Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1143328
maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 17 JULY 2019 7 ANALYSIS Gwann and Santa Lucija will cumulatively result in a loss of more than 90,000 square me- ters of agricultural land. Positively Muscat is intent on introducing a cut-off date for ending the importation of petroleum driven cars, but in the absence of a mass transit transport system, the number of cars will keep increasing and more public spaces will be sacrificed to the car god. 3. People cannot even walk on their pavements without being obstructed by chairs and tables In various localities like Gzira people with pushchairs cannot even pass comfort- ably on pavements without swallowing cigarette smoke from diners accommodated on roadside platforms. Under Muscat's government policies have been changed to facilitate the erection of platforms for restaurant chairs and tables. This has effectively turned pavements in to footpaths be- tween restaurants and their tables. While this policy has probably made commercial establishments richer thus contributing to Labour's pop- ularity among businessmen, it has impoverished the daily life of common people. 4. Gentrification may start pushing people out of their communities There is also the risk that the presence of a category of resi- dents and tourists with a high disposable income will further inflate prices in way which could exclude people living on normal incomes from certain areas. This may well contribute to the creation of enclaves where locals are simply driven out by higher prices. Added to this is the over shadowing of high- rise projects on surrounding neighbourhoods. Muscat may well ask La- bour voters living in housing estates in Pembroke whether their quality of life will im- prove in the wake of the DB project which was actively supported by his government. 5. Malta is becoming too over- crowded Statistics issued by Eurostat show Malta experiencing the largest population increase in the EU in 2017. The island's population stood at 475,700 at the start of 2018, an increase of 3.4% over Janu- ary 2017, according to the EU statistics agency. Added to this is the ever-growing number of tourists. Foreign workers are a verita- ble economic resource as they fuel consumption, increase government revenue and even contribute to making our pen- sion system sustainable. And indeed Muscat's discourse fits nicely with the 'best of times' narrative in which foreigners flock to share in our wealth and contribute to make us richer. But population growth also results in more cars, more waste, more construction, overcrowded beaches and more pressures on Malta's lim- ited resources. The increase in tourism is not only contribut- ing to these pressures on its own but creates even greater demand for foreign labour. Gated communities at the high end and ghettoes in work- ing-class areas are also eroding social cohesion. While foreign labour is an inevitable aspect of a thriving small island econ- omy, promoting endless con- struction and tourism growth is bound to backfire on the quality of life of all those who live here. One way to put population numbers in check is by slow- ing down the pace of economic growth in some areas, possibly diverting growth to other more sustainable sectors. Promoting new sectors like medicinal can- nabis can be part of the solu- tion. 6. Fear of the future may come as a result of becoming too dependent on this economic model Muscat also claimed that "parents are again feeling their children will have a better country than the one they had." He ignores the reality of par- ents who actually face ques- tions from their own kids on why Joseph Muscat is permit- ting so many buildings. People are already asking 'what will happen if the construction boom comes to a halt and all the foreigners leave?' There is a risk of becoming too depend- ent on an economic model which relies on construction and tourist numbers, the worst case scenario being that of a 'junkie' Malta dependent on the daily fix of construction, which is tied to the influx of foreign property buyers. Moreover greater tourist numbers require even more foreign workers. In the mean- time planning exceptions are made for hotels to build more rooms, a mix that suggests a dystopia of endless construc- tion in towns, villages and countryside. And when the supply of land is exhausted, land will be inevi- tably reclaimed from the sea. To keep this going we need to brand our country as a playground for the global rich, dishing our pre- cious land at a cheap price to foreigners while increasing lev- els of inequality. The only way to sustain this economic model and keep the bubble from burst- ing is by constantly changing the goal posts to facilitate more construction and keep more for- eigners coming. As former Labour leader Al- fred Sant had asked in an arti- cle he penned last year: "Does it mean that this country will end up like an Arab Gulf state, which depends on transitory human resources to fuel eco- nomic surges whose final out- come is unknown?" In some ways Muscat's model is also contributing to uncertainty. Professional Officer - Draughtsperson Jobplus Permit Number – 543/2019 Related qualification at Diploma level (Level 5) or equivalent or higher. Minimum 5 years proven experience in draughtsmanship. CAREER OPPORTUNITY WE ARE RECRUITING ESSENTIAL Qualifications Experience Interested persons are kindly requested to submit a letter of application and a detailed CV only by email, as one pdf document to: hr.la@landsauthority. org.mt by Monday 29th July 2019. Emails are to indicate the position being applied for and the name of the applicant in the subject. Applications will be acknowledged and treated in strictest confidence. For more information visit the link below: https://landsauthority.org.mt/about-us/careers/ Lands Authority is seeking applications from interested persons to fill the following position: OR