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2 maltatoday EXECUTIVE EDITOR Matthew Vella mvella@mediatoday.com.mt Letters to the Editor, MaltaToday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt Letters must be concise, no pen names accepted, include full name and address maltatoday | SUNDAY • 6 JUNE 2021 A jewel like Hondoq ir-Rummien deserves better Editorial THE tranquil cove of Ħondoq ir-Rummien, limits of Qala, has in a sense become emblematic for the grow- ing resistance to over-development on the island of Gozo: and possibly, also for the Maltese archipelago as a whole. It is easy to understand why, too. Boasting unparalleled views of Comino and the Fliegu Channel, and accessible only through a narrow country lane passing through an unspoilt valley, Ħondoq ir-Rummien also routinely tops the annual list of bathing spots with the cleanest, most unpolluted waters. It is, in brief, one of the Maltese island's most scenic, pristine environments: yet incredibly, the same area has also been under siege by developers for years. The saga has been ongoing since at least 2002: when the company Gozo Prestige, owned by Gozitan busi- nessmen Victor Bajada, presented an application for the construction of a destination port and 195-room hotel, 200-yacht marina and a tourist village for 300 apartments. But the draft for the Gozo local plan, issued for public consultation in 2002, never made any reference to tour- ist development in Ħondoq. It limited itself only to the rehabilitation of the quarry, the provision of basic beach amenities and unrestricted public access to the beach. Nonetheless a new Gozo local plan, approved in 2006, facilitated the approval of a tourism project: changing the area's land-use from "agricultural" to "tourism and marine related uses"; and even specifying "sensitively designed, high quality and low density buildings that blend into the landscape". Ħondoq was identified as the site of a "destination port" – a euphemism for a yacht marina. But the goalposts changed after 2008. Facing an uphill election, the PN successfully reinvented itself as a more environmentally-friendly party. Upon being re-elected, Lawrence Gonzi even declared a zero-tolerance stance towards ODZ development. For environmentalists, Ħondoq became the litmus test for the seriousness of the government's intentions. Moreover, the project contrasted with the PN's own eco-Gozo vision. Initially, the Labour opposition was also committed against the project. But no final decision was taken be- fore the change in government in 2013. In 2016, following a 14-year long saga, the PA unani- mously refused the application for the Ħondoq ir-Rum- mien development – a deluxe 5-star hotel with 110 bed- rooms, 20 self-catering villas, 60 apartments serviced by the hotel, 203 apartments, 1,249 underground parking spaces, a village centre, and a yacht marina for approxi- mately 100 to 150 berths. The Ħondoq development was deemed by the Plan- ning Directorate to be in breach of the Strategic Plan for the Environment and Development as it constituted "a dense urban development" in a "coastal rural area." It was also in breach of the SPED's vision of Gozo as an "ecological island." But the developers refused to give up, and appealed. "The PA has no right to go back on its commitments, arrived at through its own actions, and after having in- duced the applicant to incur hundreds of thousands of euros in costs and expenses to comply with the PA's re- quest for studies," architect Edward Bencini claimed in the appeal presented to the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal. Surprisingly, two years later the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal decided to send the contro- versial application back to the Planning Authority, after they found a procedural mistake in the handling of the case. But this ruling was overruled by the law courts follow- ing another appeal by the Planning Authority. The case was reverted back to the EPRT, which still has to take a final decision. That is the situation still facing this priceless natural treasure today: which also means that, after years of assurances, the government remains uncommitted to protecting the site from speculative development. Prime Minister Robert Abela even went as far as to state that: "We are in a situation where the govern- ment's hands are tied by the preceding government." Presumably, this is a reference to the changes made to the Local Plans in 2006; but if so, the obstacle can easily be surmounted, on the grounds that those changes were procedurally flawed. As Qala mayor Paul Buttigieg has repeatedly argued: neither his council, nor the preced- ing ones, were ever informed of the changes… still less, offered the chance to appeal (as is/was their legal right). Besides: with hindsight, the amendments were on- ly made to accommodate a single project; which was in any case rejected by the PA in 2016. From this per- spective, Buttigieg's campaign to re-classify Ħondoq ir-Rummien as 'ODZ' is clearly intended to rectify a past injustice; as such, it would be equally unjust to overturn that appeal today. Either way, it is crucial that the Labour administration clarifies its own position on Ħondoq. In a climate where environmental concerns are mounting – especially in Gozo – it would be unwise to continue defending the indefensible. In this case, the correct decision is painstakingly clear. The 2006 amendments that earmarked this area for tourism development should be reversed, once and for all; and Ħondoq itself should be re-declared ODZ, and included in the Public Domain Act. Anything less would be a travesty of the government's environmental commitments, and a betrayal of the peo- ple in favour of private, commercial concerns. And besides: a jewel like Ħondoq ir-Rummien de- serves no less. 5 June 2011 Position untenable – Nationalist MPs PROMINENT Nationalist members of parlia- ment have told Lawrence Gonzi that he should step down as PN leader and Prime Minister. Nationalist backbenchers have confronted the Prime Minister and faced him with the prospect that his position may no longer be tenable. "The whole referendum debacle has been mishandled. Lawrence has no sense of lead- ership. We will face a landslide defeat at the polls if something radical is not done now," one backbencher has told MaltaToday. Asked who could replace Lawrence Gonzi, the parliamentarian said: "It is not important. There are various potential quality leaders such as Beppe Fenech Adami and Mario de Marco, but the most important thing is for us to change. Leaders are not always found. Some are created." After the vote on divorce bill – already the stuff controversy with so many MPs and min- isters deciding to either abstain or vote against it – Gonzi will face the wrath of some his backbenchers again, this time on the honoraria motion moved by Joseph Muscat. The decision to raise honoraria for ministers behind people's backs has created unbridled resentment for the Prime Minister and the PN. Gonzi is expected to lose this motion, which will not only humiliate him further but put him under added pressure to step down. Many MPs are also blaming the Prime Min- ister's personal assistant Edgar Galea Curmi for what they termed is an "extreme politics of exclusion" that characterised Gonzi's so called "new way of doing politics." "Edgar is Gonzi's biggest problem. He is in permanent siege mentality and this makes it more difficult for the Prime Minister to reach out and make the right decision. They are only interested in protecting the Prime Minister not about governing the country," the MP said. Party polls show that if the PN was to go for an election now, the party would face a land- slide defeat. A former president of the Catholic Action, Lawrence Gonzi put much store in seeing that divorce does not get introduced under watch by putting the decision to referendum. ... Quote of the Week "If they don't bring me the newspapers in the morning I feel like I'll go crazy,"yet nowadays I've learnt that there are only 1.3% like me." President George Vella at the State of the Nation Conference, commenting on statistics showing importance of social media as a news source MaltaToday 10 years ago