The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry must think the Maltese public has the memory of a goldfish. On Saturday, they rushed to issue a sweeping, dramatic statement blaming developers and contractors for the Paceville building collapse, issuing lectures about safety and enforcement, all while carefully ignoring the elephant in the room: the clear declaration made by Excel Developments and Mr Joe Portelli himself.
Portelli has already made it crystal clear — his company did everything by the book and is not responsible for what happened to Tania Flats. But did the Chamber bother to even mention that? Of course not. It’s far easier — and more fashionable — to grab headlines by pointing fingers and pretending to be the guardian of “Malta’s reputation” whenever the word ‘construction’ is mentioned.
Let’s get real. The Chamber claims Malta’s reputation is at risk because of “poor site management” and a “climate of negligence”. Yet when a developer follows all regulations, obtains all permits, and still gets blamed for a collapse they did not cause, who exactly is undermining Malta’s reputation then?
The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry
It is this reckless, selective moralising that is damaging Malta’s economic trust. If the Chamber wants to talk about responsibility and enforcement, perhaps they should start by demanding that public authorities address structural failings in old, unsafe buildings instead of throwing reputable companies under the bus.
The facts matter — or at least, they should. Portelli has spoken. Excel Developments did things right. Yet the Chamber’s statement conveniently omits this. Why? Because the narrative of “greedy developers” sells better than the truth.
One expects better from the Malta Chamber — an organisation that should know the difference between genuine oversight and cheap blame games. The public does not need more dramatic statements. It needs honesty, facts and a fair playing field for everyone who plays by the rules.
Next time the Chamber wants to issue a sermon on reputation, perhaps they should check if they themselves are undermining it by ignoring basic facts.
