Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1535957
THE Manoel Island saga finds its roots in the political machinations of previous ad- ministrations. It takes us back to the days of Bertu Mizzi and Eddie Fenech Adami and the empty promises of turning Ma- noel Island into an unforgettable develop- ment experience. But that was quite a long time ago and since those fine words, Malta has wit- nessed spectacular change where every nook and cranny has been devoured by development, high rise buildings and oth- er construction projects. Developers have become multi-millionaires. The island is besieged by buildings every- where and the facilitator of this catastro- phe is our political class. We have an Op- position that refuses to have a vision and no moral fibre to speak up, and a ruling party, which is unashamedly pro-con- struction. Only last week, Malta's top construction magnates were invited for an exclusive reception at the Labour Party HQ. They were invited a week before the traditional collection of donations for the PL 'mara- tona'. At the drinks, the usual posse of big boys, even those that do not quite fancy Labour, were present. And they were even expected to discreetly leave a donation to the party. Cash or cheque… I have no idea, neither do I know if all the donations re- spected the legal limit. The prospective developers of Manoel Island were there too, making it a point to appear happy. I am not advocating that businessmen should have no interaction with politi- cians. But as far as I know the Labour Party does not treat environmental NGOs in the same way it genuflects to the construction lobby. The 29,000 petition which includes thousands of Labour votes and some La- bour big wigs, including PL President Alex Sciberras, is the tip of the iceberg. There are thousands more who would agree to add their name to this petition. The people have had enough. They sim- ply believe it is no longer justified to ex- cuse all this development because 'the economy needs to grow'. They do not be- lieve that this country should continue be- ing sacrificed so that businesspeople have the opportunity to make more money. The Labour Party was elected to govern- ment to represent the Maltese public and future generations not the small posse of loaded construction magnates, who have no idea what it means to stop. The public are the shareholders of Malta plc not the construction magnates. The Manoel Island contract is full of loopholes but if the government starts off with a mindset that it does not want to give the land back to the people than there is no way in hell this contract can be legally rescinded. Manoel Island is surrounded by an urban belt that houses more than 150,000 people, apart from tourists and others who work in the area. It would be the only green belt in the epicentre of all this and it would also be a mecca for thousands of families. The Abela administration should know that not all people are fortunate enough to travel frequently and run away from the claustrophobia, the noise, the dust and the suffocation. Many people have rather sim- ple lives. Normal folk want their country back. We have sold everything to big con- struction and both political parties have continued to thrive on financing from the big boys and in the process putting them- selves in a compromising situation. It is shameful and scandalous that the political parties are compromised in this way. Equally worrying is the Nationalist Party leader's reaction to the Manoel Island peti- tion. To describe Bernard Grech's reaction as pathetic would be too kind. It reveals his shallow appreciation of people's concerns and his low understanding of what is hap- pening in the communities around him. It also shows his weak character. Politicians never gave a hoot about the environment; they only care about votes. The 29,000 signatures are only a small fragment of the Maltese population that wants Robert Abela to change course on this construction splurge. We told Vitals to fuck off after having given them a silver plate, why not do the same at Manoel Island. To ignore this petition in parliament and beyond would be a grave mistake. Manoel Island needs us. But we, the peo- ple, also need Manoel Island. The church and euthanasia I am not too sure anyone noticed the statement by the church on euthanasia. The church has an obligation to speak up. But thankfully, on this, the people, or rath- er most of the people, have no patience for lectures from the pulpit. Euthanasia is not something taken likely, but everyone who has experienced friends or family who are terminally ill, and suf- fering cannot bear to listen to what the church has to say. Here is an institution—held in high es- teem and derision by many in equal meas- ure—that is out of synch with society, when it comes to divorce, IVF, gender issues, sexual orientation, abortion and stem cell medicine. The Church has been successful in main- taining a symbolic and traditional role and of retaining much of its banking and as- set value—the only two things it has really progressed at the same rate as the rest of the developing world. Ramona, Rosianne and the hunters Two Labour MPs, Ramona Attard and Rosianne Cutajar, were very quick to call for a revision of the fines for hunters who break the law. They both expressed the opinion that hunters are being treated unfairly, and the fines are too high. This is yet another case of how politicians appease the hunters' lobby and continues to confirm that most Labour politicians have little or no green credentials. My question to the two young politicians representing the Labour Party is why re- duce the penalties if hunters continue to blatantly flaunt the law? I am sure that there would be no answer to this question, which leaves me with the task of finding an answer myself, and it would read something like this: 'Because the hunters' lobby is vocal and a good vot- ing base for the Labour Party, I am will- ing to propose things that simply sound like manna from heaven for Maltese and Gozitan hunters.' 5 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 1 JUNE 2025 Saviour Balzan Saviour Balzan is founder and co-owner of Media Today, publisher of MaltaToday, he is a TV host and pollster OPINION The Labour Party in government represents the Maltese public and future generations not the small posse of loaded construction magnates, who have no idea what it means to stop. The public are the shareholders of Malta plc, not the construction magnates We told Vitals to fuck off; why not MIDI at Manoel Island