Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1547510
ROBERT Abela started his career as the legal counsel at the Plan- ning Authority under a National- ist administration. He knows the planning laws and policies inside out. He knows who the players are, and he knows the ropes. He is today the leader of the Labour Party and the prime min- ister with two landslide electoral results to boast of. He also has an economic record kickstarted by his predecessor Joseph Mus- cat that is second to none - even though it comes at a heavy price. But he knows that he faces cynicism around him about very crucial issues: construction, traf- fic and foreign workers. And yet he also believes that people are more geared to making money and putting their common sense before everything else. He also knows the Planning Au- thority (PA), which he blesses for their own interpretation of poli- cies and rubber stamping of de- cisions to allow for more obscene development, is running out of time and favour from the public. And he also knows if National- ist Party leader Alex Borg has no teeth and resolve to talk about planning, he has nothing to wor- ry about it. But this is not true. All around him communities are up in arms over the assault on their lives and more importantly the threat to their homes, their investments (homes) and the se- renity they were used to. Urban Conservation Areas (UCA) and ODZs are labels that mean noth- ing to the PA. And this has nothing to do with politics or being anti-Labour, because what is happening is not the manifestation of a social democratic party but of a capital- ist and neo-liberal party. Robert Abela knows this. But let us leave ideology aside. Today the Labour party is in- fluenced by a posse of super rich construction magnates who are cosy with power and expect to be treated with absolute re- spect. They have a green card to everything. Rules are bent or fast tracked for them. As we talk, communities are up in arms. In the crossfire are pro- jects such as the Project Green projects which are seen as token- ism initiatives. People may look stupid, but they are not. Communities and residents are more concerned about the apartment blocks that tower over them, or the oversized mega pro- jects which use mediocre policies that integrate open spaces as a ruse for less height limitation and more development. They are al- so concerned about the incessant construction and inconvenience. And unlike what Abela thinks, not everyone wants to build an apartment block and become a millionaire. Indeed, the vast ma- jority do not want this. All over Malta and Gozo, vast apartment blocks have grown like an aggressive cancer to disfigure our villages. From Safi to Naxxar to Xewkija, the mega construc- tion magnates have pillaged and made millions at the expense of our communities and country. And there are numerous people in the community who go out of their way to speak up about their country, their village, their coun- tryside and the limited biodiver- sity that still exists out of pure altruism. Robert Abela is a lucky man, in the sense that he has a lame op- position - one that lacks vision and determination. If Alex Borg talks about third country nationals, it is neither here nor there. If he talks about planning laws and planning pol- icies, it is muted and garbled. If it is about all the controversial subjects, Borg is either silent or unintelligible. If the PN get their act together it would be a very different story. Not all in the Labour Party agree with Abela, yet the major- ity remain silent. For example, I cannot understand why many have this fear of taking a stand on a moratorium on hotels, or on a decision to take a bold step on planning. The fear stems from the fact that many of those in power, de- pend on the benevolence of the people in power, those who wield power or the power to dish out contracts, jobs and consultancies. In the 2022 general election manifesto, there were some in- teresting proposals that made me excited and hopeful about the Labour Party. They were about increasing UCA buffer zones, about the identity of localities and a clear reference to the ter- raced housing around the UCAs. Also, under former Planning minister Aaron Farrugia, exten- sive studies were launched on what is known as Strategic Plan for the Environment and Devel- opment (SPED), an update of planning policies for different localities. In all cases the proposals were all shelved and not included in the 2026 general election man- ifesto. Thank God, we can still argue the same administration is in power so in essence the mani- festo still counts. Abela has boasted the manifes- to was fully implemented: it is simply not true. And when it comes to SPED, the whole exercise that updates planning status in different lo- calities, an exercise which costs thousands, we also know it was shelved. The truth is that the politics of planning depends on and is intrinsically linked to what the prime minister thinks. And Rob- ert Abela thinks there should be no limits to development and the level of quantity and quality in these projects. Well-being, culture, environ- ment and social impact are what they look like-superficial buzz words. The truth is that our country is under assault, the same ugli- ness of the past is coming back to haunt us. I grew up in the shadow of Lorry Sant and his cronies, and fought them at the time. Today we have the same story repeat- ing itself but with the guise of legality. We are buckled down because of the strength of the mega construction lobby and the fact that our political class is in bed with them. It is time for the people to speak up and to realise that enough is enough. But it is high time that people in the Labour Party overcome the fear and say it as it is. After the incredible way the Democrats beat the Republi- cans in the United States mid- term elections, and after dem- ocratic socialists with a leftist agenda in the differing states managed to convince the elec- torate that things can change, I believe it is possible to have change. At least change in poli- cy and tack. The PA is an agency that serves the political vision of the Prime Minister. Robert Abela must read the times and act to clip the PA and its direction. More so, in the light of our in- adequate energy supply, sewerage and water systems and delicate footprint. By doing so, he will show that he is listening and responding. He will show that he is not the man that many picture him to be. 5 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 8 NOVEMBER 2026 OPINION Robert listen to the communities for a change Saviour Balzan Founder and owner of Media Today, publisher of MaltaToday, he is a TV host and pollster Today the Labour Party is influenced by the posse of super rich construction magnates who are cosy with power and expect to be treated with absolute respect. They have a green card to everything. Rules are bent or fast tracked for them (Photo: DOI) I grew up in the shadow of Lorry Sant and his cronies, and fought them at the time. Today we have the same story repeating itself but with the guise of legality. We are buckled down because of the strength of the mega construction lobby and the fact that our political class is in bed with them