Activist group reiterates call to Ian Borg for serious, credible dialogue

Activist group Moviment Graffitti “has no intention whatsoever” of suspending its actions in Dingli after its calls for a meeting with Dr Ian Borg have not received a satisfactory reply.

Residents and activists have so far successfully halted works on a partially-schemed road in Dingli, which has left residents and farmers fuming at its uselessness, while state agency Infrastructure Malta has barged into the area without the necessary permits and without having properly discussed expropriation with landowners.

On Thursday, Moviment Graffitti issued a public call for dialogue with the concerned authorities, highlighting how no official plans have been released whilst questioning the need for this road.

“So far, we can say that we have not received any formal request to meet and discuss the issue in a decent manner. We will not entertain requests for meeting without residents and farmers present around the table, and not in hostile settings,” said a spokesperson for the group. “This is a divisive tactic Frederick Azzopardi has tried and tested in countless other projects, most notably Central Link.”

We proposed a neutral venue for talks to be carried out in a serene and professional manner,” the spokesperson added, saying that so far the group has not heard anything about the proposal. “This means we will continue our actions in Dingli until the authorities stand down from their bullish posturing.”

“We are not surprised at this, since we believe that Infrastructure Malta doesn’t have the courage to tell Dingli and its residents what its plans are, but instead prefers the way of bullying, arrogance, and the use of heavy machinery to silence residents. But this doesn’t only happen in Dingli. Ask residents and farmers in Imrieħel, Burmarrad, Luqa, Żebbuġ, Gozo, and they will tell you of stories of wanton destruction, lies, and threats.”

Besides requesting the publication of official plans for the new road in Dingli, Moviment Graffitti have also highlighted how there is no information on how much ODZ land will be lost, and have asked for guarantees against the further uprooting of trees. It also appears from press statements issued by third parties and from the testimonies of residents and farmers themselves that Minister Borg’s claim about an alleged resolution of all expropriation issues is completely unfounded.

“Infrastructure Malta has been abusing its power, trying to run roughshod all over a whole town and its citizens, with nobody any wiser as to why all this is happening. Concerns and questions raised with Infrastructure Malta have been met with silence, arrogance and excuses. This silence is what allows them to build a road on ODZ without permits, and without any justification.”

The standoff, now in its seventh day, has also seen a couple of incidents involving IM’s contractors, where a hymac operator imperilled the lives of two activists on Monday, while another brandished a chainsaw inches away from an activist’s foot on Tuesday. Another resident reported harassment from IM officials on Wednesday, with a number of phonecalls placed to his personal number, asking him to turn up at IM’s offices together with his own lawyer, without explaining what authority the state agency has to summon citizens to its offices for punitive action.

“We reiterate our call to Minister Borg and Ing Azzopardi to try, at least for once, the road of dialogue – a road they clearly need to learn how to build,” the group concluded.

Il-grupp ta’ attivisti jtenni s-sejħa lil Ian Borg għal djalogu serju u kredibbli

Il-grupp ta’ attivisti Moviment Graffitti “m’għandu l-ebda intenzjoni” li jwaqqaf l-azzjonijiet tiegħu f’Ħad-Dingli wara li t-talbiet li għamel għal laqgħa ma’ Dr Ian Borg baqgħu mingħajr tweġiba sodisfaċenti.

Ir-residenti u l-attivisti s’issa rnexxielhom b’suċċess iwaqqfu x-xogħlijiet fuq triq parzjalment skemata f’Ħad-Dingli; triq li ħalliet lir-residenti rrabjati minħabba li fil-verità m’hemm bżonnha xejn, filwaqt li l-aġenzija statali Infrastructure Malta daħlet bħal gaffa fiż-żona mingħajr il-permessi meħtieġa u mingħajr lanqas biss iddiskutiet l-esproprijazzjoni tal-art mas-sidien tal-art kif suppost.

Nhar il-Ħamis, il-Moviment Graffitti għamel sejħa pubblika għal djalogu mal-awtoritajiet ikkonċernati, u enfasizza kif ma ġew ippubblikati ebda pjanijiet uffiċjali filwaqt li qajjem tħassib u dubji dwar kemm hu minnu li din it-triq hemm bżonnha.

“Sa issa, nistgħu ngħidu li ma rċevejna ebda talba formali biex niltaqgħu u niddiskutu l-kwistjoni b’mod xieraq. Mhux se nkunu qed naċċettaw talbiet għal laqgħat mingħajr ma jkun hemm ir-residenti u l-bdiewa bilqiegħda mal-mejda, u mhux f’ambjenti ostili.” qal kelliem għall-grupp. “Din hija tattika diviżiva li Frederick Azzopardi uża u implimenta kemm-il darba fi proġetti oħra, b’mod l-aktar notevoli f’dak tas-Central Link.”

“Aħna pproponejna post newtrali fejn il-laqgħat ta’ diskussjoni jkunu jistgħu jsiru b’mod seren u professjonali,” żied jgħid il-kelliem, waqt li tenna li sa issa l-grupp ma kien għadu rċieva ebda risposta dwar din il-proposta.” Dan ifisser li aħna se nkomplu bl-azzjonijiet tagħna f’Ħad-Dingli sakemm l-awtoritajiet jiddeċiedu li jinżlu minn fuq it-tron tal-arroganza.”

M’aħniex sorpriżi b’dan, peress li nemmnu li Infrastructure Malta m’għandhiex il-kuraġġ tgħid lil Ħad-Dingli u lir-residenti tiegħu x’inhuma l-pjanijiet tagħha, iżda minflok tippreferi tattiċi ta’ bullying, arroganza, u l-użu tal-gafef u l-makkinarji tagħha biex issikket leħen ir-residenti. Iżda dan ma jiġrix biss f’Ħad-Dingli. Staqsu lir-residenti u lill-bdiewa fl-Imrieħel, Burmarrad, Luqa, Ħaż-Żebbug, Għawdex, u jirrakuntawlkom l-istess stejjer ta’ qerda bla rażan, gideb u theddid.”

Minbarra t-talba tagħhom biex jiġu ppubblikati l-pjanijiet uffiċjali għat-triq il-ġdida f’Ħad-Dingli, il-Moviment Graffitti enfasizza wkoll kif m’hemm l-ebda informazzjoni dwar kemm se tintilef art ODZ, u talab biex isiru garanziji kontra aktar qerda ta’ siġar. Jidher ukoll li minn stqarrijiet tal-istampa maħruġa minn partijiet terzi u mit-testimonjanzi tar-residenti u l-bdiewi infushom li d-dikjarazzjoni tal-Ministru Borg dwar li allegatament instabet soluzzjoni għall-kwistjonijiet tal-esproprijazzjoni hija totalment bla bażi.

“Infrastructure Malta qed tabbuża l-poter tagħha, u tipprova tibqa’ għaddejja bħal gaffa minn fuq raħal sħiħ u r-residenti tiegħu, bla ma ħadd għandu traċċa ta’ ħjiel il-għala dan kollu qed iseħħ. Tħassib u domandi mqajma mir-residenti ma’ Infrastructure Malta ġew milqgħuha b’silenzju, arroganza u skużi. Dan is-silenzju huwa proprju dak li jwittilhom it-triq biex jibnu triq fuq ODZ mingħajr permessi, u mingħajr ebda ġustifikazzjoni.”

Waqt l-azzjoni ta’ protesta, li issa daħlet fis-seba’ jum tagħha, inqalgħu wkoll xi inċidenti li kienu jinvolvu l-kuntratturi ta’ Infrastructure Malta, meta operatur ta’ hymac ipperikola l-ħajja ta’ żewġ attivisti nhar it-Tnejn, waqt li ieħor mar iħaddem chainsaw ftit pulzieri ’l bogħod minn sieq attivista nhar it-Tlieta. Resident ieħor irrapporta li ġie ffastidjat minn uffiċjali ta’ Infrastructure Malta nhar l-Erbgħa, meta rċieva diversi telefonati fuq in-numru personali tiegħu, biex jitolbuh imur fl-uffiċċji ta’ IM flimkien mal-avukat tiegħu, mingħajr spjegazzjoni dwar x’awtorità għandha l-aġenzija statali biex titlob liċ-ċittadini jmorru fl-uffiċċji tagħha biex teżercita xi tip ta’ azzjoni punittiva.

“Nerġgħu ntennu s-sejħa tagħna lill-Ministru Borg u lill-Ing. Azzopardi, biex imqar għal darba, jippruvaw jagħżlu t-triq ta’ djalogu – triq li ċarament għadhom iridu jagħrfu b’liema mezzi għandha tinbena,” ikkonkluda l-grupp.