From Ukraine to Wardija Point

I know that the situation in Ukraine and the death of Nelson Mandela are far more important than the plight of a few feathered friends. But if I may be honest - spending two days in Gozo revealed to me the utter disregard and senseless barbarity of Gozitans who have continued to trap birds.

Trapping has been illegal since 2008 and yet nothing seems to stop the Gozitans.

I recall that in the run-up to the negotiations to Malta's accession to the European Union, the government allowed over 400 unlicensed (illegal) Gozitan trappers to secure a licence. 

This happened thanks to the connivance of the Home Affairs Ministry with the police at the time.

Everywhere you walk in Gozo, the resounding sound of tape recorders of songbirds and golden plovers wreck the tranquillity of the Gozitan countryside. These recordings are illegal, but Gozitan trappers think they are above the law and, like their Maltese counterparts, play the recordings day in, day out.

I walked to Wardija Point, the westernmost point of Gozo and the area which offers the most impressive view of Fungus rock and Dwejra.

At this point, a Roman temple once stood - today, it has been transformed into a trapping site by a vandal trapper. And just in case Lino Farrugia (the hunters' ventriloquist) thinks I'm exaggerating, he can have a look at this shot that I took on the site this week.

According to Farrugia, trappers suffer from depression as a result of the injustices imposed on them.

Now, worse than this silly statement, Farrugia knows of these illegalities, because he spends plenty of time with his good friend Joe Perici Calascione in Gozo. If both of these two gentlemen - top officials of the hunter's federation - remain unaware of these abuses, they are either blind, deaf, or both.

This is not the only case of Gozitan nonchalance. In Gozo, most people think they are above the law. This island is truly a unique gem, and Gozitans should come to terms with the fact that they are better off with a beautiful island than one which is destroyed.

It is understandable and perhaps to be expected that politicians - and here I mean Gozitan politicians - feel ashamed to talk about these problems, but I would have expected the Bishop of Gozo to climb down from his throne and start preaching about 'moral obligations' that go beyond the usual hang-ups with sex and sin.

Instead, many Gozitans, like the Maltese, continue to believe that the best way to make a quick buck is to build flats, and disfigure the countryside.

The hills are teeming with new buildings, most of which are empty and very ugly. Ugliness - of the landscape, at least - does not seem to be a preoccupation for most people. If it were, people would NOT have built cage-like flats on the Zebbuġ promontory or the slopes of every Gozitan village.

If we are to appreciate the love of Gozitans for their country and their island, one need only visit Marsalforn and Xlendi. If the Astrid Vellas of this world are worried about Mistra, they should know that the Mistrafication of Gozo has been underway for a very long time.

In the last 25 years, Marsalforn has been changed into a concrete jungle. There were no protests, just lonely complaints in the letters' sections of some newspapers. It went on, and this did not happen under the reign of Lucifer but - believe it or not - under the likes of Fenech Adami and Gonzi.

And somehow, the comfortable middle class could not see the threat of this concrete gangrene in Gozo. Somehow, no one could perceive development under environment ministers George Pullicino - and later Mario de Marco - as being 'negative'.

The stark truth is that most people have to understand that environmental destruction has no political boundaries, it is a commitment shared by both political parties, because political parties have no appreciation for the bigger picture and both parties are sensitive to the lobby of construction and real estate.

Taking a stroll in the Villa Rundle garden, in Victoria, there are memories of Eco-Gozo's initiatives under Giovanna Debono and now Anton Refalo. 

But creating gardens which look like portraits from a garden book does not amount to being ecological. It has more to do with seeing how to overspend taxpayers' money. And it is a pity that no one told Giovanna Debono this at the time.

If the politicians wanted to transform Gozo into an ecological gem they would have started by preserving what is still pristine and natural in Gozo. Instead of recreating some fake and cosmetic environmental setting, they would have spent their money in a much better way by simply promoting the immense natural heritage of the island in terms of its nature, its history and culture.

Instead, crazy money was spent on building grandiose ferry reception centres.

Having said this, Gozo is no longer in Giovanna Debono's hands. This time around, we have Anton Refalo to tackle. And he should remember that the media is never kind to Labourite ministers who f*** up.

I am damn sure that Gandhi's saying still holds: "Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed."

***

Kate Gonzi's book 'From the heart' is a project that raises awareness and funds for those suffering or experiencing mental health issues. If there is a sphere which really needs attention and charitable work, it is in this domain. It is a book edited by her former personal secretary Daniella Allen, assisted by two associates Stephania Dimech Sant and Josephine Vassallo Parnis (Lawrence Gonzi's former personal secretary).

The Gonzis have always been consistent and authentic about their concerns in this field. Supporting this initiative is one way of showing support for this cause.