Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1073679
7 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 23 JANUARY 2019 NEWS ANALYSIS mix of sports and residential development on the White Rocks site. 10 years later the Muscat administration has allowed residential development in St George's Bay and is currently negotiating over the price of the White Rocks land. Development boundaries which were last changed in 2006 remained unchanged in the last decade. But the approval of new lo- cal plans in the next years could change this, even if current policies exclude any major extension like the one carried out in 2006. The last decade has also seen an increase of protected areas, management plans for Natura 2000 sites and the protection of the coastline through a public domain Bill. But more permissive poli- cies in both the ODZ and ur- ban areas have contributed to an unarrestable urban sprawl. The number of new dwell- ings approved increased from 5,298 in 2009 to 9,006 in 2017. Moreover, new challenges are on the horizon. While by 2009 the Gonzi ad- ministration had given up on land reclamation after stud- ies showing that this can only be feasible if accompanied by large scale residential devel- opment, the Muscat govern- ment seems hell-bent to go ahead on this road. 4. There are still no signs of a mass transit system While cars have increased from 291,920 in 2008 to 379,338 in 2018, no plans have been in place for the de- velopment of a mass transit system like a metro. Since 2009 Malta has seen a modernisation of its bus fleet and two changes in owner- ship; the first one from a bus owners' cooperative to Ger- man company Arriva and then to Spanish company Au- tobuses De Leon. But Malta still lacks a mass transit system for a public transport network whose per- formance is not hindered by traffic delays. Although studies are still be- ing conducted on this theme, government has largely fo- cused on widening existing roads and constructing a tun- nel (for cars) linking Malta and Gozo. On Sunday Muscat hinted at free public transport in the next years but did not refer to mass transportation. Yet the increase in popula- tion as a result of a booming economy may well have made the development of a mass transit system more viable than ever before. On this aspect Muscat's legacy will be severely tested. Will future generations blame him for not commencing works which will bear proof in the next decades? 5. Checks and balances on government's power remain weak When it comes to checks and balances, the Maltese constitution remains largely unchanged from the one ap- proved in 1974. In 2013 Muscat had prom- ised a 'second republic' based on a blueprint drafted by a national convention. International scrutiny in the aftermath of Panamagate and the assassination of Daphne Caruana has increased pres- sure on Malta to act on issues left unaddressed for the past four decades. Talks between political par- ties presided by Marie Louise Coleiro Preca who will retain this role after the end of her presidency, may give a new impetus to change. But it remains doubtful how far the two parties will go into limiting the power of govern- ment, make Malta more mer- itocratic and widen political representation through elec- toral reform. Muscat's 'Malta Taghna Lkoll' pledge of greater meri- tocracy may well represent one area where the current government betrayed the promise of change. But a more vibrant civil so- ciety may herald change on this front in the next decade. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt things that remained unchanged Muscat's 'Malta Taghna Lkoll' pledge of greater meritocracy may well represent one area where the current government betrayed the promise of change