Suggestions put forward for ‘three Carnivals a year’

Parliamentary secretary Jose Herrera is analysing proposals which may see Maltese Carnival taking place three times every year.

Suggestions put forward would see Carnival taking place between February and the summer months: the 'traditional' Carnival without the floats held during the week leading up to Lent; a second one with Carnival floats a couple of months later when the weather would have settled; and a third one in Summer.

Herrera, together with Tourism Minister Karmenu Vella, was taking part in a public consultation meeting organised by the Office of the Prime Minister. This evening's meeting attracted a substantial crowd hailing from the tourism and culture industries.

The majority of questions raised were related to culture, asking whether government would be offering support Carnival, amending the criminal law on censorship and facilitating entertainment projects put forward by small companies.

Herrera reassured carnival enthusiasts that he was committed to give Carnival, which he described as "popular culture", all the necessary support.

Carnival enthusiasts lamented over the lack of a proper space where they could work. For years, they had to put up with repeated promises of a Carnival village which so far has not materialised. It now appears that government has offered a park and ride area in Floriana.

"But while the enthusiasts accepted this proposal, problems arose from MEPA's side," Vella said.

He said government had also put forward proposals to develop such a village in Corradino or Marsa. But this wasn't welcomed by the enthusiasts due to the localities being located far way from Valletta.

Actors present at the meeting questioned whether government would be amending a criminal law on censorship. Even though a new law has been enacted, an actor could still face criminal procedures if he, during an act or play, were to swear.

"Who would the police prosecute against? Against me as an individual, against the character I was playing or the director?" one artist asked.

Herrera admitted that while the government "disagreed" with censorship, yet "some sort of regulation was needed". He said that government was working on a draft bill which would grant the culture minister the power to classify films. This, he added, would also include the classification of DVDs.

Government, he added, was also planning to enact a separate law which would designate specific places allowing the screening of films or plays "deemed unacceptable" for certain ages or which included pornography. This special law would override criminal law on such matters.

Speaking on government's decision to bring down the voting age in local councils to 16, Herrera said he was pleased with the discussion the campaign was generating.

"The discussion created is so vast that it has also fuelled discussion on whether the age of consent should be decreased to 17 from 18," he said.

Herrera revealed his intentions of proposing that the Order of the Knights of St John should be nominated as Maltese ambassadors for culture.

On his part, Minister Vella noted that while the majority of investment in tourism was made by Maltese investors, more investment was needed to diversify attrations. He

"Investment in tourism should go beyond building hotels and providing more beds. It's also about investing in facilities and attractions," Vella said.

Members of the public also lamented on the presence of foreigners who were at the helm of the Air Malta board, appointed to head the restructuring programme. They complained that Malta had capable individuals who should have been given this responsibility.

The minister however explained that the government couldn't just force these individuals, especially when the restructuring programme is to be completed in a year.

The golden handshake itself was also hefty, he added.

"More importantly, we don't want to risk the restructuring process of the airline which is now in its final years. These individuals led the process from its start and they should see its completion," he said.

Vella explained that if something were to fail now at Air Malta, the responsibility would have to be shouldered by the government and not by the individuals who led the process if these were to leave.

He also announced that between November 2013 and March 2014, government was projecting that Air Malta's seating accessibility would increase by 5%.