Smart City

Naraha ħaġa skandaluża li Smart City ssir żona oħra għal żvilupp residenzjali. Mill-bidu nett dal-proġett kien skandaluż – filmod kif ġie preżentat, kif tmexxa, kif ma laħaq xejn dak li tpaspar għalih. Veru li ma kienx l-ewwel proġett kbir fejn ġara hekk. Biżżejjed niftakru f’Chambrai, Mater Dei, Tigne. Dwar tal-aħħar nammetti parti mir-responsabbiltà, għax meta stajt ħallejtu jmut mewta naturali, għent biex jinżamm ħaj.
Il-promoturi ta’ Smart City wegħduna l-ġenna fl-art: kellhom iġibu fiha ditti bl-aqwa teknoloġija u l-aqwa valur. Dak iż-żmien kont titqies li qiegħed tidgħi jekk tikkritika l-proġett jew tesprimi dubji dwar il-wegħdi li baqgħu jsiru. Minnhom ftit li xejn twettaq.
Li issa fuq l-ingann sfaċċat li sar, jitrikkbu benefiċċji ġodda favuru tidhirli ħaġa ta’ barraminnhawn.
MELITA & VODAFONE
Min qed iwissi li l-għaqda f’kumpanija waħda ta’ Melita u Vodafone tista’ tissarraf f’dannu għall-konsumatur għandu raġun. Għalkemm il-vantaġġi tal-għaqda tfissru publikament bħala ta’ ġid għall-poplu, meta tiflihom sew tifhem li filfatt jirrelataw aktar ma’ konvenjenza u faċilità akbar fil-bejgħ għall-operaturi taż-żewġ azjendi.
Bħalissa l-konsumatur għandu għażla bejn kumpanija li tista’ tipprovdilu servizz sħiħ fil-qasam tat-telekomunikazzjoni, u żewġ kumpaniji li jipprovdu parti mis-servizz li bejniethom tammonta għal servizz sħiħ. Bil-għaqda bejn iż-żewġ kumpaniji, l-konsumatur se jkollu għażla bejn żewġ servizzi sħaħ.
Il-qagħda se tiġi tixbah dik li teżisti fil-banek fejn l-HSBC u l-BOV jiddominaw ix-xena. L-esperjenza ta’ duopolju fil-qasam bankarju ma tantx hi sabiħa. Mingħajr ħtieġa li joqgħodu formalment jiftehmu bejniethom, iż-żewġ partijiet jistgħu jissettjaw il-prattiċi u t-tariffi tagħhom b’mod li l-għażla għall-konsumatur tirriduċi ruħha għal waħda bejn tewmin identiċi.
BINI
Il-qasam tal-kostruzzjoni għaddej minn mewġa ta’ ħidma li tirrifletti t-tkabbir ekonomiku fil-pajjiż kollu. M’hemm xejn ħażin f’hekk. Il-bini għadu parti mis-sinsla tal-magna ekonomika f’pajjiżna, allavolja m’għadux fost is-setturi li l-aktar jiġġeneraw valur.
Biss, forsi hu s-settur li l-aktar jġib miegħu spejjeż li ma jinġarrux mill-imprenditur imma mis-soċjetà kollha kemm hi. L-ewwel spiża li tiġik f’moħħok hi l-ambjentali, imma mhux biss. Fost oħrajn, hemm l-għeluq tat-toroq bl-inkonvenjent li jġib miegħu u l-ħala ta’ ħin għas-sewwieqa, kemm privati, kemm dawk li jkunu b’qadi kummerċjali. Hemm il-ħmieġ u t-trabijiet li jinqalgħu, speċjalment meta, kif ta’ spiss jiġri, ir-regolamenti tal-bini jew ma jiġux obduti jew jiġu obduti ħażin. Il-konsegwenzi jissarrfu fi spejjeż ta’ tindif u ta’ kura tas-saħħa għal ħaddieħor.
Wasal iż-żmien li jiġi kummissjonat studju li jikkalkola kemm tiswa lill-komunità din l-ispiża moħbija.

English Version – Smart City

I think it would be a scandal if Smart City is transformed into another zone for residential development. Right from the start, this was a scandalous project – in the way it was promoted and run, as well as in its failure to deliver. True, it was not the first major project where this happened. One needs only mention Chambrai, Mater Dei, Tigne. I admit my share of responsibility regarding the latter, since when I could have let it die a natural death, I helped to keep it alive.

The promoters of Smart City promised us heaven on earth: they were about to fill it up with enterprises having the highest technology and the highest value. At the time, if you criticised the project or expressed doubts about the promises being made, it was like you were indulging in obscenities. Hardly anything of the promises made materialised.

That now on the back of the imposture that gave rise to the project, new benefits are to be extended seems completely incomprehensible.

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Melita & Vodafone

Those who are warning that the Melita-Vodafone merger could be of disbenefit to consumers are right. Though the merits of the merger were publicly explained in terms of it being in the people’s interest, on close reading such merits turn out to relate more to an added convenience and a better marketing stance for the managers of the two enterprises, than anything else.

As of now, the consumer has a choice between a company that can provide a full telecoms service, and two companies which provide part of this service, but which taken together cover the full service range. If the two companies merge, consumers will have a choice between two full service ranges.

The situation will resemble that in the banking sector, dominated by HSBC and BOV. The experience of duopoly there is hardly enticing. Without needing to have a formal understanding between them, the two parties are in a position to set their practices and tariffs in a way that consumer choice becomes restricted to one between identical twins.

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Construction

The construction sector is experiencing a boom that reflects economic growth in the country as a whole. There is nothing wrong with this. Construction is still part of the main motor in the country’s economic machine, even if it no longer is among the top activities that create value added.

However it is probably still the sector which generates most costs that are not borne by the entrepreneur but are carried by society as a whole. The first such cost which comes to mind is the environmental one – but there are more. Among others, you’ll find the costs associated with the closure of streets – with the inconvenience and waste of time this entails, for private and commercial drivers. There’s the waste and dust generated by projects, especially if as often happens, building regulations are either ignored or inadequately observed. As a consequence, public and private costs ensue by way of cleansing and health care.

The time is now for a study to be commissioned in order to calculate the cost to the community of these hidden expenses.