Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1431464
5 21 NOVEMBER 2021 PAUL COCKS O ver the years, I have interviewed Sandro Chetcuti a number of times. Always, it was to obtain some in- sight into the local industry, to get the Malta Developers Association's reaction to some new legislation, to understand a new MDA proposal for some budget or other, or to get feedback following some tragic – or fatal – industry incident. Having helped found the association, it was no surprise that Sandro was a very vocal spokesman for the industry, turning it into an active participant on the local political stage. is time it was different. Because Sandro has announced he is stepping down as MDA president and is currently handing over to his successor, Michael Stivala. So this inter- view was much more about his own person- al take on developments in the industry and the association's future. My aim going into this interview was to try and learn more of the man behind the public persona that he acquired over the years. When news of Chetcuti's resignation was made public, many wondered if this would be the end of the MDA or if the associa- tion could maintain its visibility and con- tribution with him out of the picture. But when I presented these concerns to him, he laughed them off. "Because of the work done since its foun- dation, and the efforts of my team and I, the MDA is today firmly established on a na- tional level," he said. "e MDA is now the point of reference with regards to the local construction industry and will continue in that pivotal role." Sandro said all the members of the coun- cil brought invaluable experience to the ta- ble. He insisted it is no coincidence that the MDA is today so highly respected by policy makers. e MDA was quick to recognise that it was not enough to propose and implement regulation; the most important thing is to understand what works in our country's cir- cumstances. "Regulation must be practical if it is to work," Sandro said. "Also important is to be very careful with any new costs associated with new regulation." On consultation, he said it was imperative that policy makers seek the contribution of affected industry leaders when formulating new policies. Without such consultation the industry would quickly get clogged up. After all, he expounds, when one needs to check a car's engine, they go to a mechanic not to a university graduate who has never even looked at engine. "is does not mean the government should not consult interested parties in oth- er industries, like the environment or infra- structure in our case," Sandro said. He insisted the MDA wanted to stand alone. It works closely with the Kamra tal-Periti, for example, firm in the believe that good ideas are worthless without the input of other professionals. Stakeholders such as architects and engineers were equal- ly important to the industry. He said that he had worked endlessly, to bring together all the players in the indus- try. rough the MDA, he managed to keep them all on the same page, fighting for com- mon goals. I then asked Sandro what moments he treasured most from during his tenure as MDA president. He said he was most satisfied when, budget after budget, the MDA put forward sound proposals that were subsequently adopted by government and introduced into law. He was also pleased that the association's membership had risen from the original 65 to now count in the hundreds, including contractors, developers and other interest- ed parties. Equally satisfying were the many meetings the MDA was invited to by prominent fig- ures, professionals, lecturers and politicians. But it has not all been good. "e worst moment of my life was when a person lost her life in an incident, even though the MDA had nothing whatsoev- er to do with what happened, despite the attempts of some to try and pin what hap- pened on us," Sandro said. He said that he was also disappointed over the years when public land was sold for a pittance, because he was aware of the effect this would have on the industry. "Some very ugly things happened in this country because of the greed of some, who to try to shortcut established policies and procedures. We try and bring this to atten- tion of the government and politicians, but sometimes you get the feeling that things have already been agreed upon." He said that wrong decisions in the past still left him angry. "Take for example when plots were given to the government to develop housing es- tates. en, with the stroke of a pen, tenants were allowed to develop and speculate on these properties. People back then gave up their land so others could have adequate housing only to end up seeing it profiting others." On the plus side, Sandro said he was over- ly pleased that an equitable balance between development and the environment is always trying to be reached. He recalled how he remembers the time when the sprawling construction did in fact stop and development boundaries schemes were finally identified and were understood by all stakeholders and NGOs, that any development outside development zones should not be allowed. "ey were right back then and the past 15 years have proven them so." He said that when the local industry was far ahead of what was standard in many countries. e biggest disadvantage is the size of the country, but even that was diffi- cult to fathom since one can find practically everything even over such a small area. It was somewhat of a miracle that if one wants to go to a large supermarket, today they are spoilt for choice. ere are state- of-the-art shopping malls and cinema com- plexes, high-end catering establishments and luxury retail centres. As to what Malta lacks when compared to other countries, Sandro was quick to identi- fy poor service and inefficiency. "We lack a love for what we do... we have many people who like criticising but never propose any good ideas for improvement." As he mentioned new ideas, I asked San- dro if he approved of the proposed metro system. "I agree with the need for a mass transpor- tation system, but I have very strong reser- vations about plans to have it underground." he said. "I see more merit in having an ex- tended tram system running on our roads." He said that there was ample space on our roads to cater for such a network. He insisted it was no longer acceptable to have two lanes on our roads set aside for parking alone. And he said the country should ask itself whether it was still feasible to have so much free parking space available, when many other countries charged a fee for park- ing in highly congested areas, which pushed people to using public transport more. "Whenever I or the MDA mention parking schemes, politicians grimace, clearly con- scious of how such schemes could lose them votes," he said. "But this is what is needed if we are to alleviate to problems caused by the huge numbers of vehicles on our roads." Sandro said he was also supportive of a link between Malta and Gozo – be it a tunnel or bridge – since this would be economically advantageous even for Gozitans. As for the future, he said the MDA should nurture the sense of belonging it had man- aged to introduce in the past few years. "e association should remain upfront in its statement and arguments and should never be afraid to push forward its beliefs and proposals, even if this meant being con- troversial," Sandro said. He said he felt he had done enough to the industry, leading to his decision to step down. "I wish I could have done more, but I felt strongly this was the right thing to do." So he had no regrets then? I asked Sandro in conclusion. ere was a lengthy pause and then he looked me straight in the eyes. "Regrets? I only have one regret," he told me. "at in doing this, I did not get to spend a lot of time with my family." 'Never be afraid to fight for your beliefs' OUTGOING MDA CHAIRMAN SANDRO CHETCUTI ON THE TRIALS, TRIBULATIONS AND SATISFACTION OF BUILDING THE ASSOCIATION INTO A POLITICAL POWERHOUSE INTERVIEW