Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/599604
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 11 NovEmbEr 2015 7 Continues from page 1 Having re- cently addressed an MDA fifth an- niversary activity, Chetcuti had re- ferred to the boom in the property industry, "for whoever is working properly, developing sustainably and for whoever follows the rules and directives that are being im- posed on us by the European Un- ion." Asked to explain his comments, Chetcuti said he had been referring to the various schemes and incen- tives offered by the government to address property over supply. "We are urging our members to learn from past mistakes … In the past there were members who failed because of the way they op- erated." The meeting with Busuttil was held at the PN headquarters in Pieta where Busuttil said that sus- tainability and honesty would be the two pillars of any relationship a Nationalist government would have with Malta's lobby of construction developers. "You recently were quoted telling developers to 'make hay while the sun shines'… and that damage done is only repaired slowly. To the PN construction is an important sector, so much so that in 25 years of ad- ministration we changed the island from a Third World country into one with a modern infrastructure, Busuttil said "Mistakes were done but this sec- tor remains important. So it's on two foundations that we base this importance: sustainability, which the sector must recognize is impor- tant. Otherwise we would be killing the very country we need for us to live from." Busuttil said it was inconceivable that the Prime Minister selects a 90,000 square metre stretch of land to accommodate a developer he had met privately, referring to the Jor- danian Sadeen Group and the pro- spective American University they will be constructing in Marsaskala. "The second foundation is honesty in governance," Busuttil said, men- tioning again that granting outside development zones to Sadeen was "not on". "If you don't have transpar- ency, good governance will suffer." While Sandro Chetcuti com- mented that the MDA was growing dissatisfied with what he said was "excessive bureaucracy", Busuttil warned that the forthcoming de- merger of MEPA would be shifting power from an independent regu- lator to politicians. "For us this is a recipe for bad governance," he said. Chetcuti on his part said that his comments on 'making hay while the sun shines' were in reference to previous efforts by developers at seeing governments enact certain policy changes. "We are annoyed at having to wait for a change in gov- ernment to see that changes take place," he said. "Measures such as the first-time buyers' discount on tax worked and helped us offload the oversupply of building units." "We hope that all of us have learnt of the mistakes of the past. We hope that the construction sector does not pass through the same bad times it went through in the last years… "We want to work with anybody who is elected to government. It should make no difference to us." News Design, Construction and Operation of a Fish Processing Plant at the Fish Market in Marsa GOVERNMENT OF MALTA CALL FOR REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS The Privatisation Unit ('PU'), acting on behalf of the Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights, is issuing a public Request for Proposals (RFP) in connection with the concession for the Design, Construction and Operation of a Fish Processing Plant at the Fish Market buildings in Marsa. The PU is inviting submissions for the RFP from reputable persons and/or entities with the necessary experience and resources to undertake such task. In the first instance, inte In the first instance, interested parties are invited to communicate with the PU, at the email address shown below, expressing their interest to undertake the task. Once this initial communication takes place, the PU will forward a process letter inviting interested parties to collect the RFP document. The process letter will explain the procedure to be followed for the collection and submission of the RFP document. Opening date for collection of RFP: 2nd November 2015 (12.00hours CET) Closing date fo Closing date for collecting the RFP: 16th November 2015 (12.00hours CET) Closing date for the submission of the RFP: 9th December 2015 (12.00hours CET) The Chairman Privatisation Unit Ministry for the Economy, Investment and Small Business 4, Clock Tower, Level 1 Tigne Point Sliema Sliema TP01 Tel: (+356) 22209573 Email: privatisation.meib@gov.mt Website: privatisation.gov.mt 'sustainability and honesty' pillars for pn relationship with developers Simon Busuttil (right) meets with Sandro Chetcuti and the MDA lobby. Photo: James Galea