Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/509499
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 10 MAY 2015 8 News ENVIRONMENTAL NGOs lam- basted the government over its deci- sion to propose virgin land at Zon- qor Point for the construction of a new private university. In a strongly worded statement, Din l-Art Helwa (DLH) warned that this decision was "unacceptable" and that the proposal to open a uni- versity is "suspect, given that it is led by a developer rather than by an educational establishment. "The land which the government has put on the table will become worth millions to certain individuals as a commercial building site, how- ever it is worth far, far more to our future generations," DLH said. The organisation added that the government is "disregarding the en- vironmental cost of using up more countryside, when other sites might be available." "At a stroke, the government would enable a piece of ODZ land to increase in value by some €100 million, gifting such value to the developer at the cost of the Maltese people, both present and future gen- erations. The owners of the site, who now stand to benefit from their land changing in value, include people who were notorious during the era of former controversial public works Labour minister Lorry Sant." Calling on MEPA to release its full assessment and criteria used to deem the ODZ countryside near Zonqor as 'acceptable' for develop- ment, DLH said that the site selec- tion exercise is "likely to be a sham." "The site has already been cho- sen, just as the consultation exercise with environmental NGOs at the eleventh hour was more like a mar- keting exercise, and also a complete sham," DLH said. "The government seems hell-bent on developing the coastal area near Zonqor and Xghajra, when the south of Malta is crying out for open spaces. An inadequately thought out proposal to build three hotels was first encouraged, and now this uni- versity which is to be built and man- aged by building contractors. Clearly the government sees no value in the countryside except as a source for speculation." In a separate statement issued by the Ramblers' Association of Mal- ta, Flimkien Ghal Ambjent Ahjar (FAA), Malta Organic Agriculture Movement (MOAM), Friends of the Earth Malta (FoE) and the Ter- raFirma Collective, the government was accused of not honouring its promise to consider a new site for a private university. The eNGOs noted with "disap- pointment" that the government is already in negotiations with the owners of private land in the Zon- qor area to accommodate the Jorda- nian investor building the presumed American University of Malta. "This contradicts the impression that was given by the government during a last minute consultation meeting with the environmental NGOs on the eve of signing the agreement with Sadeen Group." The eNGOs said that in this meet- ing they were given the impression that due consideration would be given to the option of re-siting the University away from the 90,000 square metres of ODZ land. "This was further reinforced by statements coming from prominent members of the government, such as environment minister Leo Brin- cat." The eNGOs said the re-siting ex- ercise was not being taken seriously by the government, then it would be grossly unfair to continue to waste the resources of the NGOs in this manner. "It is becoming increasingly clear that the public consultation process on the University in the South so far has been no more than a cosmetic exercise, with all the eNGOs and local councils called in for nothing more than to legitimise a fait ac- compli." The NGOs said more develop- ment in the countryside was unsus- tainable and unacceptable, saying the twisting of ODZ boundaries to accommodate large commercial de- velopments made a mockery of the concept of ODZ itself, "whose pur- pose is to preserve the countryside and thus protect a common good." "It is even more disturbing that the country's resources continue to be wasted in this manner, seeing that 1% of Malta's total arable land will be destroyed in the process, while heritage sites lie vacant and falling to pieces." 'Successful like Smart City' says Muscat on AUM TIM DIACONO PRIME Minister Joseph Muscat yesterday said he was convinced that the government's negotiations for the American University would be suc- cessful, drawing comparisons to how his government had "managed to turn Smart City into a success story". Muscat was asked by MaltaToday whether he can guarantee that the American University of Malta won't prove to be a repeat of Smart City, whose success had hinged on the willingness of IT investors to set up shop there. "This government is managing to turn Smart City into a success story," Muscat responded. "If we are capable of transforming Smart City from a white elephant in- to a reality, then I am convinced that the way we are negotiating and view- ing the development of the American University of Malta will also prove successful." Muscat was speaking while touring stalls at the Marsa Sports Complex that have been set up for this year's Puttinu Cares Football Marathon. The AUM intends to host an av- erage of 4,000 students, with 1,000 freshers joining every year. On their website, they have said that they are targeting students from the Middle East, the Gulf Region, North Africa and Europe. Of course, its pioneer students must first be willing to fork out money to study at a brand new university run by a company, Sadeen, that has no prior experience in running universi- ties. When asked whether he is con- vinced that students will be willing to do so with a fledgling institution, Muscat said that he was "convinced of the strength of the university's business model." He also pointed out that the previ- ous Nationalist administration had constructed a sewage plant at Ta' Bakrat, near Xghajra. "I am convinced that, just as the previous administration had found a place to construct a sewage plant, so can we find a place in the same vicin- ity to construct a university," Muscat said, while repeating his pledge that the government is ready to listen to alternative site proposals. Green NGOs blast Zonqor university 'fait accompli' Hani Salah (centre) chairman of the Sadeen Group, signs the heads of agreement with economy and education ministers Chris Cardona (left) and Evarist Bartolo The Prime Minister with economy minister Chris Cardona