AGM 2009 Minutes (Draft)
Minutes of the Sliema Residents Association 1st Annual General Meeting (provisional)
Salesians Oratory Sliema 22October 2009 at 19.30hrs
The first Annual General Meeting of the Sliema Residents Association/ Ghaqda Residenti Sliema (SRA) was chaired by Mr. Antoine Gatt who opened the meeting.
Present representing the Provisional Committee:
Ms Lilly Abdilla
Ms Sandra Attard
Mr. Victor Debono
Mr. Adrain Gatt
Mr. Joe Morana
Mr. Chris Vassallo
Notes:
i) Ms Margaret Azzopardi (absent) previously submitted her nomination to serve on the SRA Committee and was accepted.
ii) There were no other nominations of Sliema Residents to sit on the SRA Committee.
iii) There was no contestation of the suitability of any provisional committee member or Ms Azzopardi to represent the Sliema Residents Association.
Iv) The Sliema Local Council were invited to attend but declined the invitation.
v) Mr. Gatt's address was delivered in Maltese. However it was projected on screen written in English for the benefit of non Maltese speaking residents in Sliema.
Welcoming address and brief overview of work done
Mr Adrain Gatt made a welcoming address to the floor and explained the beginning of the SRA, referring to the residents meeting held on the 21st May 2009 at the Centru Sant Antnin whereby a provisional committee was nominated by those present. Its brief was to set up the Ghaqda Residenti Sliema/Sliema Residents Association. This Annual General Meeting, the statute and the registration of the SRA with the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations were the fulfillment of that initial brief. The SRA is now officially organised, registered and recognized.
In his address Mr Gatt explained the mission statement of the SRA and gave an overview of the work carried out by the provisional committee so far. This included a number of objections to significant planning applications made by developers. The Villa Bonici mega project development application was publicized by the SRA so that over 400 official objections were recorded at MEPA. Other SRA objections referred to the Villa Degiorgio development in High Street and sanctioning a restaurant in Qui Si Sana.
Mr Gatt added that further to the objections to MEPA, the SRA provisional committee had issued some press releases and took part in a number of TV and Radio programmes to express its concerns. Highlighted in these media statements were the development problems in Sliema, traffic/parking problems and air pollution problems (caused mainly by the continuous heavy traffic and by the construction industry). Mr Gatt said that SRA's exposure had stimulated awareness and active debate regarding these issues.
Mr Gatt also informed the SRA members present of the setting up of a subcommittee (thanks to a number of volunteers) to monitor day to day problems/situations in Sliema and subsequently to report any shortcomings to the relevant authorities.
Mr Gatt concluded his presentation asserting that there is much work to be done and that this work cannot be accomplished by the 'few' SRA committee members and therefore he appealed to those present for more volunteers to come forward and help with SRA work. Mr Gatt said that every bit of voluntary contribution helped to make the work easier and further urged more residents to join as members to strengthen SRA.
Financial report
Following Mr. Gatt's address Mr Victor Debono gave an account of the SRA finances explaining to those present that funds were essentially generated by the provisional committee members' respective own contributions. The funds used so far were spent on the registration fee with the Commissioner of Voluntary Organization, to procure the Post Office Box and on printing/stationery to prepare and advertise this AGM.
Interventions from the floor
A number of residents expressed their respective views and queried whether the role of the Sliema Residents Association/ Ghaqda Residenti Sliema duplicated that of the Sliema Local Council.
Mr. Adrain Gatt obo the Committee explained that the need was felt for an autonomous organization to safeguard residents' rights and legitimate interests which would be able to act as pressure group with local and national authorities when necessary. This body could and would also support the local council as appropriate.
Mr Gatt also highlighted that the SRA is not a customer care organization and that residents should invariably refer to the local council with their daily problems. SRA will intervene only should claims by residents remain unaddressed and an appeal be received.
Other interventions from the floor noted the significant number of foreign residents in Sliema and suggested the proceedings should be in English. This however was equally contested as others asserted their right to express themselves in Maltese as it is their mother tongue.
The committee's reply was an appeal not to let language divide the vital unity of Sliema residents. The gathering reached a compromise and consensus that meetings will be conducted in a bi-lingual manner with each speaker opting how to express him/herself and receiving the SRA reply in the language chosen.
Other queries explored and supported the SRA statue regarding organization's voluntary, non-profit making status and its commitment to remain non-aligned politically.
The meeting then proceeded to discuss amendments to the statute.
Section III -Membership clause No. 1
The first amendment to be discussed was to amend Section III -Membership clause No.1
"1.All adult Sliema residents, both Maltese and foreign, are eligible to join the Association as 'Resident Members', however, the Association reserves the right to bar membership to any individual/s who, according to the committee, is/are likely to damage the standing of the SRA. The Association is not obliged to justify itself for such action."
Interventions from the floor were initially in disagreement with the last sentence of this clause, claiming that it was undemocratic for the Association to have the right to bar membership yet the person denied membership to lack any right of redress. A motion to amend this clause giving the right of redress to the barred member was submitted from the floor.
However further statements from the floor countered such a motion stating that this clause should stay as it is to safeguard the SRA against persons joining the Association to hinder or disrupt the Association's work.
This motion was put to vote with the following result:
Forty two (42) voters agreed that this sub clause stays as is and twenty seven (27) in voters in favour of the right of barred persons from members for redress. Therefore this
sub clause remains as drafted.
Section III -Membership clause No .2
Another motion which was brought up was Section III -Membership clause No .2
2. "Non Sliema residents are also eligible to join the Association as 'Non-Resident Members' without having the right to vote. However the association reserves the right to bar membership to any individual and is not obliged to justify itself for such action"
The floor debated this clause with the pronounced strong feelings of many asserting that only Sliema residents are to be eligible to join the SRA. Others argued that while they normally reside in Sliema, their respective official identity documents indicate an address outside Sliema. The committee expressed its view eligibility to join the SRA must be supported by the official identification document - the same condition as applies for a person's eligibility to vote in Local Council and General Elections.
The motion to delete Section III -Membership clause No .2 was put to vote with the following result.
Forty five (45) voters in favour of deleting this clause, and fourteen (14) voters in favour of retaining this clause. Therefore this clause is to be deleted from the SRA statute so that only officially registered Sliema Residents may be members of the SRA.
Section IV -Membership Fee
Section IV -Membership Fee was brought for discussion there was consensus from the floor for the proposed SRA membership fee of ten Euro (€10) per annum thereby approving the clause as included in the SRA statue.
SRA Web site and email address
Ms Melody Morgan - Busher addressed the meeting announcing the new Sliema Residents Association www.sra.org.mt and new email address info@sra.org.mt which were sponsored by Alert Communications.
While appreciating this new communication channel members from the floor expressed their wish that the SRA would call periodic meetings with its members and allow open- committee sessions (where any member may attend) to enhance better communication and understanding between the members and the committee.
The first SRA Annual General Meeting ended at circa 2130hrs.