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POLITICAL SURVEY PR EDICTS M ALTA’S SIX MEPS
Tomorrow’s News
Today!
TOMORROW
MALTA’S BUS ICONS REBORN
More on p. 14
A MEGA PROBLEM FOR EMMA & BIONDO? MORE ON PAGE 3
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An abstract Maltese cross gives the new bus design facial qualities, while recalling the split windscreens that Images Courtesy of Stargate Studios Malta gave old buses their puppy-dog framed eyes.
Top Maltese designer reveals artistic vision for a new electric fleet
Christian Peregin Malta’s roads were once famously brightened up by colourful, personalised buses that are etched in the memories of tourists and locals alike. Now, a top Maltese designer is propos-
ing a way of bringing back the beauty and charm of the old buses, as reimagined through his designs for a new electric fleet. After seven years working on this passion project, Jonathan Mizzi, who runs the award-winning Mizzi Studio in London and Malta, will this week reveal his masterpieces, which include digital tberfil (decorative hand-painting), a stunning rear, and lots of design details that pay homage to the past. “I dream of seeing these beautiful electric buses brightening up our
roads once again, inspiring national pride, nostalgia and sparking an emotional connection wherever they go,” Mizzi told Lovin Tomorrow. Mizzi, 36, has received several international awards for his work in London, and was recently named FX International Breakthrough Talent 2017. As a child, he loved the old buses and would think of them as Pixar characters, with human-like features. Despite being such a vibrant symbol of Malta, this element of our heritage disappeared in 2011.Continued on P.11
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NETFLIX
EYEING MALTA’S SUPERCHEF MARVIN GAUCI You may soon be able to stream one of Malta’s premier chefs whipping up over-the-top dishes as major international broadcasters want Marvin Gauci to be part of a new blockbuster series. Companies like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime, are currently eyeing the famous Maltese chef to host a new show that would be focused on ‘extreme dining’ in exotic locations, sources have confirmed. Continued on P.4
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CELEBRITIES
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HE WILL ROCK YOU! FREDDIE PORTELLI BECOMES A MUSICAL Steffie Weenink Malta’s 75-year-old rock ’n roll legend Freddie Portelli, most famous for the classic Mur Ħallini, is getting his own musical this summer, in a show that will celebrate his greatest hits. And to promote the show, Freddie Portelli will also be gracing our airwaves with a brand new song, which, like the musical, is named after his famous catchphrase: Il-Kbir Għadu Ġej. Il-Kbir Għadu Ġej, the musical, is the brainchild of the team behind previous original shows Balzunetta Towers (2017) and Ħanina Maddalena (2018), with direction by Sean Buhagiar and Mro. Dominic Galea taking over the musical arrangements and live band. Buhagiar grew up in Portelli’s hometown of St Paul’s Bay, and followed the cult singer’s career closely. Eventually he worked with Portelli on a couple of concerts and the idea of a Freddie Portelli jukebox was some-
thing that began floating around his mind. After establishing such a great relationship with Mro. Galea, and working on original Maltese musicals together, he felt this was the perfect timing for Portelli’s very own musical. Mro. Galea has been friends with Portelli for a long time and was electrified at the thought. One phone call to Freddie, and that was all it took. He was sold from the word go. The deal was eventually sealed over whiskey and chocolate cake. The musical is written by local heavyweight Malcolm Galea, the man behind many a successful pantomime and the infamous Porn - The Musical. Together with Buhagiar and Mro. Galea, they’re working hard to bring us what they’re calling Malta’s own version of We Will Rock You or Mamma Mia. Portelli is arguably Malta’s highest-grossing singer and has had one of the longest careers in Malta’s history, belting out hit after hit and amassing
EMMA & BIONDO BREAKUP SPARKS RUMOURS OF A NEW INTEREST IN TAYLOR MEGA David Grech Urpani Maltese starlet Emma Muscat stole the hearts of Malta and Italy alike last year during the popular Italian talent show Amici, but it was her post-show romance with fellow contestant Biondo that had their combined 1.5 million followers going crazy.
Now, as Italian gossip sites go into overdrive following the pair’s mysterious break-up, a new blonde face has been thrust into the equation.
The 25-year-old, six-foot tall bombshell has become somewhat of an Instagram establishment in her home country, racking up over nearly 1.5 million fans. For context, that’s as many followers as Emma Muscat and Biondo have combined. But what do these three people have in common? Well, here’s where things get a little complicated…
March was off to a sour start for the island’s favourite teenage singer when rumours started spreading that Emma and Biondo had broken up a week or
an impressive discography throughthinking about the sequel! On the day, out his lifetime. he will be invited to the premiere and Mur Ħallini will obviously be one be made to wear a suit - we’re told it’s of the highlights of the going to be shiny and we can’t show, but the musical will wait. also feature many other known hits like Viva Malta, Xewqat Sbieħ, Se Jkolli Nemmen and Għal Dejjem. Il-Kbir will also feature lesser known jewels like Bħalek Hawn Kemm Trid, Ma Taħraqni B’Xejn. And it will obviously include the new release Il-Kbir Għadu Ġej which w ill promote the musical throughout the summer. So it’s not just his classics that we get to re-live, but Il-Kbir Għadu Ġej will be premiered he’s also back with on the 9th of August 2019 and run what we’re sure will for two weekends at the Mediterrabe another hit. nean Conference Centre in Valletta. Portelli is apparKeep an eye out on social media ently phoning the team for the release of Freddie Portelli’s twice a day, attending renew single and some exciting cast cordings, sending feedback, announcements! writing notes and wants to see this happen more than anyone. And he’s already
two after Valentine’s Day. “That evening, everything went smoothly,” Vicolo delle News reported on a joint performance by Emma and Biondo on February 24th. “Love was clearly present at the event. The following day, fans realised that the two were no longer following each other on Instagram, and Biondo even temporarily closed his profile.” By March, it was all but confirmed, with a few days of online silence from Emma’s side being followed by her switching her Instagram account to private and sharing a starkly different post; black and white lyrics from Bob Marley’s poignant Everything’s Gonna Be Alright. Barely two weeks after Emma’s poignant Instagram post, Italian gossip sites like Kontro Kultura were reporting about how, months into her latest relationship, Instagram model Taylor Mega split up from Italian rapper and Dark Polo Gang member Tony Effe for Biondo. The proof? Well, in proper millennial fashion, there’s a couple of Instagram follows to heat things up. The two began following each other on Instagram after meeting at an event in which Emma was also invited but could not attend. At one point Taylor Mega also fuelled the rumours by saying she liked Biondo. However, sources have since told
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Lovin Tomorrow that Emma and Biondo went to Disneyland together the week after he met Taylor Mega and have since started following each other on Instagram again. Their relationship could be on the mend, at least professionally.
EMMA’S 2019 IS STILL JAMPACKED, AND SHE’S NOT LETTING ANYTHING GET IN HER WAY. Following the release of her debut album Moments last summer, the Maltese singer released a Christmas album... and even hinted at a new album back in February (a mere 59 days since Moments Christmas Edition). “Love, freedom and youth are the main themes in my new album,” the young singer-songwriter had told her hundreds of thousands of followers. “What do you expect?”
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NEWS
FRANCO DEBONO FOR MEP? Tim Diacono Criminal lawyer Franco Debono has for months been hinting at a return to politics. But what exactly are his chances of getting elected if he were to run as an independent candidate in the upcoming MEP elections? We asked the question in our political survey (the results of which can be found on pages 14-15), and the result was more than a little interesting. Respondents were asked to rate the likelihood of them voting for
Debono on a scale from 1 (not likely at all) to 5 (very likely), if he were to be a candidate. A total of 25.5% of respondents gave a positive score of between three to five (likely), while 67.2% scored one or two (unlikely) and 7.3% said they didn’t know. The former Nationalist MP, who had brought down his own government in 2012 and has become increasingly critical of Labour, recently penned a blogpost thanking those who encouraged him to try his luck at one of Malta’s six seats in Strasbourg. “People who believed in my proposals over the years, proposals that
turned out to be beneficial for the country,” he said of his supporters. “People who wanted the politics of ideas, where the best minds can contribute, where the politicians are those who have something to give, not those who spend their time seeing how they can take. People who are sick and tired in a country where nothing changes apart from the faces, while everything stays the same. People who want to see a politics of reason, of debate and of valid arguments. I assure you, I am listening.” When contacted by Lovin Tomorrow, he declined to comment about the survey results. Survey respondents were also asked whether they would vote for former PN leader Simon Busuttil, if he were to be a candidate. The former MEP fared better than Debono, but not by much: 33.7% of respondents gave a positive score when asked whether they’d vote for Busuttil as MEP while 69.1% gave a negative score and 6.2% sat on the fence. And should Debono decide to run as an independent candidate, he could very well do better than the likes of Alternattiva Demokratika, Partit Demokratiku and Moviment Patrijotti Maltin. Indeed, only 18.1% of respondents reacted positively when asked whether they are likely to vote for a third party, with 78.3% reacting negatively.
“KONRAD MIZZI IS SCRAMBLING FOR HIS LIFE” LABOUR INSIDERS DISMISS MINISTER’S LEADERSHIP CHANCES Tim Diacono Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi’s plan to succeed Joseph Muscat as Prime Minister is being taken with a dose of scepticism in the upper echelons of the Labour Party, with high-ranking officials saying the leadership bid has an ulterior motive. “Konrad Mizzi knows he has no chance of becoming leader but is trying to build up support to save his own political skin under a new leader,” a high-ranking official told Lovin Tomorrow. “I believe he is trying to put himself in a good position from which he will be able to negotiate with the main leadership contenders and ultimately remain in politics.” The official warned Mizzi that Labour delegates, who will ultimately elect a new leader, know all too well
that the Tourism Minister as leader will give a shot in the arm to the ailing Nationalist Party. “The only way the PN will gain strength is if Konrad Mizzi wins the leadership election,” he said. “He has enormous baggage as a result of the Panama Papers and the PL delegates won’t give PN that opportunity.” A recent MaltaToday sur vey ranked Mizzi as the third most popular minister nationwide and the second most popular minister among PL voters, behind Transport Minister Ian Borg but ahead of Health Minister Chris Fearne, both of whom have also been tipped to run for the leadership post. However, another high-ranking official warned that, although delegates may view Mizzi as a competent minister, this does not mean they will see him as a good leader.
“He was made to resign as deputy leader after only a few weeks,” he said, referring to Muscat’s action against Mizzi after he was found to own a Panama company in 2016. “If you’re not good enough to be deputy leader, then you’re not good enough to be leader.” “I believe Mizzi’s scrambling right now. I think delegates will be looking for a leader who can bring about unity and victory and therefore won’t want someone with all that baggage in charge,” he said. “If his election gives rise to problems with certain MPs then there won’t be unity, and if floaters don’t vote for him, then it
“He is trying to build up support to save his own political skin under a new leader” will be useless for him to be leader.” Mizzi’s intention to run for leader was reported last month by The Sunday Times and MaltaToday, with Illum later reporting that he had sounded
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MARVIN GAUCI CONFIRMS
SIGNING NDA Johnathan Cilia Continued from cover... While details on the show remain scarce, it is believed the series will feature the boisterous Maltese chef exploring cuisine around the world, with a strong focus on rare ingredients. This newsroom reached out to chef Marvin to confirm whether the rumours are true, however he told Lovin Tomorrow he was unable to comment, saying he had signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement in this regard. Marvin Gauci is known as an entrepreneur and restaurateur unafraid to expand into new areas. He has opened restaurants abroad, and is on the cusp of launching a new international franchise that will feature 3D visuals alongside cuisine from around the world. However, this new foray into broadcasting will be an entirely new venture for the Maltese chef who is behind local favourites such as Buddhaman, Caviar & Bull and Tarragon, as well as the experiential restaurant Dinner In The Sky. Gauci’s particular style of cooking would be right at home alongside Netflix’s (or any broadcaster’s) repertoire of cooking shows, with his focus on presentation ensuring the dishes will deliver the visuals needed. A nd his strong personalit y is sure to garner the outlandish Maltese chef some international fans - his party trick of opening bottles of champagne using a Napoleonic-era sword is just what television needs right now.
out his ambitions in separate meetings with Fearne and MEP Miriam Dalli, both of whom have been tipped as potential successors to Muscat. When questioned, Mizzi merely insisted that he wants to convince Muscat to change his mind about stepping down before the next election. However, while this is indeed the party mantra at this stage, there is a growing realisation that this may not be possible and the Maltese Prime Minister has his eyes set on greater ambitions. Muscat has been tipped to succeed Donald Tusk as EU Council President or Federica Mogherini as EU foreign policy chief and, in a recent interview with Politico, he refused to rule out running for one of the top Brussels jobs.
NEWS
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SCANDAL AT MALTA ENTERPRISE AS WHISTLEBLOWER COMPLAINT GOES MISSING ited the minutes of the investment committee and altered incentive packages despite votes made by the board and the committee. This means that in essence, ME was able to change incentive packages regardless of how the board voted. The authority only became aware of the changes after an employee within the Project Evaluation team confirmed the actions. “We cannot present a set of cards and then switch the cards at a whim,” sources said. Members of the investment committee and the board were reportedly
shocked by Silvio’s actions requesting that such issues get remedied. Meanwhile, the ME has insisted that the authority did not receive any whistleblower complaints since 2016. However, the newsroom has seen emails detailing a whistleblower complaint in November of that year. The whistleblower complaint specifically outlines how Silvio, along with two other individuals from the project evaluation department, altered and placed further restrictions upon an investor beyond what was approved by board members and the investment committee. The complaint went directly to the CEO, the ME board, and Economy Minister Chris Cardona. Sources explained how the complaint had been suppressed by ME’s CEO Mario Galea, who was described as having a lack of direction and mishandling the agency’s resources and personnel. “I’m not sure if every place has
MEDICAL CANNABIS PATIENT GRASSES ON EXORBITANT COSTS
split up their medicine into 15-day or 30-day slots, instead of six months at a time, will need to pay the renewal fee each time. “The thing is, I am afraid for those really sick patients who cannot pay all that money for legal medication and they don’t know any other sources where to get their medication, not even in the black market,” he said. Speaking to Lovin Tomorrow, a Maltese doctor explained the reason behind the high costs to access medical cannabis locally. “I agree that the medicine is still very expensive, as well as the fees to obtain it - but it’s because of all the paperwork, the responsibility involved and follow-ups imposed on doctors by the Superintendent of Public Health. In that context, I think they are relatively reasonable,” the doctor said. Under Maltese law, doctors prescribing medical cannabis must take responsibility for their patient’s access, something which is not done for most other medicines and has led to some doctors staying away from prescribing medical cannabis. “It’s ridiculous that we have to fill in all these papers and made to take responsibility for the patients’ actions should they decide not to abide by the rules,” the doctor continued. The doctor clarified that discounts are given to patients who do not work or have severe chronic issues like Fibromyalgia.
Julian Bonnici
A Malta Enterprise whistleblower complaint about the underhanded editing of investment committee minutes by the current Chief Operating Officer is mysteriously unaccounted for. In October 2016, ME Board Secretary Jesmond Silvio, who was also ME’s internal auditor at the time, ed-
Johnathan Cilia A Maltese patient who applied to use medical cannabis has opened up about the exorbitant pricing that has led him to stop his prescribed treatment. “The reality is that if you’re not rich you cannot get your legal medication... that’s the horrible truth,” Nigel* told Lovin Tomorrow. He calculated patients were paying €5,390 for around 13 months of treatment, assuming they used 1 gram of cannabis a day.
After the initial €70 for an application and €20 for a prescription paper is paid, a patient’s initial 15-day treatment costs €240. Afterwards, the patient needs to renew their application, which costs €50, plus the €20 for the paper. Patients who want a second treatment will then be given a 30-day trial, which comes to €480, according to Nigel. This procedure is repeated at the end of each trial, with the third treatment going for six months at a cost of €2,280. And patients who choose to
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the same work culture, but I would not wish that environment on my worst enemies. Underhanded, backstabbing, unprofessional…the list goes on,” sources said. The irony, of course, is that in his role as Internal Auditor, Silvio was tasked with ensuring that the irregularities do not occur. Silvio has since been promoted to ME’s Chief Operating Officer while also retaining his role as ME’s internal auditor. Lovin Tomorrow’s FOI request for copies of board and committee meetings was refused, with ME explaining that it would be in breach of confidentiality. ME also said it was unaware of the claims.
All fees were “directly proportional” to the work involved and responsibility which doctors have to take, the doctor continued. “Unfortunately, all of this is just for one product which is legal, so it’s not even worth all the trouble. Only one product is legally available for patients after more than one year from legalisation, and this product is not suitable for most patients as it is extremely expensive - one needs a vaporiser which is also expensive and not everyone can vaporise, especially the elderly or patients who work,” they said.
“The reality is that if you’re not rich you cannot get your legal medication... that’s the horrible truth.” The doctor emphasised another failure: still not allowing CBD products in Malta. CBD is a non-psychoactive product that is believed to have a range of therapeutic benefits and is widely available in high street pharmacies like Boots in the UK. “No CBD product is yet legally available from pharmacies, making it very difficult to start patients on a safe product which will not give any major side effects,” the doctor ended. *Patient’s surname is being withheld due to confidentiality.
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T H I S N E W S PA P E R I S F U L LY R E C YC L A B L E
FEATURE / NEWS
NO STICKER ALBUM FOR JOSEPH MUSCAT AFTER ALL
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Tim Diacono It was meant to be the ultimate collector’s item for diehard supporters of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, something to remember him by when he leaves. But the infamous sticker album will not be published after all. Local sticker album producers Album & Co were originally supposed to publish the sticker album yesterday, with 300 stickers of the Prime Minister throughout his political career planned to coincide with Freedom Day. However, Lovin Tomorrow is reliably informed that they changed their minds shortly after the Labour Party publicly disassociated itself from it. “They had asked us for permission to use our official photos for this sticker album but we refused,” a PL source said. “When we later found out through Facebook that they were going ahead with their plans anyway, we issued a statement to disassociate ourselves from it, and they informed us shortly afterwards that they weren’t going to be publishing it after all.”
FIRST LOOK AT THE DANIEL HOLMES TELL-ALL BOOK In 2006, Welshman Daniel Holmes received a controversially-harsh punishment of 10 years imprisonment and a €23,000 fine after police found his cannabis grow room in Gozo. He was released in 2018 after serving eight years in prison, and is currently working on his debut book chronicling his experience inside Corradino Correctional Facility. Here is an excerpt from his book. Chapter 1 - The Dark One of the first things I remember about prison is coming back from court in a beaten-up van, bouncing along broken roads to flashing lights and wailing sirens, the judge’s voice delivering my sentence still resonating in my ears. Thrown around the caged interior, hurtling the short ten-minute journey from the courthouse, we finally arrived at an abrupt stop outside Corradino Correctional Facility.
When announcing the sticker album, Album & Co said it would be one of its most detailed publications yet and would act as a lovely memory of Muscat, who they described as “one of the most loved and successful leaders in Malta’s history”. However, many didn’t see it that way, warning that the hero-worshipping of the Prime Minister was straight out of Pyongyang. It also gave rise to jokes and memes a plenty, with popular satirical page Bis-Serjeta’ Biss jokingly quoting Kim Jon-Un as saying the idea was “a bit much”.
Then before you, slowly opening, the inner gate reveals what will be your home, in my case, for the next ten years or so. As the van pulls into your new world, voices blur and a stark ugliness hits you with a shock like that of jumping into freezing water. Led in a daze from the van to searchrooms, and on to registration offices where blinding photos are taken and repetitive questions are asked, you are swept along by the tide to so many different rooms, either losing bits of your old self or picking up bits of your new life along the way. Clutching your bed-pack of one pillow, one sheet, one pillowcase, one blanket, one towel, about the size of a doormat - and about as absorbent as one - one bar of soap, and one toilet roll, you’re marched along to your allocated division. All this happens while in a dream-state, as the brain struggles to take in all these new bleak surroundings, voices in a foreign language, and the smells.
As we approached the first vast, ominous green gate it slowly and mechanically opened to reveal an inner search enclosure and another heavy gate. The prison van pulled in slowly. Before the inner gate opens the outer gate must close, and while this huge gate is leisurely closing the first feelings of confinement can already be felt.
Oh boy, the smells.
There is a moment, when the outer gate slams shut, just before the inner one opens, when one is locked in a van, inside a small space, within a prison, on an island, and you can feel the whole world being locked away behind you, with a metallic clank and a sense of finality.
By the time you finally get to your division and cell, your head is spinning. You’re locked inside to arrange yourself, your new home, and to wait for the doctor to see you. As soon as the door locks, instantly the weight of the world drifts away and a sinking feeling hits your stomach, as you
The smell of a correctional facility/prison has its own unique pong. Yes, you can smell cigarette smoke, hundreds of unwashed bodies, dirty feet, and rubbish. But you can also smell depression and fear, loss and sorrow, and it is ripe to the nose and inescapable.
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realise you’ve lost control of your life. You gather yourself and look around at the filthy mattress, stained and ripped, a dirty sink with black rings, and the last inmate’s remains of soap. The cell hasn’t been cleaned for weeks; the last occupant knew he was leaving. Surfaces and floor are covered with dried coffee and sugar, empty water bottles, lighters, and all manner of rubbish, dirt and grime. With hesitation, you lift a cracked toilet seat to a stench of ammonia and defecation. Hands on your head, you wonder how life could ever have got this bad. You snap out of your trance when you hear the peep-hole opening in the door and eyes appear. “Where are you from?”, “Who are you?”, “What did you do?”, “Have you got any tobacco or drugs?”, “Do you know this guy or that guy?” Thoughts race through your head of all the things you’ve heard about prison. Fear and distress overwhelm you. Welcome to prison.
Stay tuned to learn more about the release date of the Daniel Holmes book.
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OPINION
JOSEPH MUSCAT VS ADRIAN DELIA With seven weeks to go until the 2019 MEP and Local Council Elections, Lovin Tomorrow asked the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader to state their case to our readers.
LET US STA ND TOGETHER Adrian Delia OPPOSITION LEADER
To paraphrase lyrics of a Les Miserables song, elections are the opportunity for a government to hear the people sing the song of angry men. And contrary to what government wants us to believe, there is plenty to be angry about in Malta today. This government has been riding high on a feel-good factor wave, sustained by the immediate positive economic impact of the deluge of foreigner workers taking up residence in Malta. The Socialist government opened the gates for imported labour to an extent last seen locally, according to the Governor of the Central Bank, in 1903 when the British rulers imported thousands of workers to undergo the construction of the Valletta breakwater. That project brought immediate prosperity to Malta only to be followed by the worst economic depression in Malta’s history. There is a lesson to be learnt there: shortcuts to economic prosperity never work, certainly not in the long-term. It is a lesson that this government is not interested in hearing as it continues to focus on short-term gains ignoring long-term pains. Consider this: we are the smallest country with the highest population
density in the European Union. Malta, the country with the lowest fertility rate in Europe has the fastest growing population in Europe. The country and the people are already feeling the strain of this sudden ballooning of people living in Malta. Our state schools are not coping with the added student population. Waiting lists for appointments in state hospitals are increasing: 40 weeks is the average waiting time for an out-patient visit. Property prices have shot up, with Maltese people priced out of the market. Traffic congestion on our roads is affecting negatively our air quality. Malta has the worst levels of air pollution in Europe, contributing to nearly 600 early deaths annually. The influx of foreign workers is also putting negative pressure on the wages of workers in Malta. Workers are being forced to accept lower wages or stagnant wages, or be replaced by foreigners. Malta was the only country in the EU which saw wages decrease in 2018. This inflation is edging more and more people towards poverty. Ironically, but not surprisingly, this is happening under a socialist government. The lack of economic and social planning by this Socialist government has become the most important political issue this country is facing, alongside the rampant corruption that is eroding our institutions. The sheer
negligence by this Socialist government, manifesting itself in the absence of an economic plan, will undoubtedly become one of the platforms upon which voters will ponder before casting their preference in the upcoming MEP and Local Council elections in May 25th. For it is the least affluent families that depend on state schools for the education of their children and state hospitals for their health. We live in a country that statistically has one of fastest growing economies in Europe but the only country where wages are contracting. Which can only mean one thing: economic growth is happening at the expense of the workers, not to benefit the nation. This Socialist government is number driven when it should be people driven. And this is the main difference between the socialist mentality and the People’s Party mentality. We are and always have been in favour of economic growth. We, the Nationalist Party, delivered economic growth when Malta was left in the pits by subsequent Socialist governments. But our point of departure was, is and will remain the people. Politics is a means of serving the people. And many people in Malta are feeling that they are not being served by this government. The effects of this soulless state are being felt by more and more people. It is being felt by those who saw their standard of living eroded in favour of economic growth. It is felt by those
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who saw their government trade the country’s reputation for a percentage increase in GDP growth. The May election is an opportunity to all these people to express their anger. The week after this election, Malta will not have a different government but it might have a government with a different attitude. It all depends on the message that the electorate will send out through its vote. You have an opportunity to change things for the better. Whether you vote or not, your vote will still count. If you don’t vote then you are voting for things to stay the way they are. Let us stand together in the fight for a just and fairer economy. Let us stand together for a country that values a person for his qualities and not his connections. Let us stand together for a country with functioning state institutions. Let us stand together for a country that fights corruption. Let us stand together against abortion. Let us stand together against this wanton disregard of our built environment. Let us stand together for the protection of our open countryside. Let us stand together to protect our standard of living of the most vulnerable members of society. Let us stand together for affordable housing. Let us stand together to protect the good name of Malta. You have an opportunity on 25 May to stand up, to be angry and do something about it.
OPINION
7 THINGS NOT TO TAKE FOR GRANTED IN MALTA IN 2019 Joseph Muscat PRIME MINISTER
In a country where journalism and freedom of expression are allegedly suppressed, here we are faced with yet another news publication. Our media landscape is thriving, such is this government a threat to democracy and journalism. Writing for a printed newspaper feels a bit retro nowadays. In fact, it’s felt that way for a while. Twenty years ago, I founded the first online newspaper, www.maltastar.com. I believed Internet will push traditional newspapers out of business. Yet despite dwindling readership figures, print is still alive. There are other things that we should never take for granted. Here are my top seven. 1. Malta is a country firmly grounded in the European Union, with European values Hindsight is a perfect science. The European Union was truly a positive achievement for Malta in most areas. This country had to struggle to align itself to most European laws, but in general we have adapted well. Malta is a committed European country, with European values. From mil-
lions of EU funds for improving our country, to the participation of this tiny island on a table which takes decisions which affect 500 million citizens, the EU is a good thing. 2. In Malta, all love is equal It was illegal for a gay or lesbian couple to get married until a few years ago, because love, we were told, is between a man and a woman. In the space of few years we went from granting all couples the possibility of civil unions, to full marriage rights, and topping the ILGA-Europe Rainbow LGBTIQ index for three consecutive years. 3. Malta is the most economically stable country in the world Our economy has outperformed giants and we are currently the country with the highest economic growth in Europe. The exceptional period of growth has helped the country fix its finances, raise the minimum wage for the first time in years, raise pensions year after year, ensure free quality healthcare and education for all, invest heavily in social housing and directly assist thousands who have been left behind for years. No wonder the World Economic Forum has deemed Malta to be the most
economically stable country in the world. 4. Maltese are among the happiest citizens in the world Beyond GDP metrics, the Maltese are the most optimistic citizens in the European Union. According to the Eurobarometer, 95% of Maltese people are happy with their quality of life. Malta also ranked 22nd happiest nation from over 150 countries surveyed last year by the World Happiness Report. Still, more work needs to be done to improve the quality of life for all Maltese citizens, including taking better care of our environment and air quality with more open spaces. 5. Exorbitant bills are a thing of the past Many remember the time when people were literally scared of opening their letterbox because of the exorbitant electricity bills. Nowadays it’s more common to find a cheque with a tax refund or even the money which the previous government had taken by charging extra registration tax on your new car. 6. Childcare is free Malta is the only country in the world to give free childcare for all working parents, allowing more people to move forward in their careers.
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This also inevitably led to a very positive surge in the number of women entering the labour market. 7. Free healthcare and medicine in stock, and a right to IVF For years the sustainability of free healthcare was questioned. But precisely because our finances are in check, Malta can afford to run its health service free of charge for everyone. We improved hospital services, decreased waiting lists and increased the stock of free medicine. Moreover, couples are being offered IVF services free of charge at our general hospital. BONUS thing not to take for granted: Voting on 25th of May Do not take for granted your right to vote in next May’s European Parliament elections. There is a choice to make, between a government that stands for progress, with a plan to continue modernising the country, and a regressive Opposition that wants to stall the progress achieved. And to the 16-year olds who are being given the right to vote for the the first time ever I say: That vote is your right, do not take it for granted. Go in with an open mind and choose the candidates who will best represent your interests at a European level.
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NEWS
Continued from cover... “I came up with this idea when I was stuck in traffic behind a non-descript Arriva bus and wondering where we went wrong. Why did we get rid of such an important part of our history and heritage? Why rid tourists of that powerful memory? Why deprive our drivers of leaving their unique marks on their buses and lose the traditional art of tberfil? It made me sad, but it triggered an idea. In London, the red double-deckers were getting a modern revamp and I thought, why not give the same treatment to my own country’s buses? Why not bring the yellow icons back onto a new electric-powered fleet that can take us into the future?” Mizzi and his team crafted an intricate design backed by technical expertise and a vision to move the is-
land towards switching to an electric fleet to meet EU and national emissions targets and ultimately improve air quality. Mizzi, who was recently entrusted with designing the Royal Parks kiosks, including one overlooked by Buckingham Palace, believes his designs are timely and affordable because Malta will at some point have to
IN THE DESIGNER’S WORDS: “What made the classic buses so special is the fact that they were driver-owned. They each had an identity as unique as their owner since they were lovingly hand-painted and customised by local artists and by the owners themselves, with cultural and religious references of the time and charming phrases like ‘forever young’. Our main challenge was to define the strongest characteristics from a bus fleet that was so bespoke. We looked carefully at the genetic makeup of the fleet and found there were several common features – just like siblings share within a family. Almost all the buses had a hooded visor set upon a split windscreen which gave them these ‘puppy-dog’like framed eyes. We implemented the visor in our design but gave it a sleeker, more contemporary feel.
Jonathan Mizzi
Another common feature was the rounded, hooded headlamps which gave the illusion of eyelids and eyelashes. They were almost like characters that had stepped out of a Pixar cartoon. We have recreated this anthropomorphic feature in the form of integrated chrome hooded headlamps. All the buses had a big smiling chrome grill, adorned with many angel wing references symbolising flight and victory, that also stemmed from our deeply religious Catholic roots. We married these two features with functionality by adopting an elongated angel-wing form in the chrome grill at the front and a dual
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Images Courtesy of Stargate Studios Malta
start thinking of changing the current fleet of buses. Mizzi began unveiling his artistic vision this week with a video teaser but also hopes to debut a short CGI-animated film produced by Stargate Studios Malta and a large-scale model to help spark a national discussion. “I want the Maltese public to remember the aesthetic beauty of the old buses and join me on this visual journey of how the buses can be brought back in an exciting and innovative way. I hope it will enable us as a nation to move forward whilst
set of chrome ‘wings’ at the rear as mechanical ventilation. The back of the new bus is almost a reflection of its old front. We created a face at the rear in the form of an abstract Maltese cross that frames a new pair of eyes creating a beautiful ‘derrière’ that vehicle drivers behind will directly lock eyes with. Another key detail is the pinstriping, termed ‘tberfil’ in Maltese. To me, it’s the eyeliner and mascara that accentuate the buses’ features. We created a screen where we can showcase digital ‘tberfil’. This gives the bus drivers the freedom to make their bus their own again. Through LED technology, they can make it the ‘Saviour’ bus, the ‘Elvis Presley’ bus or the ‘Ave Maria’ bus again. We also wanted to go back to the system they had in the 50s, where the colours denoted the route. Back then, this was implemented because
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staying true to ourselves and making us proud to be Maltese.” His project has already earned the support of Heritage Malta, Arts Council Malta and Mizzi Organisation. He now hopes to get the endorsement of the government and Malta Public Transport to consider his aesthetic vision.
Colicci Cafe located at London’s Westfield Shopping Centre was designed by Mizzi Studio.
of illiteracy, but people developed an emotional connection with the colours and their route home. The yellow buses dominated my generation, but for other generations the different colours breed nostalgia. Ultimately it is about creating a family fleet that people will love. The new Malta bus transposes the beautiful design and vibrant character of the classic bus onto a modern-day chassis that is fully electric and emission-free. It will also include low disabled access, a middle door for hop on hop off and air-conditioning systems. I hope it will serve as an example of how Malta as a nation can move forward while always staying true to ourselves. There is simply no price you can put on our heritage.”
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FEATURE
WILL THE MYSTERY BEHIND A YOUNG MAN’S TRAGIC DEATH EVER BE SOLVED? QUESTIONS OVER THE BOY’S MISSING ORGANS REMAINED UNANSWERED
Julian Bonnici
AG INSISTS MURDER ALLEGATIONS HAVE NO REASONABLE BASIS
It’s been close to two years since Mike Mansholt mysteriously died near Dingi Cliffs in 2017. The young man’s missing organs and inconsistent explanations surrounding his death has seen his father slowly give up on ever finding the justice Mike deserves. Lovin Tomorrow took a closer look at the case to re-examine and hopefully find answers to the peculiar death. In an age where true crime documentaries captivate the globe, the story of Mike Mansholt in Malta still remains fresh in our minds, and it’s easy to see why. The death of a young man who was travelling the world has left more questions than answers and struck a chord with parents and youths alike. Mike, aged 17 at the time, was on holiday for the first time without his parents. He was last seen alive on 18 July when he left his hotel on a rented bicycle. Mike’s lifeless body was found at the bottom of Dingli Cliffs on 26 July, four days after his parents reported him missing when he failed to return home. His belongings were never found. His grey backpack, mobile phone, wallet, bank card, power bank, and GoPro camera all remain missing till today. Many of his organs also disap-
In fact, both the Maltese and German autopsies found no evidence on his body or his bicycle that would suggest a fall. A second autopsy performed back in Germany only created more questions than answers. Officials found that most of Mike’s organs were missing, while his body had not even been embalmed, meaning that the autopsy itself was very limited. The autopsy was able to exclude blunt force trauma as the cause of death, but could not exclude suffocation or internal bleeding. In fact, the hyoid bone, which helps in determining whether a person died of strangulation, was missing. The parents were told by Forensic scientist Prof. Mario Scerri that Mike’s brain had liquefied and wild animals had eaten his organs before he had arrived at the Mater Dei morgue. However, when re-examined, forensic experts in Germany could not find any animal bites on the body and did not consider a complete liquefaction of the brain possible. Bernd Mansholt informed Scerri of this contradiction by e-mail, and the Maltese forensic expert responded that the German physicians were wrong on all counts and that Mike’s body had indeed been embalmed by a formaldehyde solution. A German prosecutor has since said that it may have been possible
A TALE OF TWO
AUTOPSIES peared. Mike’s death remains a mystery. An inquiry initially found that he had died from a 29-metre fall, with one doctor at the scene reportedly saying that his “back had been broken twice”. Bernd Mansholt, the young man’s father, would later tell German newspaper, Die Welt, that a staff member had even told him that there were no fractures on his body.
not extend beyond the day the body was found. In his quest to find out what exactly happened to his son, Bernd Mansholt was left asking questions which did not have an answer. Speaking to Die Welt, he explained that there still remained no definitive proof that the place where Mike was discovered was also the place where he had died. He has tried to address a number of inconsistencies from Maltese authorities, namely that investigators had informed him that they had found the Go-Pro but instead returned an old Canon camera. Bernd Mansholt’s theory is that the Maltese forensic doctors are trying to cover up how they had rushed up the autopsy on Mike, taken out his organs and either threw them away or gave them to the University for research.
that Mike’s fall may have been broken by trees, however, his organs would have definitely been in place when the
A FATHER GIVING UP ON FINDING ANSWERS body was discovered. The case took another strange turn early last year when the public prosecution department of Oldenburg - the Mansholts’ hometown - received the investigation file into Mike’s death from the Maltese authorities. Bernd Mansholt was expecting the file to include a detailed autopsy report, a police investigation report and photos of the body. However, the file turned out to contain just a single page which summarised that Mike’s cause of death was unknown and that his organs had been eaten by animals before the corpse was found. It contained no photographs and the police report did
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The Attorney General’s office has been quick to quash any concerns Mike’s father has raised since his son’s death. In a statement following an article in Die Welt, the AG’s office said that “whilst expressing the utmost sympathy for the father who lost his young son, it has to be noted that all judicial and other public authorities in Malta have provided both the father and the German authorities full access to the findings of the magisterial inquiry which followed the death.” “When questions were raised, the inquiry was referred back to the inquiring magistrate and court experts were asked specific questions and provided their reasoned explanations. The allegations that this was a case of murder have found no reasonable basis.” “The Maltese authorities are of course open to any further cooperation, proposals or inquiries in the case, but one must appreciate that conspiracy theories and speculation alone are of little or no assistance in the criminal law field,” the statement continued.
FEATURE
AGE OF THE MALTESE
HIGH-RISE Julian Bonnici
Have you ever wondered what Malta’s skyline will look like if all the high-rises being planned were actually built? Here’s a sneak peek. Welcome to the age of the Maltese high-rise. In the past five years, seven highrise developments have already been approved, most of which were filed under a government policy that earmarked Gzira, Marsa, Paceville, Tigné, Qawra and Mriehel as areas which can have buildings higher than 10-storeys. Another 15 applications are in the pipeline. The policy has not stopped highrise developments from being proposed in other areas, notably a 13-storey project in Qormi, an 11-storey tower in Zebbug, and another at the Jerma Hotel in Marsaskala. In Sliema, there are two key highrise projects on the horizon: the Townsquare Project, which has been rescaled from 38 to 26 storeys, while GAP, the entity behind the Fort Cambridge project, is proposing a 40-storey tower at the historical officers’ mess right next door.
The dust has barely settled on a 21-storey tower in Gzira, but another three applications are pending just down the road. The largest of these is a 22-storey tower right next to an already approved 33-storey building on the Mira Motors site. A 13-storey
ruary. The Paceville masterplan that was meant to usher in an era of holistic planning in the area, may have been shelved. But that hasn’t stopped the high-rise buzz. With the development of Mercury House and DB Group’s City Centre Project already approved, a number of proposed projects have begun to gather steam. The Corinthia development is still on the cards while Mercury House has applied for a second 22-storey tower, and a 25-storey building near the Swieqi tunnels has also been proposed. Another controversial project in the area is the development of the former Palms wedding hall in Birkirkara Hill into three high-rise blocks reaching a maximum height of 15 floors and a central plaza. The age of the Maltese high-rise is truly here. And this may still be just the beginning.
1. Seaview Hotel, Qawra (10) 2. 14 East, Gzira (21) 3. Pendergardens, St Julian’s (22) 4. Portomaso, St Julian’s (23) 5. Fortina, Sliema (23) 6. City Centre, St Julian’s (37) 7. Townsquare, Sliema (27) 8. Fort Cambridge, Sliema (40) 9. Mercury House, St Julian’s (40) 10. The Quad Business Towers, Mriehel (15, 17, 19 and 14) 11. Metropolis, Gzira (33) 12. Mistra Bay project, Xemxija (12)
GADGETS IS COMING TO LIFE THIS MAY IN MALTA The island’s favourite tech TV show is bringing a robot dog to its massive gadgets expo
Calling all of Malta’s gadget-geeks: the island’s favourite tech TV show ‘Gadgets’ is hosting a massive expo at this year’s Malta Robotics Olympiad. And don’t worry technophobes; you haven’t been forgotten! Bringing Gadgets to the MRO for the first time ever, the event is perfect for anyone looking to get out there, learn and familiarise themselves with the world we live in. With everything from a robot-dog to electric mopeds and cars, the event is a fun, free and family-friendly experience bringing the public closer to the latest gadgets while also creating a number of hands-on workshops for all ages. And Gadgets stars Ian Busuttil Naudi and
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Development | No. Storeys
TECH IT OUT! Julian Bonnici
and 12-storey building have also been proposed near the Paul and Rocco petrol station and Gasan Mamo insurance building respectively. Meanwhile, three high-rise developments are currently being proposed in Marsa. The first is a massive 37-storey tower proposed by Angelo Xuereb on a plot of land along 13 December Avenue, while an application for an 18-floor office tower in Church Wharf has also been submitted. A third application, a 16-floor block of offices on Triq it-Tigrija, was submitted last Feb-
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Rachel Cachia will also be in attendance. Describing the event as a “natural progression” for the popular TV show and online platform Busuttil Naudi, a self-taught expert, told Lovin Tomorrow the Expo has been on their minds for years. “The Expo means we get to meet our audience, speak to them and listen to their opinions about technology and Gadgets. To me, personally, the Gadgets Expo means satisfaction…It’s really a celebration of technology. The programme started more than 10 years ago with just three people, and today we’re creating an expo,” he said. Meanwhile Cachia, who admits she’s no tech-queen but is constantly intrigued by the way technology changes her life, said the expo will be the first time people can experience the technol-
ogy shown every week in the show. “You can compare one gadget with another, one technology with another, and actually experience the benefits of having this technology in your home and at work,” she said. Over 16,000 visitors are expected to attend, and with the appearance of AIBO, the cutest pup to ever have a circuit board at the Gadgets Expo, it’s clear to see why! An iconic symbol of early 2000s pop-culture, the robot dog has finally re-joined the SONY roster after a long-awaited 11-year absence in November 2017, with its first consumer model being released in 1999. And with food always on a Maltese person’s mind, who wouldn’t want to see what a touchscreen fridge looks like? There will even be the coolest Instagram photo box for anyone who loves a little bit of social media. And for those who either love awesome engineering or are just curious as to what a robot apocalypse could look like, there will be another edition of the robot SUMO challenge, the main attraction of the Malta Robotics Olimpiad! For the fourth consecutive year, the SUMO challenge will be the main attraction of the MRO, and will see contestants use their incredible knowledge of constructing and programming Lego Mindstorm robots to create autonomous sumo-bots that must try to push or flip each other out of a circular ring. To be crowned the winner, teams have to take into consideration the
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13. AX Tower, Marsa - (37) 14. PX Lettings ‘Bronze’ Tower (25) 15. A3 Towers, Paola (17) 16. Church Wharf, Marsa (18) 17. Toyota Showroom, Zebbug (11) 18. Fino Showroom, Mriehel (18) 19. The Palms, St Julian’s (15) 20. Wembley Tower, Gzira (18) 21. GasanMamo Offices, Gzira (12) The proposal for the high-rise at former Jerma Hotel site is not featured on this map.
robot’s structure, weight and gear ratios, while also ensuring effective programming to out-muscle or trick their opponent. The competition is open for all students in years 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 attending State, Church and Independent Schools. For the first time ever, a Digital Careers Expo will be set up at the MRO, with Malta’s largest and strongest recruitment agencies for careers in IT, Design, Technology, iGaming, Blockchain, and AI being made readily available to offer career advice and potentially initial interviews. The event is open for the public on Friday10th May from 4pm till 10.30pm, Saturday 11th May, from 9am till 10pm, and on Sunday 12th May from 9am till 6pm. Visit www.mromalta.com for more information. The MRO is organised by the Ministry for Education.
SPONSORED BY
Gadgets Expo 2019 The aim of Gadgets is to educate and inform the local public in an entertaining manner on all tech that is available on the market locally and internationally. The Expo is an opportunity for people to experience technology and innovation hands on.
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SURVEY
AS LABOUR WIDENS GAP...
THESE ARE THE SIX MOST LIKELY MALTESE MEPS Tim Diacono With seven weeks to go until the European Parliament elections, all the signs are pointing towards an absolute historic blow-out for the Labour Party. And, as things stand, Malta will most likely get the following MEPs: Miriam Dalli, Alfred Sant, Josianne Cutajar and Cyrus Engerer (PL) and Roberta Metsola and Frank Psaila (PN). A survey commissioned by Lovin Tomorrow shows that public support for PL currently stands at 43.8%, while support for PN currently stands at a mere 23.8%, with the remainder either stating that they don’t yet know who to vote for or that they intend to boycott the election. This means that if the election were to be held tomorrow, Labour would triumph by an eye-watering 74,000 votes, more than double the margin with which it beat PN in the 2017 general election.
Worryingly for the Nationalist Party, the gap between the two parties is only increasing, and at 20 points represents a five point increase since MaltaToday’s survey a month ago. Everything at this stage indicates that Labour will wrest at least one of the PN’s three European Parliament seats away from it, giving it a 4-2 majority in Strasbourg. Whether it will manage to also snatch its fifth seat will depend on the mentality of Nationalist voters a few months after the party risked slipping into civil war after the wife of its leader Adrian Delia accused him of domestic violence. If PN voters loyal to Delia boycott candidates they view as disloyal to the leader and if PN voters sceptical of Delia refuse to vote for the loyalists, the lack of intra-party vote transfers will benefit the PL and could see Labour winning a fifth seat. Since the European Parliament elections depend so much on the
SURVEY RESULTS I do not intend to vote in the upcoming election 7.8%
Partit Nazzjonalista 23.8%
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Partit Laburista 43.8%
I don’t know 22.9%
SURVEY
transfer of votes, it is difficult for a survey to predict exactly who will be elected, but voters’ first choices of candidates provide some interesting indications. Labour MEP Miriam Dalli is set to be the most popular candidate, with 17.2% of respondents choosing her, while fellow MEP Alfred Sant will almost definitely take Labour’s second seat, with 10.9% of respondents plumping for the former Prime Minister. As for the Nationalist Party, MEP Roberta Metsola is a dead cert for re-election, with her 12.4% score making her the second most popular candidate nationwide. The remaining three seats remain very much up in the air and the battle for them could very well go down to the wire. The PL is expected to elect two out of Nadur councillor Josianne Cutajar, EU special envoy Cyrus Engerer and former PL youth wing president Alex Agius Saliba, with mere percentage points separating the trio at this stage. Cutajar, the party’s youngest candidate, is currently in the lead with 1.4%, but she has dropped three percentage points since MaltaToday’s last survey. Engerer is now second with 1% after climbing by nine percentage points, and Agius Saliba is hot on his trail with 0.9%. Everything will therefore depend on how capable these candidates are of attracting the second preference votes of Dalli and Sant, but Agius Sali-
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ba’s post-marriage decision to give his wife’s surname (Agius) more prominence than his own (Saliba) could very well give him an advantage. This is thanks to the infamous ‘donkey vote’, whereby people vote for candidates based on the alphabetical order in which they appear on the ballot sheet. From the PN’s side, NET TV journalist Frank Psaila, renowned internally for being by Delia’s side since the start of his leadership campaign, is the party’s second most popular candidate, standing at 4.9% of the vote. However, MEP David Casa, who has made a name for himself due to his fiery rhetoric against the government, has climbed by a substantial two points since the last survey, and at 3.1% is now the PN’s third most popular candidate. Political veteran and incumbent MEP Francis Zammit Dimech has remained stagnant at 1.3%, while sociologist Michael Briguglio (1%), Gozitan MP David Stellini (1%) and NET journalist Dione Borg (0.9%) have featured for the first time. Everything also indicates that this election will be yet another dismal showing for Malta’s third parties and independents, with only Alternattiva Demokratika leader Carmel Cacopardo and his predecessor Arnold Cassola, now an independent candidate, featuring in the survey, both at a mere 0.1%. For more about our MEP election survey visit www.lovinmalta.com
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ANALYSIS
WHAT MANOEL ISLAND’S DEVELOPMENT WILL REALLY MEAN FOR THE FUTURE OF THE GŻIRA FRONT Tim Diacono When you watch the paradisiacal promotional video for MIDI’s Manoel Island project, you can imagine what it will be like to walk around in naturally shaded pedestrian streets without a single car in sight, enjoying a cappuccino in a public square or an ice-cold Piña Colada while gazing at the splendid views of Valletta.
And while this could become reality in the not-too-distant future, there is a more grim aspect to the project on the other side of the bridge that no official photomontages have shown so far. A huge chunk of the Gżira promenade, 11% to be precise, is going to be lost to a new roundabout and vehicular bridge to allow the island’s new residents into an underground car park. The bridge currently linking Gżira to Manoel Island will remain in place for sentimental reasons but will be detached from the island itself, and will only serve as view point for people to stare upwards at a public square and several luxury residences. The vehicular bridge’s landing point will be close to Topsy Kiosk and will connect to a new two-lane roundabout, meaning a casual walk along the front will now either involve rushing through the busy roundabout or taking a detour. A second bridge, for pedestrians,
will be built on the other side of Manoel Island, connecting to the Gżira Gardens yacht marina. Yet despite the impact of this project, there are no photomontages on MIDI’s or the Planning Authority’s websites which show all this in full view. All the visuals of the vehicular bridge either look out onto the sea or are taken from angles that conveniently dodge the roundabout entirely. MIDI said that the photomontages were carried out by an independent expert according to specific requirements, which only requested the visual impact of the buildings themselves. The actual designs of the roundabout, the bridges and the surrounding areas will be published once MIDI starts applying for development permits. MIDI is arguing that its project will ultimately benefit the general public, as the 614 m² of promenade that will be eaten up will be more than compensated by a stepped plaza of 6,550 m² and another plaza of 2,000 m² that will be built on Manoel Island. This is over and above the public park of 80,000 m² that will be kept around Fort Manoel and the promenade on the east side of the island. “We want people to keep visiting Manoel Island, and by no means do we want it to turn into a gated community,” MIDI said. “There will be an uninterrupted link from the promenade to the vehicular bridge and the footbridge and off to Ta’ Xbiex.” “We want this development to be linked to the rest of the community and to be accessible to the public,” the company told Lovin Tomorrow.
BUS RAPID TRANSIT: COULD THIS BE THE FUTURE OF
PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN MALTA? Luca Amato Public transport is something we all experience at some point in our lives. It is an essential part of urban culture, and if you’ve lived or spent time in cities abroad, you know just how important it is for the proper functioning of day-today city life. In Malta, we have a slightly different relationship with public transport. We don’t look at it as the default transport option, preferring to use our cars instead, causing more traffic and making bus trips take longer. With little or no priority for buses on the road, bus passengers get stuck in traffic, just like car users. The problem is that, unless there are more bus priority measures to improve the efficiency of public transport, people will stick to their cars. Recent years have shown some improvements in public transport usage. There have been year-on-year increases in commuters for the past five years, and nowadays approximately 6,500 people per hour use public transport across Malta and Gozo. But we are still far off our targets for public transport use; targets that are directly tied to reducing CO2 emissions and helping to tackle climate change. By 2025, the proportion of society that uses public transport needs to double. So how do we get more people to want to use public transport? And is it even possible with the current infrastructure? As it stands, journeys today are taking longer than they used to. The number of people on the island is constantly increasing. Our buses are already pretty full, especially on key routes. And with so many roadworks going on, diversions are causing more delays. We need a solution that factors in local realities. Malta is a small island with limited space, so any solution must bear this in mind. It must focus on improving mobility and moving people, rather than vehicles, around. Mass rapid transit, through a metro for example, is one possible solution on everyone’s lips right now. But that solution need not be one which requires a very heavy investment of time (decades) and money (billions). What if we could implement a mass
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rapidtransitsolutionwithoutallthecapital investment, infrastructure, complexities, and rigidity that most rapid transit solutions offer? And what if it could be implemented within three years? Enter the Bus Rapid Transit system, a mass rapid transit solution that builds on the foundations of existing bus infrastructure to provide a quicker, more reliable service. In a nutshell, BRT relies on actual bus lanes (not ones you and I can sneakily use to overtake) that are fully segregated from normal traffic. Think trams, but with buses. Dedicated infrastructure, automated rights of way, limited stops and technology that guides the buses through their lanes. This allows them to provide an uninterrupted service, aided by platform level boarding to allow easy boarding, and off-board fare collection to make sure no time is wasted while people board the bus. The service uses high quality buses with the latest EURO 6 engine technology, which means CO2 emissions will be at their lowest. And in some cases electric buses are used, which is even more sustainable. The system is not only safer on drivers and passengers thanks to the dedicated lanes and platforms; it is also safer on the environment. Plus, BRT is substantially cheaper to implement and run than other rapid
transit systems, which means it offers the same standard of service at a cheaper cost to the commuter. It is also less intrusive, and requires less infrastructure and land area; something crucial for a small country like Malta where space is limited. But perhaps the most tangible benefit is the improvement in journey times. Studies show that implementing a BRT system in Malta could reduce journey times by as much as half. BRT also offers more flexibility than other systems, making it ideal for a country where roadworks or the festa invariably mean your journey will be diverted 17 times.
EDITORIAL
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Christian Peregin Isn’t it delightful to be able to hold this in your hands and read it from cover to cover without being constantly distracted by an attention-seeking newsfeed that’s refreshing every second? This is the beauty of a newspaper. Not only is it tactile. It is complete. A carefully-crafted product for your enjoyment. Something you can enjoy over coffee, or on your lunch break, or at the end of your day. Something you can keep for later and collect as a memento. A printed record of the time we are living. And what a time it is! This is the last teenage year of our new millennium. And perhaps that’s why there is a feeling of pubescent familiarity in our shared sense of rebellion and insecurity. On the one hand we feel invincible: wealthier than ever before, bolder, more globally connected. On the other hand we feel vulnerable: climate change, poor air quality, identity politics fuelling hatred… That strange paradox is also hitting the news industry hard. News organisations have more readers than ever before. They can go viral and reach millions. Yet they are also struggling to survive. And Malta is no exception. Times of Malta’s online editor Herman Grech recently warned readers that one or more of their favourite Maltese media outlets will cease to exist in the next five years. Digital revenues are not making up for the decline in print advertising, he
wrote. MaltaToday editor Saviour Balzan sees an even starker reality and says “direct government intervention” is required to address the imminent “annihilation” of proper news organisations in Malta. Malta Independent’s Rachel Attard believes the solution lies in people paying for news: “The mentality of not paying for online content has to stop. Behind that article, there are hours of research, hard work and man power, and so the mentality of getting everything for free has to stop.” We disagree. The dilemma facing news organisations is very real and should not be ignored. But in our view, it must be approached with less cynicism, more hopefulness and smarter thinking. Change is constant and there’s no point wishing it away. In fact, it should serve as inspiration, especially for entrepreneurs. And the best news organisations must channel their sense of enterprise if they are to thrive in this brave new world. Sure, Google and Facebook may be dominating the online advertising space today. But who says David cannot beat Goliath? And even if not, surely there is a space in this massive industry for producers of content and purveyors of quality news. Lovin Malta launched three years ago without any funding and has grown organically and profitably over the years. Our secret? A combination of audacity and hope. Two things that have worked pretty well in the past. Audacity to try something that seemed impossible. And hope, that the stars would align in our favour.
Today, we channel that same audacity and hope in this new venture: a new forward-looking weekly newspaper intended to leave a fresh mark on the island’s vibrant media landscape. Unlike other newspapers, we will not expect people to pay for our content. We will not even expect them to travel to a stationary. If the mountain will not come to Muhammad, then Muhammed must go to the mountain. We will be freely available in hotspots around Malta, ready for pickup at your convenience. We will be printing 20,000 copies, making this the most widely circulated newspaper in Malta. And our income will depend 100% on advertising, which means it’s up to us to prove our readers are engaged. To achieve that, we will not be a newspaper of record. This is not about what happened yesterday, or today even. You can get that online. Instead, we will be sparking the conversations you will be having tomorrow. We will be making full use of this amazing medium. From news to sports, culture to opinion, we have curated major exclusives that will keep you engaged throughout the week. Check out our trivia pages and have a look through the ads which we worked on directly to create value on both sides. This is not just a newspaper. This is a collector’s item. Something to hold onto. A gift that keeps on giving. If you like what we’re doing, take a photo of this newspaper and share it online. Tag the writers. Tag the advertisers. Tag @LovinMalta. And spread the good news as much as possible. Newsprint is back. And it’s looking better than ever.
CHANGE
EDITORIAL:
BUT THEY MUST
NEWSPAPERS ARE NOT DEAD,
BE A PART OF MALTA’S FASTEST-GROWING MEDIA ORGANISATION
hello@lovinmalta.com
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OPINION
IT’S NOT THE WAKING, IT’S THE RISING
Desiree’ Attard Desiree’ Attard is the Labour Party’s deputy mayor in Marsaskala. Those are the opening lyrics of Hozier’s protest song, Nina Cried Power. The song honours iconic freedom fighters who stood up to injustice, while calling for a new generation of activists. At its core, Nina cried Power is an homage to the spirit of protest, and the results which can only be brought about through it. In a refreshing wave of activism, people are rising all around the world. Sweden’s Greta Thunberg is inspiring teens to protest against the inaction on climate change. Hungarians are denouncing Orban’s xenophobic rule. France’s gilets jaunes are fighting the neoliberal policies of a capitalist government. Irish women fought back against their draconian laws on sexual
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reproductive rights, and won. Across the pond, American students are rallying against their abysmal gun laws. The Black Lives Matter movement actively campaigns against institutional racism and violence. For the first time in 30 years, LA teachers striked against billionaire interests and appalling conditions in the education sector, and won. Maltese streets, on the other hand, remain metaphorically silent and virtually protest-free. Is it because we are living in a Mediterranean utopia? Hardly. Our towns and villages are buckling beneath the weight of unbridled development. Our coast – ours, not any government’s – is sold off to the highest bidder for private profit. Workers are dying on construction sites, because who would want to waste precious Euro on buying appropriate working equipment, or on the adequate enforcement of health and safety laws?
“Any act can be revolutionary, except for the act of doing nothing”
The high-rises have arrived, but any comprehensive masterplan for them, or policies on traffic management, must have been forgotten in Dubai or Singapore. Instead, our country lanes are being covered in black asphalt,
ready for the newest petrol station, and the inevitable overspill of cars once the newly widened roads are at full capacity – again. While the rich become even richer, the minimum wage grows by cents. My generation cannot afford to buy property unless they share the burden of a loan with a partner. Renting is hardly an alternative. Our mental and physical health is suffering, and then politicians have the gall to act surprised when they realise we can’t afford to have children of our own. None of us are blind. Nothing I’ve written comes as news to any reader we know all of this already. This isn’t about one government or another, it’s about our collective reality. We are awake. But we are not rising. The only exception which cannot go unmentioned here are the invaluable Moviment Graffitti, who have consistently, over the past two decades, advocated for a free and fair society. They have been ridiculed and rough handled by the authorities, but time after time, they have risen to defend us all, even when most turned their backs on them. They have shown us the worth of raising our voices in protest. The growing support for Moviment Graffitti is heartening – the public support they received during the Manoel Island saga alone reveals a growing appreciation of the need to fight back abuse in all forms. But in general, we remain a woefully docile people.
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There is a general sense of resignation that’s heartbreaking, and let’s not get into our blind faith in the dual-party system – we’d need an entire paper dedicated to that alone. The few attempts at civil society action we’ve seen lately have been diluted to petty diatribes between politicians and right-wing advisors turned bloggers, or hijacked by those eager for a lucrative posting in Brussels. This isn’t a call to get out in the streets – that’s important too, but activism isn’t just that. Activism is crowdfunding appeals against obscene development permits. Activism is proposing policy or legislation, and pushing until the politician listens. Activism is cleaning up a beach. Activism is speaking up when your own Local Council doesn’t represent you anymore. Any act can be revolutionary, except for the act of doing nothing. Tribalism may be alive, but we need to kick it to the curb. What divides us is what keeps us where we are. Sure, we’re different, but our focus should be on the fight between us and those from whom we demand change, not between ourselves. We don’t need new micro-organisations or movements, we need to be each other’s allies. I want cycling advocates at Pride, I want women’s rights activists advocating for a living wage, I want LGBT activists denouncing the sale of public land for private greed. It is only through unity that we achieve strength.
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OPINION
I AGREE WITH JOSEPH MUSCAT
Richard Cachia Caruana Richard Cachia Caruana served as Chief of Staff to various Nationalist administrations and was Malta’s permanent EU representative until 2012. I do. I really do agree with Joseph Muscat about term limits for prime ministers. Possibly for some of the same reasons too. In the 100 years that this constitutional and political post has existed, but especially recently, the powers of the incumbent have increased dramatically not w it hstanding t hat a prime minister’s functions have remained the same on paper. What has happened to cause this? Most holders of the office have understood and respected both the written and unwritten constraints on the exercise of prime ministerial powers. Also, most holders of the other offices of state have done the same with their own posts. However, the Xarabanking of Maltese society has meant the unwritten constraints are not worth the paper they could have been written on. A former Labour leader is said to have described these unwritten constraints as ċuċati (it was probably something ruder). If something is not specifically illegal, it has become acceptable. Because of this, the same ‘powers on paper’ now mean something completely different. And reversing the damage when governments eventually change is very difficult. Once an individual is sworn in as prime minister, all national appointments become, in one way or another, his or hers to make. President s, m i n isters, judges, magistrates, key offices of state, as well as the heads of the army, police, constitutional commissions, st at utor y b od ies, e ducat iona l establishments and government companies all owe their appointments to the prime minister. In only a few cases – judges, magistrates and attorneys general – does this not also include the power to remove appointees from office. Of course, many of these appointments have
long been for prime ministers to make but most previous holders of the office felt bound by the ċuċati, as did those recommending appointments. As to the holders of the other offices of state, bit by bit their voices have become muted, either because their posts have been neutered by law or because it is easier or more rewarding to go with the flow. While we have seen an acceleration of this process in recent years, it started quite a while ago. The president’s indirect influence has declined since 1974, when it was decided that the appointment and removal of a president was to be by a simple resolution of the House of Representatives and future holders were to be limited to a single term of five years. A president is still protected from judicial review in the exercise of his or her constitutional powers but that is more likely to help someone who wishes to abuse these powers rather than defend them. What’s a possible solution here? Four new measures would go a long way to reintroduce some checks and balances: increase the presidential term to seven years, re-introduce the right to grant or withhold assent to new laws, elect the president by a twothirds parliamentary vote or, where that is not achieved, by direct election, and make the chairs of constitutional commissions subject to agreement between the prime minister and leader of the opposition or, where that cannot be achieved, to appointment by the new-style president.
“The Xarabanking of Maltese society has meant the unwritten constraints are not worth the paper they could have been written on. A former Labour leader is said to have described these unwritten constraints as ċuċati (it was probably something ruder)”
Parliament has seen its powers vis-à-vis the executive decline since 1947 when the Senate, which reviewed legislation, was abolished. Later, changes began to be made to reduce the incentive or the ability of MPs to hold the government to account. While the Westminster model expects a government to have a majority in parliament, it also foresees an ‘accountability’ role for MPs on the backbench. However, not w ithstanding our relatively
large parliament, there had always been a relatively small number of government backbenchers, and most of these were hoping for ministerial office. Today, it appears all PL MPs receive additional payments from state sources. Until 1976, MPs involved in contracts with the government, even contracts of service, lost their seats, as did MPs who accepted a government job. There are ways of getting our parliament to function better. MPs need to be able to be full-timers if they so choose and they have a right to be paid well. However, all the previous constitutional disqualifications need to be re-introduced. It is interesting to note that Luxembourg avoids small government backbenches by requiring all ministers to give up t hei r pa rl ia ment a r y seat s to substitutes while they hold ministerial office although ministers remain answerable to parliament and participate in debates. Successful cabinet government requires that ministers reflect society at large in terms of aspirations and policy positions if not in economic and social terms. This was certainly not the case when divorce and other family matters came to the fore after 2008 and this was a major weakness that contributed to the major PN electoral losses of 2013 and 2017. One obvious change that is now necessary is the introduction of obligatory gender quotas in party lists for parliamentary and local council elections as well as cabinet and for the Gonzi requirement of a minimum female share of government board memberships to be re-introduced. A second change that will make an important difference to the exercise of power within political parties will be that of term limits for holders of ministerial office, not including time spent as prime minister, of 10 years. A third change that is overdue is the extension of state financing to ensure professional organisational and campaign structures for political parties and governments in waiting, for example on the German model, together with further restrictions on any private financing of political parties that could impinge or appear to impinge on parties’ independence. Judge Giovanni Bonello recently published a book on our courts and the protection of citizens rights. Entitled Misunderstanding the Constitution: How the Maltese Judiciary Undermines Human Rights, this is a publication we all need to read. Judges and magistrates have difficult jobs and doing this job properly requires them and their families to make sacrifices. It is not a normal career, more like a vocation, and I never understood why it took so long to ensure decent pensions for individuals who were being approached for appointment to the bench at the height of their careers. Possibly ministers are too well cushioned by their generous pensions
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to understand what life is like for the rest of the middle class. The standard of living of former judges should never have had to depend on government hand-outs. As for a new appointment method, review by a judicial appointments commission is certainly crucial but the process should be strengthened by a two-thirds vote in parliament on each appointee to avoid the risk of political patronage being replaced by another form of patronage.
“Politics is a funny business. One is on top of the world one day and in the wilderness the next so it is everybody’s interest to fix what is now clearly a broken system” The most successful appointments of recent years from an institutional point of view have been those to the post of parliamentary ombudsman (since 1995) and to that of auditor general (since 1997). These parliamentary of f icer s, now joi ne d b y t he commissioner for standards in public life, are appointed by a two-thirds vote in the House of Representatives. They should certainly be joined by the holder of the post or posts responsible for litigating on behalf of the government in terms of criminal prosecutions and civil representation. However, the role of chief legal adviser to the government which has become politicised should probably be subsumed into the ministry of justice and be held by the minister personally. This would not ensure independent legal advice for the government but it would allow political responsibility for the advice to be borne by politicians. Which brings us back to my starting point of agreeing with Dr Muscat’s proposal that term limits should be introduced for prime ministers. A term limit of 10 years, not including time spent as a minister, would allow a prime minister and his or her government to have a medium term focus without disrupting the normal parliamentary cycle. Politics is a funny business. One is on top of the world one day and in the wilderness the next so it is everybody’s interest to fix what is now clearly a broken system. Abraham Lincoln said “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power”. Those who feel invincible should recall that in the past 98 years the Maltese electorate has only given a political party three consecutive electoral majorities once – in 2008 – while no prime minister has won three consecutive electoral majorities (although Dominic Mintoff infamously turned a PN electoral majority into a PL parliamentary majority in 1981).
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ENTERTAINMENT
Dear Chucky, My fiancée is spending crazy amounts of money on shopping and eating across Sliema and St. Julian’s to show off... and we simply can’t afford it. The wedding is just round the corner but she cannot understand why I’m asking her to slow down. Please help me convince her! Thomas, 27.
DRAGONY AUNT WITH CHUCKY
Dear Thomas, It would appear that your fiancée is down with a terrible case of vertigo, because she really doesn’t understand balance. Unfortunately for your situation, if it’s her money, you can’t ask her to stop spending it. What you can do is cut your spending on the wedding for every outing she splurges on – if she’s that obsessed with keeping up with the Joneses, she’s not going to be thrilled by the lack of (actual) bows and frills on her big day. And if we’re really out here looking for harsh truths from your Dragony Aunt: get a prenup.
Dear Chucky, My boyfriend (32, and the father of my second child) seems more obsessed with spending time at his każin than spending time with me. How can I make him spend more time with his family? Melissa, 29. Dear Melissa, Unless you plan to replace the kitchen sink with beer taps, you’re unlikely to “make him” do anything he doesn’t want to. The best solution would probably be to give him a reminder of the difference between home and a każin by changing the locks on the doors while he’s out (after you asked him to stay), and putting a sign saying ‘closed’ when he comes home late. Those plastic tables look like a nightmare to sleep on, but perhaps his political patron will keep him warm through the night?
Dear Chucky, My boyfriend hates that I wear so much make-up and says it makes me look uglier, not better. I enjoy the time I spend getting ready but I don’t want my boyfriend to think I look ugly how can I deal with this? Marielle, 21 Dear Marielle, Firstly, if he doesn’t already, make your
CELEBRITY CROSSWORD Can you guess the local celebrities and influencers from the clues below? ACROSS 2. Malta’s Queen of Pop 3. It’s all about that #balance 6. Aw Joyce! 7. What a drag! 10.Baby Elle’s Daddy
11. Hungry? 12. Singing Sister Act 13. Malta’s youngest heartthrob 14. He’s the man 1
DOWN 1. I heard he’s a rebellion 4. The face of Crosscraft 5. She’s bluer than the ocean 8. The king of YouTube 9. O sole mio...
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boyfriend shave off his beard. Men use it as a natural contour while telling women it’s deceptive to put temporary colours on their faces. If he refuses, throw your damp beauty sponge at his face (feel free to leave a squirt of foundation on it for good measure). If you’re worried about seeming ugly in the eyes of another person, remember you’ll never look worse than when your confidence is rock bottom. So before you spend your weekends practising your smokey eye and winged liner, try downloading Tinder and finding a person who’s into you for every aspect of yourself instead.
Bar an apology, which given the fact that you’re 19 not 9 I assume you’ve covered, there’s not much you can do beyond praying (preferably to Cher or Mariah Carey) that your friend sees past what an absolute knob you are. Gay, straight and everything in between, you’re not MATSEC, so stop trying to test your friends.
Dear Chucky, I’ve suspected my gay friend was into me for a while (I’m straight) so last week I told him I was also gay just to see how he’d react. After a long conversation he tried to kiss me and now it got very weird between us and I miss how things were when we were just friends. Any advice on how to put things back to the way they were? Andrew, 19
Dear Joanne, If you wash your hands after touching him you should be in the clear; even if there wasn’t a pregnancy risk, it’s common courtesy to wash away the evidence post-handjob. But one part of your question is very true: you are far too young for children, so safety first at all times! To be clear: the fact that you’re about to become a legal adult and still call your vagina “down there” is proof that sex-ed on the island has failed us. I’m not even going to touch on “duda” because there isn’t enough ink in the world to cover that mess.
Dear Andrew, You really do put the A in Asshole. Your friend had probably been working hard on repressing any feelings he may have had towards you to prevent this exact situation from happening. Crushes on friends happen, and when you know there’s no chance of it working out, you keep pushing through.
Dear Chucky, My sister told me if I touch a boy’s duda while we kiss I can get pregnant after I wipe ‘down there’. My boyfriend is 19 and I’m 17, we’re too young for children. Is this true? Joanne, 17.
Would you like some advice from Chucky the Dragony Aunt? Send your dilemmas to chucky@lovinmalta.com
OBITUATREES
Malta has seen a surge of development in the last couple of years, and while we get more shiny towers and wide roads to look at and drive through, we’re also getting significantly fewer trees. In the midst of Malta’s tree-chopping hysteria, many green lives have been claimed, and we must remember them in their oxygen-releasing glory. Here’s a look back at some of Malta’s most missed trees. Rest in peace, you branched brothers and sisters.
Steffie Weenink Upper Barakka, Valletta: A Holm Oak that had been planted outside the Upper Barakka since before World War II. It had apparently died of old age and was uprooted in May 2018, comforted by no rites whatsoever.
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Triq Għajn Qatet, Victoria, Gozo: More than 15 Mulberry trees were uprooted in front of the Gozo hospital, in the area where Barts Medical School is being constructed. May they rest in peace. Villa Forte Garden, Lija: A majestic Carob tree was cut down to a stump for apparently no reason at all. The Carob tree spent its life beautifying the garden at Villa Forte, an iconic terracotta abode. She leaves to mourn her loss all neighbouring trees in the area. T H I S N E W S PA P E R I S F U L LY R E C YC L A B L E
Triq il-Wied, Balzan: Two trees were uprooted in Balzan in June 2018. They gave up their lives in favour of cars that now get to enjoy slightly wider roads and less bumpy pavements. These martyrs to automotive convenience will be remembered. Paola Square, Paola: Several large Ficus trees were uprooted during the renovation of the village square. Several smaller trees were planted in their place, but we are yet to see them grow. Do you know of any more trees being cut down? Of course you do. Let us know by emailing obituatrees@.com
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OPINION
KARL STEN NIENIBAR R A SOLVES (ALMOST) EVERYTHING
Hello there. I’m Karl Stennienibarra. I’m the founder, managing editor and God-Emperor of Bis-Serjetà, Malta’s only serious news website. Last week, I was asked by Lovin Malta, one of the country’s top satirical websites, to write a humorous column for their new newspaper. Since I’m not very good at writing funny articles, I asked if I could write something serious instead. To which Lovin Malta replied, “Sure, whatever, we’ll publish anything.” I then asked them what kind of thing they wanted me to write. To which they replied, “We dunno, maybe solve all Malta’s problems?” I tried to explain that solving all Malta’s problems in 750 words was probably too big an ask. To which they replied, “Maaa, like, just pick three and leave us alone so we can get back to our sushi milkshakes.” So I did, and I think it’s fair to say I’ve absolutely nailed every issue. Let’s start with a light and breezy one…
Abortion Many people in Malta are terrified by the prospect of legalising abortion. They see it as the ultimate victory of
evil liberalism over the forces of conservative good. These people often argue women who don’t want their child should just give it up for adoption. Sounds simple, except for the fact that pregnancy and childbirth aren’t exactly a walk in the park. I’ve come up with a brilliant compromise that ensures everyone is happy. Women who want an abortion will be allowed to have one. Let me finish, pro-lifers! To make up for the resulting baby deficit, a woman who is against abortion will be inseminated (artificially or via genitalia expert John Bundy). Once born, that child will be given up for adoption. Seeing as they believe other women should be forced to go through with pregnancies they don’t want, these women surely won’t mind having their own bodies used as baby-making machines, pumping out precious life after life like a peasant in 1954. Or we could just let all women have freedom over their own bodies. But that’s far too simple a solution for Malta. Anyway, onto a more serious issue...
WE’RE IN AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH EARTH AND WE NEED TO CHANGE IT
Alexandra Alden Alex Alden is a singer-songwriter and X Factor Malta judge. Avoiding confrontation is a recipe for disaster in any romantic relationship. But that’s exactly the kind of relationship we’ve developed with Earth, and if we keep sweepingthe issues under the rug, then one day things are going to blow up. Earth keeps letting out a few tantrums here and there, begging for attention, in the form of random heat waves, bushfires and monstrous waves casually flooding Park Towers Supermarket, in case we might one day take notice. Still, we defuse the problems with old tactics. Put out the fire, wait for the storm to pass and revert to the usual dynamic. We bury the hurt and open
shop the next day, because what else can you do? Yet we are still not addressing what is keeping this dynamic going and how to solve it. In the words of the 16-yearold Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, we are either going to stop emitting greenhouse gases or not. Believing that this issue is not black and white is a dangerous lie. We cannot continue living in this grey area. We need to have a mature approach and take full responsibility - to weigh the pros and cons of this relationship and see where we need to pick up the slack, find new solutions and alternatives to the problems we are encountering. We may not reverse the effects of the negative impact we’ve already caused, but we can at least stop setting new negative changes in motion. Right now, we’re kind of swept up in this superficial romance with our western world which is based on comfort and quantity, but the time that we spend in touch with it has a distinct lack of quality. We’re out of touch with ourselves and nature - on this path, nothing can really flourish. We ride the
Eurovision As everyone knows, you can’t be taken seriously as a nation until you’ve won Eurovision. No one even knew Azerbaijan existed until they won the competition in 2011, and look at them now - making lesser states like Malta their vassal. Now, I actually think Michela’s song ‘Chameleon’ is pretty decent mainly because it doesn’t sound 20 years out of date. I also like how it combines elements of RnB, reggaeton and Balkan pop to make it appealing to all Europeans, no matter which terrible music genre is their favourite. But if we want to stop being perennial losers, we need to figure out how to overcome the bane of Malta in Eurovision: neighbour voting. To do this, we must resort to the dark arts. Not assassination or anything like that, but starting a massive gossip campaign. Over the next few weeks, we send a crack team of Maltese gossipers (anyone Maltese) disguised as tourists to cities all over Europe. There, they’ll sow discord between traditionally friendly nations. “Hey Bulgaria, Romania told us you’re all ugly.” “Hey Romania, Bulgaria told us your food is rubbish.” Then the gossip-saboteurs hand out some bajtra liquor, and that’s douze points from everyone guaranteed. Eat your heart out, Machiavelli.
waves of a booming technological, industrial world but forget that the natural and emotional aspects are suffering more than we know. If we keep sweeping the issues under the rug, then one day Earth is definitely going to do everything it can to kick us all out, because we’ve been a seriously negligent partner. It can be so much better if we just put in the effort. For instance, we could make some swift lifestyle changes ourselves, first and foremost. We are intelligent human beings with the ability to think critically of our actions and thoughts. We know that the meat industry, for instance, has a huge impact on greenhouse emissions. So, why not reduce our meat intake, or find more sustainable, local options? Consider yourself a flexitarian, a vegetarian, a pescatarian or a vegan - whatever it is you are comfortable with. Just don’t waste the meat there is, but also don’t create more demand for it. As hip as a disposable cup looks with its perfect sippy plastic lid, it’s much better to bring your own flask along instead. In some places, you’ll even get a discount on your coffee for doing so. If you own a cafe, why not introduce this idea into your store? Voila, you’ll be helping out in a small but significant way. Saving the planet is way hipper. Now’s the time to indulge your hippie tendencies. Changing your diet so that pre-packaged foods are less
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The Gozo Tunnel As someone with Gozitan roots (Stennienibarra is a Gozitan surname - the proper pronunciation is ‘Stinnejnejburra’), I don’t like the idea of having a tunnel from Gozo to Malta. I’d much prefer a tunnel from Gozo to America, but experts have told me the cost would be prohibitive. If you ask me, it’s that kind of unambitious attitude that holds this country back. So I thought, “OK, what else is really good at crossing the Gozo Channel?” The answer was obvious: Michelle Muscat. The only problem is that she was not designed to carry hundreds of people and their cars. So what we do is this: we get a DNA sample from Michelle. Then, we hire a mad scientist to use that sample to create a genetically engineered clone of Michelle that’s twice the size of a Gozo ferry - a Mega Michelle, if you will. Mega Michelle will then swim back and forth across the channel with cars strapped to her back or in her stomach, like a whale. It’ll be a world first. And when she leaves port she can bellow: “I’m in transit, my dears!” The only problem is if she gets bored and goes on a rampage. Then we have issues. Follow Karl Stennienibarra on www. bis-serjeta.com
in demand will also reduce waste in general. Head to the market and buy some fresh fruits and veggies - say no to plastic bags and bring along your own backpack or tote bag. When I’m walking through a supermarket and I pass by the fruit and veg section, I let out a little groan and sigh “Really...really? Do these cucumbers really need to be individually wrapped in plastic?” The amount of unnecessary packaging on items is quite shocking, especially when natural products tend to have a skin, peel or wax-coating already. These are just some ideas which I honestly try to implement into my life on a daily basis because I know that my actions have consequences not just to the environment but also to you and me, since we are all very much a part of it too. We also need more efficient, sustainable transport systems and we need to make choices which make sense in the long-term, otherwise what is the point of all this? We need to embrace our creativity and embody the ideal vision we have for our world. We have made incredible technological and medicinal advances. We can use our brilliant minds to solve this crisis too, but we need to think smartly, act quickly and be ready to admit to our mistakes. Earth knows it deserves better and if we take a good look at ourselves, we might realise that we deserve better too. We shouldn’t be settling for this crappy relationship.
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CAPTAIN PLAN-IT AND 4 OTHER SUPERHEROES MALTA NEEDS RIGHT NOW Luca Amato Malta has over the past years made leaps and bounds in terms of fashion, food and pop culture. We have one of the largest Zara stores in Europe, Domino’s is now a staple eatery, and later this year we will be getting our very own Starbucks establishment. But to properly complete our transition into pop culture hub, there’s one more thing we need to have; our very own list of superheroes. Because if not all heroes wear capes, then not all superheroes need to live in New York City. From property-boom protectors to gastronomic guardians, here’s our list of superheroes we definitely need in Malta. 1. Captain Plan-It Also known as the paladin of property, Captain Plan-It is an architect by day and a badass by night. Captain P’s mission statement is simple: to make sure Malta’s building boom is duly kept in check with an equal supply of green spaces. The Captain is the one we’ll all be thanking decades into the future for making sure our urban spaces are pleasant and green. Oh, and she’s a woman, which means she also contributes to our superhero gender balance. I
bet you assumed the Captain was a he, didn’t you? 2. Żibel Man The OG sort-it-out guy, Ż-Man prospers where we fall short. He is the one who sorts out your garbage when you forget to buy organic bags. He is the one who sweeps up those cigarette butts you dump on the floor. But like all superheroes, Żibel Man has his own version of kryptonite, and yes you guessed it; it’s plastic. 3. Grigirl If you’re an X-Men fan you might have heard about Storm, the flying hero with the power to control the weather. What not many people know is that she was inspired by a local superstar, Grigirl. Born on a terrible, apocalyptic grigalata that literally had fish flying and cows running, Grigirl is there to tame the winds once a storm is about to batter our poor islands. And if that weren’t enough, she’s also the one making sure climate change doesn’t drown our tiny island. So yes, her main villain is Donald Trump. 4. Kju Kju is a no-frills hero. Rumour has it she
HOW WOULD YOU EXPLAIN HUMANITY TO ALIENS? Malta’s National Dance Company Goes On Tour With Their Own Take On NASA’s Voyager Steffie Weenink What’s the first thing you’d tell an alien about humanity if you had the opportunity to meet one? Where do you even begin? Would they even understand you? In 1977, NASA launched t he now-legendar y Voyager spaceships. On each of the ships was a Golden Record containing sounds and images selected to portray Earth and its diversity of life and culture. Everything from photos of famous athletes and the sound of a heartbeat to classical jazz and greetings in over 50 languages feature in the Golden Records. The point was to give intelligent aliens or future humans who may find them a snapshot of our planet… kind of like an intergalactic time capsule. But this was all compiled over 40 years ago, and it’s fair to say that
some aspects of human life have changed since then. So what would a golden record compiled in the 21st century include? Well, Malta’s national dance company has set out to explore exactly that. Paolo Mangiola, artistic director at ŻfinMalta, was heavily inspired by Carl Sagan’s work on the Golden Records and his 1994 book ‘The Pale Blue Dot’, and wanted to look into portraying our past, our present and our hopes for the future of the human race through a contemporary performance; combining dance, sound and visual arts into a snapshot of the human race. All of this inspired ŻfinMalta’s Voyager, a joint collaboration between Maltese-born visual artist Austin Camilleri, composer Veronique Vella and beloved Gozitan fashion designer Luke Azzopardi. Voyager premiered in Malta last November and will now return in the dance company’s second international tour. They begin with local performances in Valletta and Rabat in Malta, and Victoria in Gozo during the months of April and May 2019. Under the direction of Paolo Mangiola, eight professional danc-
was once stuck in a Gozo ferry queue for 37 hours, at which point she morphed into her superhero alter-ego. She now spends her time using her power for good, ushering commuters across the channel and making sure journey times are kept reasonable. The main villain is the Gozo tunnel, because it will put her out of business. 5. Ri-Kotta & Pi-Żell No superhero list is complete without a power couple, and this is one duo you need in your life. Wanderers of the night, Ri and Pi roam the streets when most are asleep with one main mission; to deliver pastizzi to those in need. Because if there’s one thing Malta needs more than anything, it’s pastizzi delivered to your door. At night. Beware their villain counterparts: Chi-Ken and Nu-Tel. We’d all love to be superheroes, but unfortunately that’s not always possible. Thankfully however, there is one company in Malta which treats their employees as just that. Hero Gaming is a gaming company that harnesses the values typically associated with heroes. Their company culture is built on respect, innovation, hard work and the desire to be the best. They love to win and dare to be different. Perhaps most importantly, they provide their employees with hero-worthy benefits that go beyond ers will grace the stage in costumes designed by Luke Azzopardi and move to music by Veronique Vella. The dancers at ŻfinMalta train and practice on a full-time basis and their work has been praised by audiences all over the world. Voyager is the culmination of a year of research and interviews that
your average work perks. Wellness programmes, health insurance, daily lunch allowances and regular heroic events foster a winning culture within their team. And the best thing? They’re recruiting. So you just might get to experience what they’re all about. Apply for a job today on www.herogaming.com/careers and become the hero you’ve always wanted to be.
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Hero Gaming encourages its Heroes to find their true inner power. Finding a job you like can be tricky, but with great incentives and an amazing team behind you, your success is never overlooked! We Love what we do, we Dare to push the limits and ultimately we all want to be Winners!
promises to propel its audience into a world of introspection, self-discovery and reflection on the way human beings are treating this fragile pale blue dot. For more information check out the website w w w.zfinmalta.org
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Zfin Malta ŻfinMalta is Malta’s national dance company that aims to thrive in the sharing and employment of a wide range of repertoire ranging from new works created in Malta by both local and international choreographers (upcoming and established) as well as the re-staging of renowned works
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from all over the world, thus creating a company of versatility, whilst maintaining a clear identity with its Euro-Mediterranean roots. The company aims to bring together an ensemble of high quality international and Maltese dancers and create work that is of world class standard.
Photo by Matteo Carratoni
Lovin Tomorrow 01.04.19
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TRAVEL / FOOD
MALTA AROUND THE WORLD
tese man, Mark, who moved to Mexico a while back. “We also make all our bread in-house and use my mother’s recipes,” Mark said of his traditional creations.
David Grech Urpani We all love a cheeky 3am drive to Serkin for a pastizz or two (or seven), but what would you do if you suddenly get the craving for a Maltese treat and you’re thousands of kilometres away from the islands? Well, it turns out you’re not as screwed as you might think. For a country of less than half a million people, Malta sure has a lot of representation overseas. Here are some of our favourite elements of the tiny white and red around the world.
1. Braġjoli in Japan A little piece of the islands in Tokyo, マルタ is a restaurant that’s literally named after Malta. The small restaurant offers up traditionally hearty meals like ftira, rabbit stew and braġjoli (and Cisk, of course!), and while Chef Takashi Takamiya had said in a TV interview that only a few customers visited his establishment when he opened a couple of years ago, the restaurant quickly grew in popularity. “I spent 18 years working in an Italian restaurant in Tokyo,” Takamiya had said. “Then, I came to Malta and stayed to learn how to cook Maltese food!” And according to a Maltese customer who had visited the restaurant in 2017, the ħobż tal-Malti up on offer is actually “even better than the local version!”
2. A Malta-themed boat party Down Under Australia boasts a huge Maltese community, and if there’s one thing on their minds, it’s making sure not to forget their roots. Add a bit of traditional Maltese celebrations and a big boat, and you’ve got your hands on a nautical festa on the other side of the globe. Made in Malta organises annual events in Melbourne and Sydney, promising to “showcase everything Maltese”. Conceived way back in 2009, the parties bring down Maltese acts such as Tenishia, Ira Losco and DJ Ruby, and this year’s four-hour boat party saw 300 revellers enjoy another soldout event... which came with five pastizzi per person, because of course.
3. A traditional Maltese bakery in Mexico City La Santa Gula looks as good as it is rated. With 4.7 out of 5 stars on Facebook and their excellent TripAdvisor position of 37th out of 5,438 restaurants in Mexico City, the traditional Maltese bakery offers up Mediterranean, vegetarian-friendly and even vegan dishes. Located in Calle Xicoténcatl a couple of blocks away from the Frida Kahlo Museum, the restaurant is run by a Mal-
4. Toronto’s defiant ‘Little Malta’ Back in 1983, Antoinette and Charlie Buttigieg bought a small building in Toronto, called it Malta Bake Shop, and started providing the Maltese community in Canada and North America alike some good old pastizzi from across the pond. Last year, developers literally came knocking, with lots being developed into townhouses all over Toronto’s Dundad Street West. One such developer approached the Maltese couple with an impressive sum, but the couple stood strong. “He offered us a million dollars for the bakery and a million dollars for the house next door, which we also own — so two million dollars,” said Antoinette. “The Maltese have been here since the 1920s. This building has a history. It is not a job. I feel like the shop is more like our living room and our customers, they are like family. And what would we do without our family?” Without batting an eyelid, the couple refused the millions, and went back to making pastizzi for their loyal customers.
5. An artistic home away from home in London
A number of Maltese actors, actresses and musicians have moved to London over the years, calling the UK capital their home as they fly the white and red on stage. Using the major European city as a stepping stone for everything from BBC premieres to Royal Caribbean cruise shows, the Maltese artistic community is coming back to the islands with some invaluable experience from all over the world.
6. A Buttigieg as US President? Maltese-American candidate for the Democratic Presidential nomination Pete Buttigieg has been making waves online, and after stealing the show in a CNN town hall meeting last month and featuring in a Vice News feature, the young witty candidate is slowly gaining traction. Within 24 hours of the CNN town hall meeting, Buttigieg had raised more than $600,000 from over 22,200 donations, with a former Obama adviser praising him as “crisp, thoughtful and relatable”. The South Bend (Indiana) 37-yearold mayor shot to fame when he lambasted US Vice President Mike Pence as “the cheerleader of the porn star presidency”. A millennial, nerd, married gay man who’s also an Afghanistan war veteran and a self-confessed Hufflepuff, Buttigieg is a fresh voice whose star is rising fast. Back in Malta, we’ll continue to follow and support his rise, correcting everyone who tries to correctly pronounce his surname... and fails miserably (no America, it’s not “Bootedge-edge”).
RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK:
ONE80
How two Maltese foodie entrepreneurs joined forces to bring a gastro powerhouse to Mellieha
Elsa Messi Batman and Robin, Ben & Jerry, Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson… name a better duo? Well, we have one: Rouvin Zammit Apap and Jesmond Vella. These two live and breathe hospitality and both dreamed of owning their own restaurant, which they successfully managed in the form of One80 in Mellieħa. Kicking off their gastro roots back in the 1990s where they met at the ITS, the two opened One80 in 2016. Rouvin and Jesmond have a cu-
linary portfolio that most professionals would die for. They’ve trained and worked at luxury hospitality brands locally and all across the globe. Each is exceptionally family-orientated and ensures they make time for their loved ones, friends and hobbies which include wine, music and travelling. One80 is praised for its welcoming atmosphere, stunning indoor and outdoor dining areas and gourmet plates. It’s perfect for any occasion thanks to the upmarket yet casual setting, and the menu provides something for anyone including the discerning eater… and the vegans too! If you think that Mellieħa’s One80 is the last of it, though, you’d be wrong. It is quite literally only the beginning, and the culinary dynamic duo are busy planning other ventures and
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exciting developments. And yes; that includes giving birth to a sister restaurant in Gozo. But more on that later.
SPORTS / CULTURE
MALTA HAS CREATED A NEW WORLD TITLE IN POWERBOAT RACING Julian Bonnici Malta is officially the birthplace of a new powerboat racing World Championship that puts some of the globe’s very best pilots on a level playing field. Whereas other racing sports like Formula 1 have steered away from driving talent to engineering expertise, the V2 World Championship is a brand new single class championship made entirely of identical Chaudron Malta 27’ boats. This means the winner, who will be crowned World Champion at a ceremony in Monaco, will be the best pilot
on the day. The brainchild of Aaron Ciantar, the V2 World Championship has even secured rights with major media distributors across Europe. Ciantar’s Voomquest has announced that the first adrenaline-pumping race of the season will take place the 25th28th of April in St Paul’s Bay near the Gillieru Hotel. The competition will see seven teams from three countries race against one another to claim the top prize. There are four Maltese teams, two from France, and another from Belgium. The SVR-27 design of the boat
brings to life Voomquest’s understanding of successful racing in Europe and the USA to make an affordable and sustainable class of racing. Built on the design of Ciantar, with the precision of the builders at the 8-times UIM Manufacturer World Championship Title, V2 is redefining the world of powerboat racing.
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The V2 design is a 27ft close canopy race boat which is geared to compete in a one-design class championship. On Saturday, Ciantar attempted to break the record for the fastest trip around Malta with his Chaudron Canopy 41. The boat, which has twin 800hp engines, was driven by Ciantar with his throttle man Dominique Martini.
DAMIEN HIRST’S ARTWORK TO BE EXHIBITED IN MALTA Elsa Messi A piece of work by the superstar English artist Damien Hirst will be exhibited in Malta for the first time later this month. The work forms part of Afterminimalism, an exhibition curated by Norbert Francis Attard and Francesca Mangion, which will run between the 12th April and 17th May at Valletta Contemporary. The Damien Hirst artwork to be showcased will be one of his two lenticular works created in 2014. For those familiar with his works, it is one of the iconic multi-coloured dots pieces.
FEATURE FILM ‘LIMESTONE COWBOY’ FINALLY GETS TO LOCAL CINEMAS
Fabrizio Fenech
Christian Peregin A Maltese feature film that has been seven years in the making will finally be released in local cinemas later this month. And the timing, in the midst of election season, could not be more perfect. Limestone Cowboy tells the story of Karist Camilleri, a troubled man who wants to run as a political candidate with the Labour Party but is always turned down. Eventually, he is coaxed into running as an independent candidate by the members of his Band Club, who even organise a mass meeting for him before things start getting seriously complicated. The film follows Karist as a campaign which began as a joke spirals out of control, damaging his relationship with his wife and son. The film, which has already been released internationally at various
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This artwork is one of Hirst’s most prolific and iconic pieces, made using the most advanced lenticular printing technique, creating an illusion of depth. Damien Hirst is an English artist, entrepreneur and art collector. He is part of the Young British Artists and is reportedly the UK’s richest living artist. Afterminimalism revisits minimalism, choosing to approach it from a methodological rather than a thematic perspective. The exhibition will feature 11 talented local and international artists including Liam Gillick, Patrick Mifsud, Brian Eno and Javier Vivas.
film festivals, will now be available for local viewers at Eden Century Cinemas from April 13th. Directed by Abigail Mallia and written by Jon Mallia and Carlos Debattista, Limestone Cowboy features an excellent showing by Paul Portelli, who stars as Karist, and a breakthrough performance by Zak Mallia, who appears as young Karist. Davide Tucci, Irene Christ and Paul Cilia star in the other major roles. With impeccable cinematography and a powerful performance from the Maltese cast, Limestone Cowboy showcases many elements of Maltese culture, particularly our fanaticism with fireworks and politics, as well as the dangers of living in an insular society. This is the third major feature film to be released in Malta after Simshar and more recently The Boat.
Lovin Tomorrow 01.04.19
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