Momentum Files Complaint With Ombudsman Over Transport Malta Banner Permit Delays

Momentum has asked the Ombudsman to investigate Transport Malta after the Authority failed, for more than two months, to issue or decide on a simple banner permit for an event. The free, public event is a focus group meeting called Vision Circle, dedicated to the rights and dignity of animals, planned for this Saturday, 25th October.

Despite submitting all documents, photos, and forms, and sending repeated follow-ups, Transport Malta gave contradictory instructions, refused to explain its rules, and then stopped replying altogether.

“This goes beyond a banner,” said Matthew Agius, an executive member of Momentum. “When authorities ignore requests, hide their rules and delay decisions, they silence democratic participation. Third-party political voices are being shut out through bureaucracy.”

Momentum argues that this is a clear case of bad administration and unequal treatment. Transport Malta could not provide a legal clause banning political banners, could not provide a list of approved sites for banners, gave conflicting instructions, first involving Local Councils, then dismissing them, and left the application “under review” with no response for weeks.

Momentum is calling for transparent rules, clear deadlines, and equal access for all political actors, noting that Malta is currently full of government propaganda billboards, ready for next week’s budget announcements.

The party has asked the Ombudsman to clarify the basic rights and procedures that Transport Malta has failed to define, including whether political parties have the legal right to install banners, which authority is responsible for permits, the correct application process, official timeframes for decisions, approved locations, and how transparency and fairness should be ensured.

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