Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1536039
4 NEWS 4 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 4 JUNE 2025 Here's where MPs stand on the MATTHEW FARRUGIA mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt Malta's members of parliament have expressed a wide range of opinions on the controversial Manoel Island concession, with some sticking to the scripts and others who are openly calling for the concession to be withdrawn. This is where your MPs stand on the island that over 29,000 people wish to see as a public park Ramona Attard "Any time there is a group of people who are showing certain interests and wishes, those wish- es should be discussed publicly or privately and should be given pri- ority. 30,000 people who express their wishes should be taken into consideration." Byron Camilleri "Having a discussion is always healthy. From a discussion you can always get something. I un- derstand that there are certain contracts but I think every MP should be conscious of what con- tracts exist that we inherited from those before us. As politicians we have an obligation to listen to every opinion. If a decision is to be taken, it should be an informed decision taken after hearing every- one out." Carmelo Abela "In a general sense, government should have a look at all its con- cessions. Government should ensure that each concession giv- en throughout the years is being observed. If concessions are being broken, there would be penalties or government can take back what it gave. We should be assured that each concession is being observed, and in the case of breaches, gov- ernment should act." Katya de Giovanni "I think the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader expressed themselves and a decision has al- ready been taken. A petition on the Petitions Committee will be discussed as the people have a right to make a petition." Bernice Bonello "I think it should be a very im- portant discussion and everyone can benefit from Manoel Island. It's fitting that everyone, not just parliament, has a discussion, and the first step is for this to be dis- cussed in parliament." Karol Aquilina "I have no comments to give." Mario de Marco "A discussion is always needed. The truth is that this contract was signed about 25 years ago. Circum- stances have changed and there is the fact that the project has not yet been constructed. That means I believe that there is a chance for a discussion that respects all parties. If one simply ignores a contract, it would set a dangerous prece- dent that affects all governments. But circumstances have changed, maybe these projects were needed at the time to keep the economy going. I don't think Malta needs these projects for the economy. And due to the sheer size of devel- opment, people are hungrier for open spaces. I think the discus- sion should respect all parties, re- flect the fact that the project didn't commence, and reflect the desire for open spaces." Clint Camilleri "If I'm not mistaken this conces- sion was granted years ago. If I'm not mistaken there is a planning process that is not yet concluded. One needs to assess this as other applications are assessed by the Planning Board." Alison Zerafa Civelli "It's important that we keep lis- tening all parties and understand today's realities as well as what was discussed by the (Gżira) local council led by the former mayor." Andy Ellul "The Prime Minister spoke very well about this. We have a con- tractual situation that we inher- ited since 2000 and through this government's work, if I'm not mistaken 80% of the land cannot be built and 60% needs to remain open to the public. The Prime Minister was also clear that he is ready to speak with all parties but one needs to see the contractual aspects." Alex Borg "Obviously I support the Na- tionalist Party's stance. My district is Gozo and I will keep focussing on my work in Gozo. I've always said that we need more open spac- es in Gozo, but on Manoel Island, the party was clear on its position. I will keep to the party's position while keeping in mind residents' concern but also past obligations. We need to find a balance be- tween all of this." Beppe Fenech Adami "It's a matter of national interest. There's this petition that will be discussed in the Petitions' Com- mittee and maybe in a plenary session so I think that, as we do in many important cases as this is, this should be discussed in a ma- ture manner in a plenary session. The concession was given some 30 years ago, and you cannot use the same measurement today as the one used 30 years ago. The project should've matured dur- ing the last 12 years while the PL was in power. There seemed to be some delays, but if there were breaches of this contract, the PL government. There is a duty for government to explain the true situation on this contract." Charles Azzopardi "I have nothing to say." Glenn Bedingfield "I think a discussion on Manoel Island took place 25 years ago when the land was given to the consortium involved. Whether or not another discussion should be held today, there is a contract and obligations from both parties. We should always listen to the people. I haven't seen the contract but there are usually obligations for both parties. From the little I know, 60% of the space should be public and I think that should be so." Jo Etienne Abela "I think the Prime Minister spoke clearly about this. I have nothing to add." Ryan Callus "I think we should heed the pub- lic's call, not just because there are 29,000 people but if there is a call for someone you should listen. We are talking about a contract where both parties have obligations and I think the discussion should re- volve around whether the contract was respected. There's no doubt