Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1107757
17 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 21 APRIL 2019 INTERVIEW you spoke highly of the benefits of Malta's "bubbling economy", and lauded the Labour administration for having "opened their doors and are giving building permits without delving too deeply into the parameters of building regulations they are meant to be upholding." You also wrote: "Whereas previous administrations were possibly too careful and too strict in granting building permits, the policies of this administration have resulted in an enormous array of lifts and building machinery…" The Mizzi Organisation has very clear interests in the construction sector. Isn't this a conflict of interest? Unfortunately… I can under- stand how people would see it that way. I said this to the min- ister myself, when I was first appointed. I pointed out to him that I am a businessman, and I have different interests. I felt it could come across badly… Having asked the question, I feel it's only fair to add that a lot of other people could say the same thing… but don't. But [the minister] wouldn't hear of it, and assured me that I had his full confidence. For- tunately, I am also supported by a very good, very motivated team… and unlike me, they are not directly involved in business. There are no conflicts of interest there… You do seem to be acknowledging, however, that a conflict exists in your case… [Shrugs] Sometimes, I have to criticise people who are our own customers. So yes, it places me in a very strange situation. But I believe in Malta; I would like to see Malta progress. I want to see Malta vying with other countries, not just in the economy – where we are the best – but in other ar- eas, too. Such as social justice; health, the environment… Fair enough, let's look at some of these issues. In a recent speech you highlighted air pollution as a main concern. "This is caused by many factors; planes, pleasure steamers in our ports. Construction and cars and trucks'. Again, I feel I have to point out that this interview is taking place at Continental Cars. We've already gone through the conflict of interest part, where you were gentlemanly enough to acknowledge the concern. But we are also living on an island where cars seem to be taking priority over people. As someone commercially involved in the automotive industry, do you share that concern? Cars, no doubt, are part of the problem; until we get more people to use electric vehicles. From the perspective of a busi- nessman: we adapt ourselves to the new technologies. That's not where the problem lies. But I do see one major challenge in Malta. Only 40% of the popula- tion have garages, where they can recharge the battery. At the moment – and I say 'at the mo- ment', because technology is moving very fast – if you don't have a garage, you have to plug it into a public charger and wait for at least an hour. In three years, I have not seen one car charging at an outdoor station. Maybe I've been unlucky, and always missed them. But I think the infrastruc- ture is not in place yet. So, there is still a lot to be done… Traffic is not the only contributor to air pollution. Construction is another. This brings us back to the sustainable development theme. Isn't the construction boom itself part of the problem here? As things stand today, one third of the country is built. No- where in Europe is that overde- veloped. Whether we like it or not, we are on a very fast lane. This creates problems. The first thing I learnt, when I studied economics, was that when de- mand exceeds supply, the price rises. This is what has happened. The price of property has in- creased by 20 or 30%, and we now hear of people sleeping in cars, in apartment entrances, in cardboard boxes. This is unac- ceptable. The problem could be addressed, however, by building more social housing… Yet most of the larger development projects going up are planned for the high-end of the market: luxury accommodation for tourists, luxury apartments for millionaires… and, as you yourself earlier hinted, there is no guarantee that Malta will remain the economic miracle it is today forever. We could end up with a lot of empty luxury apartments. Yet you seem to be proposing more construction to solve the problem. Is construction the only answer to everything? But social housing is needed. I approached the minister myself personally about this; and he assured me that there are plans to build 700 new homes. I asked him when they'd be ready by; and the answer was two years. This means that homeless peo- ple will face another two winters without a roof over their heads… I fully understand the need for social housing, as a short- term solution to an immediate housing crisis. But it doesn't address the imbalance in the property market. There have been suggestions to cap the number of planning permits for luxury accommodation, for instance. Or even a moratorium on large-scale projects. Do you agree? And shouldn't the planning authority be evaluating such permit applications within a holistic context… instead of on a case- by-case basis? I certainly agree that there is not enough planning. First of all, there should have been a masterplan. In fact, there was a masterplan; but it seems to have disappeared. [Pause] Let me put it to you another way. Unfortu- nately, I go abroad. I say 'unfor- tunately' because I'd be a much happier man if I didn't. When I go abroad, I see that they will have a plan in place for the next 20 years. In Malta, we don't even plan for the next three months. To conclude with one more example of this lack of planning: the proposed Gozo-Malta tunnel link. Parliament has just approved the project, while the scientific and environmentalist impact assessments are still being carried out. You have already expressed disapproval of this project. Could you expand? There has been a lot of talk about a Gozo-Malta tunnel. But whether it will really happen or not, is another question. When you look at the costs – around two billion euro – where will that money come from? Not to men- tion the return on capital. I don't think you'll get 5% return on the money spent. So, in my opinion, I don't think it will ever happen. Or at least, there is a strong pos- sibility that it won't happen. It doesn't make sense economical- ly. Another question is, where do we put all the debris? How will it affect the water table? No, this is one other area where I think we are running too fast. Whoever takes this decision will have a heavy load on his shoulders…. 'years of plenty' PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES BIANCHI I can understand how people would see it that way. I said this to the minister myself, when I was first appointed. I pointed out to him that I am a businessman, and I have different interests. I felt it could come across badly…