Labour MP says police hindering fireworks manufacturers

Pyrotechnics spokesperson Michael Falzon says police making unjustifiable demands on fireworks producers.

10 June 2011, 12:00am
by Matthew Vella

1 min read

Labour MP Michael Falzon, the spokesperson for Malta’s fireworks manufacturers, said the pyrotechnic community is being forced to face unnecessary bureaucracy and made to comply with “absurd demands” for the issuing of police permits for the letting-off of fireworks.

Falzon said varying degrees of permissiveness across the district police were evident. “This unjustified and illegal insistence on declarations and formulae not requested by the law is just bothering and discouraging this unique Maltese art. It’s causing suffering and unnecessary tension after months of fireworks preparations.”

He appealed to the authorities not to put up any obstacles to the festa season and to “show some common sense” on the issuance of permits.

The Malta Pyrotechnics Association also deplored the “negative attitude” for the fireworks inspectorate for delaying a meeting between both sides for six months. Falzon said the inspectorate did not show up for a meeting organised for fireworks licencees – the sole representatives of the fireworks factory who can purchase chemicals for the factory.

“We are asking what hidden agenda exists in creating such a detriment to this Maltese art?” Falzon asked.

Matthew Vella, a freelance journalist at MaltaToday, was formerly executive editor at Malt...

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Beware Malta! Please recognize that Malta is respected worldwide for it’s firework culture. Malta has some of the best fireworks and firework makers on the globe. Many people travel from all over the world to see your festivals and shows. Do not let the “do gooders” sitting behind a desk somewhere destroy your way of life. Fight for your liberty and your culture. Here in the US we were asleep and we let these people destroy our fireworks. First they will come for your fireworks, then your religion, then your freedom.

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And when Michael Falzon says "we" who is he referring to? I hope it is the other fireworks fanatics like him, and not the LP. I have been an LP supporter and member for nearly 50 years and he certainly does not speak in my name.

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Here we go again. Someone stick a rocket to this guy's back and i will provide the matches. Let's see how many people we manage to kill this time around. Last year was a good year for exploding humans! Here is hoping no innocents are hurt. Michael Falzon would probably describe taking a shit in a public place as art if we could form a committee and appoint him spokesperson!

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Why is the LP saddled by these throwbacks? Adrian Vassallo, Michael Falzon - they belong in an earlier age. If the authorities are trying to curb this obsession which claims so many lives every year, they are doing the right thing.