NEWS | Wednesday, 11 February 2009

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Mayor Castaldi Paris appointed instead

Karl Schembri
Stanley Zammit has stepped down as chairman of Il-Majjistral Nature and History Park’s management board, a year since his appointment, amid claims from board members that the park never got off the ground.
Zammit was reported in a government press statement yesterday to have resigned for personal reasons. When contacted, he confirmed he resigned for health reasons.
Minister for Resources and Rural Affairs George Pullicino appointed Lija Mayor Ian Castaldi Paris as his replacement.
Members on the Majjistral management board yesterday lamented the “extremely slow pace” of the park’s development, as cars are still being allowed to enter the heritage area that is ecologically rich with breathtaking coastal cliff views and which Lawrence Gonzi had personally earmarked for a golf course.
Martin Galea, president of one of the park’s managing NGOs Din l-Art Ħelwa, spoke of “lots of issues” still unsolved that were hindering progress at Il-Majjistral, which at 2.6 squared kilometres is five times the size of Valletta.
“The biggest problem is the access of vehicles, which are still going into the area despite its ecological sensitivity,” Galea said, adding that he board had not met since last March’s general election.
“It (the park) hasn’t really taken off,” Galea said. “There has been a lot of work behind the scenes, but progress is moving at a very slow pace. Once we have full access control, a lot more can be done.”
Hunters are another highly sensitive issue at the park stretching from Golden Bay to the limits of Mellieħa, while squatters are also impeding the restoration of parts of the park. Għajn Żnuber Tower, which is in dire need of restoration, is leased to private individuals.
Lauded for his brave stand against hunting and trapping and for the environment during his stint as junior environment minister, Zammit failed to get re-elected in 1996 when his party was said to have left him in the cold in its bid to appease the hunting lobby.
Awarded the Green Politician of the Year Award by Nature Trust, Zammit had also launched the highly successful Xummiemu campaign, which had captured a whole generation of children’s imagination through effective messages of sensitivity and love for the environment.
His replacement, Castaldi Paris, made a name for himself last August, when as PN Lija mayor he opposed another Nationalist mayor, Robert Musumeci, who was the architect of a four-storey development next to the historic Belvedere Tower.
Battling MEPA’s inconsistencies and even a magistrate, Consuelo Scerri Herrera, who had appeared on behalf of the owner to ensure that works commenced, Castaldi Paris mounted a successful campaign against the development that saw MEPA initially granting a permit for the building against its own policies, which allowed only two-storey developments in the area.
“That development will only take place over my dead body,” Castaldi Paris had said. Within days MEPA revoked the permit.
Another battle launched earlier this year by Castaldi Paris, who is also president of the PN’s College of Councillors, was against Melita and the Communications Authority after mobile phone antenna was installed against residents’ wishes. He filed a judicial protest against the two entities holding them responsible for any harm that may be caused to his constituents.

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