Charlot Zahra
Alternattiva Demokratika (AD) chairperson Arnold Cassola yesterday made public a letter sent by the party’s environment spokesman Carmel Cacopardo to EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas, asking the Commission to investigate the “general mismanagement” by MEPA of the Natura 2000 Sites in Malta, as well as their use as open-air discos.
The sites in question were ix-Xaghra tal-Kortin, Buskett and Girgenti, and the part of the Malta coastal cliffs in the Qammiegħ Area.
In his letter to Dimas, Cacopardo said that “of particular concern to Alternattiva Demokratika is the organisation of open-air discos in the following sites – at Mistra within ix-Xaghra tal-Kortin, Buskett and Girgenti, and at Paradise Bay.”
In fact, a party was organised by Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando on his land in Mistra last Saturday evening, in support of Nationalist MEP hopeful Alex Perici Calascione.
“The use of high-powered laser beams and/or high-tech sound equipment in the open air, together with the trampling by large numbers of people, is surely not conducive to proper management of these Natura 2000 sites which Malta is internationally obliged to manage on behalf of future generations,” Cacopardo said in his letter to Dimas.
“Alternattiva Demokratika believes that permitting these activities, especially without any appropriate assessment by the competent national authority – the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) – is a further infringement of the obligations of this Directive, considering that no management plans are presently being considered for such sites,” the AD spokesperson for Sustainable Development added.
Cassola made this revelation as he was addressing the final rally for AD activists which packed a hall in the Juliani Hotel in St. Julian’s yesterday night.
“When we see you here so numerous – there are around 60-70 people here – it gives us hope that we are indeed representing somebody; that there are people behind us, and we hope that on Saturday there will be more votes than the number of people present here,” the AD chairperson told the activists present.
Cassola rubbished the poll published in The Sunday Times, which had forecast a poor showing for AD in the 6 June elections.
“I hope there we obtain more than the 50 votes that the poll in the Sunday Times of Malta has forecast for us on Sunday with 0.25 per cent,” Cassola remarked.
“I think that this is really something that will not be occurring on Sunday. I think that we will faring much better that that, but we have to fight till the last minute – until the last minute of 10 pm on Saturday,” the AD leader told the activists present.
“Tomorrow there is a poll in MaltaToday, and I hope that like we did last time, when we increased our share a bit, we will continue increasing our share,” Cassola added.
Cassola explained how this time, AD “can really make it because we will be voting for six seats in the EP – five will be elected immediately, while the sixth one will wait till September or October. However the votes that will be cast on Saturday will count for the sixth seat.”
Under the Maltese electoral system, where a quota of 16.6 per cent is needed to elect an MEP, the last two MEPs will be elected without a quota.
“If AD obtains 7% at the first count, then it would have obtained a seat because whoever obtains the largest leftover will get elected,” Cassola told his activists.
Cassola explained that as the counts progressed, the share of the bigger parties would decrease, while the share of AD would increase.
“Sixteen per cent might seem too huge a percentage for AD to obtain in the first, the second, the third and the fourth seat, however the fifth seat is won with 10-11%, while the sixth seat will be won with 7-8%,” he insisted.
At the end of the rally, the banner “Yes We Can”, which was AD’s final electoral campaign slogan during the EP elections, was unfurled in the presence of MEP election candidate Yvonne Arqueros Ebejer, and AD candidates Michael Brigugilio and Mario Mallia, who will be contesting the local council elections in Sliema and Birkirkara alongside Victor Galea, who is contesting for the Gharb local council.
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