to number 19 within the EU with a score of 5.8 out of 10 for transparency.
In the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 Malta scored 6.8, 6.6 and 6.4 respectively for transparency. That means the perception of corruption in Malta increased by 33% from 2004 to 2007, with an increase of 16% in 2007 alone. This is a very dangerous trend.
According to Transparency International “Malta still lacks both a comprehensive anti-corruption strategy and appropriate coordination for implementing and monitoring such a strategy in the public sector and specific areas of law.”
Corruption seems to be getting accepted in the mind of the Maltese electorate as a way of life. Little do they appreciate that corruption not only hurts their pocket to the tune of hundreds of euros per annum, but corruption ultimately undermines democracy, the environment, society and the economy.
You can give your children the best education money can buy, but corruption will prohibit them from getting the competitive advantage they deserve. Unless the electorate embraces the concept of meritocracy (“what you know”) versus corruption (“who you know”), in Malta we will keep talking about Malta being a centre of excellence but we will never get there.
Eliminating corruption starts with a zero tolerance policy, followed by the deterrent of a tough stance by the judiciary. Clearly the judiciary itself has to be beyond reproach, which in turn requires the process of judiciary appointments to be very thorough.
We have seen the case of blatantly corrupt officials at ADT being recommended for a presidential pardon. This does not bode well as a deterrent against corruption. Other recent cases, such as the awards of scholarships or building permits, are not so easy to prosecute, but nevertheless fail the “smell” test and deserve investigation.
The definition of corruption is not limited to money exchanging hands. The EU has provided us with an accurate and wider definition of corruption, which translates to “any act that gives an individual an unfair advantage over another”
I trust readers would agree that those people in positions of power who have allowed corruption to seep into administrative processes would now find it impossible to switch to a zero corruption tolerance mode. Hence the need for change.

Perit Martin Debono
Sliema

Anybody passing by the Addolorata cemetery in Paola will be able to notice the horrible triple towers overlooking the Gothic cemetery. The person at MEPA who gave the go-ahead for such a monstrosity needs to have his eyes tested.
These flats were actually advertised as having a view over the golf course!
Now, in Mellieha, at the bottom of the “Ghar u Kasa” hill, on the other side of the road of the Luna Complex, an application is up for the construction of a 3-star aparthotel... in the green area adjoining the nearby cemetery.
Is Malta now embarking on cemetery tourism by any chance? On the eve of the 2008 election Prime Minister Gonzi is now promising the reform of MEPA. Just 15 years late.  
To implement a real and efficient reform Alternattiva Demokratika must be there. Coalition works.
Arnold Cassola
Swieqi

The hysterical reaction of Dr Gonzi to the revelation – written in a document in black on white – that the “Cabinet has agreed in principle to this concept”, namely, that “fees imposed by regulations for the provision of healthcare or health support services for Maltese citizens will not be introduced for the moment due to their political underpinnings”, can never cancel those damning words contained in that cabinet document or report!
Who would believe that Dr Gonzi would have ever admitted that indeed, the PN cabinet has plans to introduce fees on healthcare services, when it is clearly written in that damning document, that such fees “will not be introduced for the moment due to their political underpinnings”?
Who would believe that a civil-servant, even one of a very high grade, would write that “the cabinet has agreed in principle” with fees to be imposed on healthcare services, unless he had been convinced or told this by that same cabinet?
Don’t we all remember that a PN cabinet of which Dr Gonzi formed part, had given a written pledge, that VAT was to remain at 15% but once the election was over and won, that same cabinet had increased the rate of VAT from 15% to 18%?
No wonder Dr Gonzi is running away from journalists who want to question Dr Gonzi about that same damning report!

Eddy Privitera
Mosta

Kindly allow me to reply to the letter titled, ‘PN’s aura of class shattered at university’ by correspondent Eddy Privitera (28 February, 2008) by pointing out not only that, during parliamentary sitting number 540 held on Monday, May 21, 2001 Evarist Bartolo MP, also, ironically enough, former Minister of Education, said that all Nationalists were ‘rubbish’. No Eddy Privitera protested then.
Correspondent should note that on Monday, 18 February, 2008 Alfred Sant only tried to talk to University of Malta students because the Malta Labour Party happened to be in Opposition and was in need of votes in order to obtain majority rule.
However, the proof of the pudding was in the eating and, when in power by minority rule from June 12, 1971 up to May 9, 1987 the Malta Labour Party never sought discussion with tertiary education students but only permitted organized thugs to regularly beat university students.
Maltese Socialist mob rule and violence were certainly no ‘aura of class’ then.
Edward Torpiano
Floriana