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THE GOZO TIMES - The Times of Malta - 12th July 2004
Dear Main Islanders!
This article is for the benefit of those of you who think we Gozitans make a big fuss for nothing, that we don’t suffer any hardships that you don’t. I won’t well on the very limited number of workplaces that sends hundreds of people across the channel and back on a daily basis. That has been lamented about often enough and probably cannot be helped. An unfortunate side effect are often poorer working conditions in Gozo itself, coupled with lower wages – and who doesn’t like it must tread carefully, for there are always ten others waiting for the job…
On a more mundane level, how would you like it to have to cross to over to the other island to sit for your theoretical driving license test – bearing in mind that if you’re taking such a test, logically you cannot drive yourself to the venue of the test? How much could it possibly cost the government to have residents of Gozo take the test in Gozo. But perhaps there is the usual fear that the Gozitans will stick together and cheat.
Imagine your son or daughter studies at the MCAST but must travel to Gozo to receive their hard-earned course certificates. In cannot be sent by post, not even to their centre of study. Someone please give me one valid reason why Gozitan students should have to miss lectures plus forfeit a day’s worth of their stipend in order to collect a piece of paper from Malta!
Gozo outlets of certain chains never carry the full stock that is offered in Malta under the same name. Worse, often it is old stock, probably difficult to get rid of elsewhere, that is offered to us gullible Gozitans. You’ll only ever know the difference upon entering the corresponding outlet in Malta.
Frequently you find empty shop shelves waiting to be filled by suppliers from Malta. While I do understand that stock-control is not always what it should be, we all too often experience instances where an ordered and promised item is not delivered. Then there are eager salesmen who succeed in talking shopkeepers into substituting a cheap but inferior look-alike for a more expensive brand, the bottom line being that we like it cheap!
In the same vein: Last year I was looking forward to acquiring a heavily advertised novel (“See it now at your local bookstore!”). Having ordered it from a bookshop in Gozo, I trotted back week after week, but it never arrived. Finally, after about a month, the supplier’s employee actually came up with an excuse for its non-delivery, albeit an inexplicable one: he thought it was too expensive for the Gozitan market – because it cost a couple of Liri more than a mass-market paperback. Such reasoning by a salesperson should make his employer cringe more than me! – Luckily there does exist at least one excellent bookshop in Malta, who give Gozitans a first-class service, not even charging for their prompt deliveries. I think they deserve a public thank-you.
My latest exhilarating experience: Having decided to avail myself of a special ADSL offer from one of the largest (if not the largest) internet service providers in the country, I tried to apply online – not possible; by telephone – not possible; perhaps through an agent in Gozo – not possible. To take up this offer I was told to go personally all the way to Balzan in Malta, an instruction that left me speechless! I mean, they are selling a service that is the epitome of modern communications, but expect you to take half a day of leave in order to queue to fill in an application. Well, if a company chooses to ignore the fact that at least in this field competition does exist, and to carry on with its monopolistic attitude, they probably won’t be among the largest for much longer!
Further examples could make this list go on forever; their essence, though, is one singular fact: Gozo is isolated from the mainland and we do depend to a large extent on your goodwill towards our pleas!