Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1170309
15 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 22 SEPTEMBER 2019 NEWS the protest, Graffitti spokes- person Andre Callus contends that "the process leading to the protest was as significant as the protest itself". The fact that 68 groups, "going well beyond environ- mental NGOs and including many residents' groups, stu- dents, farmers and cultural associations, amongst others, participated in both the pro- test as well as in its organisa- tion" was one of the most sig- nificant aspects of the protest. This was the reason why the 7th September protest, unlike most other previous protests, was announced more than a month in advance "in order to have the time to connect all the different groups around Malta and Gozo that are ac- tive, in some way or another, against this unsustainable de- velopment model". The next step Yet one pertinent question remains, what's next? For while single issue protests op- posing singular decisions and developments have the ad- vantage of having an achiev- able aim, as was the case of the Zonqor protest after which the government responded by downsizing the ODZ uptake of the project, the impact of the protest which was held two weeks ago cannot be measured by an immediate response from government. For the demands are themselves too over-reaching to be measured by one single response. In fact, the response from the authorities was respectful but one which shifted the blame on the local plans approved in 2006. Moreover, as has happened in the past, govern- ments can defuse pressure by making small concessions and buying time before the next onslaught of mega projects, some of which are now under wraps thanks to increased PA secrecy in the publication of planning applications. Devel- opers can also bank on the fact that while they have strong fi- nancial leverage, activists have only the power to mobilise and organise. But protests are also impor- tant in setting the national mood and that is where last Saturday's protest may have been most successful. Just as pre-2008 protests against building zone extensions forced Lawrence Gonzi to promise that 'ODZ will mean ODZ'; and just as the Zonqor protest made Labour wary of any further tinkering of devel- opment zones, the latest pro- test may well make the gov- ernment more sensitive to the creeping perception that it is in cahoots with big developers. The endorsement of protest demands by former Labour leader Alfred Sant has also shown that Labour is facing internal contradictions on this issue. But this also raises the question on whether activists should build political bridges with receptive ears in Labour. As happened after other protests, one would expect Planning Authority boards to be more sensitive to criticism in the next few weeks. But to prove the protestors wrong, the government would have to take some significant ac- tion, like backtracking on its commitment towards major developers like the DB Group. Opposition to the DB project by Labour-led councils rep- resented in the Local Council Association and the northern region council is also indica- tive of a change of mood. Yet in absence of substantial policy changes, the risk is that after the momentum fizzles out and activists' fatigue sets in, everything would return back to normal. In this case, the ability to turn the protest itself into a joyful event and a safe space for non-partisan people, may well be the great- est legacy of last week's pro- test. This may empower more people to fight back. But this also raises one im- portant question; how can activists expect change in the absence of interlocutors in parliament in both govern- ment and the opposition, where legal change actually takes place? Andre Callus is wary of what he calls "sterile dialogue", and insists that the strength lies in networking and continuous mobilisation, subscribing to the maxim that power con- cedes nothing without a de- mand. The goal is to create a counterweight to the power of developers. "This network is there to stay and grow stronger. It is our be- lief that change does not hap- pen through sterile dialogue, but through building a popular and broad non-partisan move- ment that can act as a counter- weight to the disproportionate influence of developers over politics… The only possible way forward is to continue strengthening the movement that is fighting the unchecked power of developers and de- fending our environment and quality of life," Callus says. He considers the challenge ahead to be that of ensur- ing that "the weight of those thousands of persons alarmed with this construction frenzy counts". This can only happen through "relentless activity that takes different forms such as supporting local struggles against development that does not respect residents and the environment; direct actions against obscene decisions by the authorities; mass protests; and the formation of a nation- al discourse that counters the notion that this widespread destruction is inevitable or even desirable." Currently Graffitti is pro- cessing the wide range of pro- posals received from the pub- lic prior to the protest. These will be compiled in a docu- ment outlining "a tangible plan for changing the current suicidal direction our country has taken". "We will then present these demands to the authorities and emphasise that this move- ment can no longer be ig- nored. Anger is palatable since our future is at stake." July 2006 • Protests against extension of building boundaries Prime movers: FAA, Ramblers Association Impact: Extension of building boundaries still took place but government felt the heat, later withdrawing a proposed golf course in Xaghra l-Hamra June 2007 • Protest against Ramla l-Hamra development Prime movers: FAA, Ramblers Association Attendance: 1000+ Impact: The permit was withdrawn by the PA March 2010 • Protest for better enforcement of environmental laws Prime movers: FAA Attendance: 500+ Impact: None December 2013 • Protest against Mistra permit and policies approved by newly elected Labour government Prime movers: 12 Environmental NGOs Attendance: 500+ Impact: None, except for an enforcement action against Polidano on the eve of the protest June 2015 • Protest against Zonqor development Prime moves: Front Harsien ODZ Attendance: 3000+ Impact: Zonqor development reduced substantially after part of proposed campus was relocated to Bormla as government promised that this would have been last ODZ project in legislature What have national protests achieved in the past? "Change does not happen through sterile dialogue, but through building a popular and broad non- partisan movement that can act as a counterweight to the disproportionate influence of developers over politics…" Andre Callus Top: Andre Callus, one of the Graffitti conveners of the protest, walks in Valletta during the 'Enough is Enough' demonstration; bottom: Two girls setting the example by picking up waste during the demonstration