BirdLife Malta CEO Mark Sultana slammed the proposed planning law, warning it would drag Malta “back to the 70s and 80s, when ministers enjoyed unchecked power.“These are obscene proposals that will change the country for the worse and the people proposing it should be ashamed of themselves,” Sultana said.“Our country is already on a downward spiral when it comes to development, and if this reform passes things will only get worse.”Sultana called out two aspects of the proposed reform as particularly worrying. The courts will no longer have the power to revoke permits themselves but will be limited to confirming or annulling decisions by the Environment and Planning Tribunal. View this post on InstagramA post shared by Lovin Malta (@lovinmalta)The tribunal will also be able to impose €5,000 fines if they deem an appeal to be frivolous or vexatious in nature.“The courts are a pillar of democracy, and if they don’t have the power to ensure the law is respected, does that mean we living in a non-democratic country?” Sultana questioned.“I am 52 and I remember living through the 70s and 80s, when ministers enjoyed unchecked power. Things have changed but these laws will drag us back to those days when ministers used to dictate and decide.”Sultana said that NGOs are in constant communication with each other to decide on the next step forward.•