Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/609762
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 2 DECEMBER 2015 5 JAMES DEBONO PARTISAN considerations on tar- geting the strategic Gozo district in 2018 and the positioning of rival candidates and MPs jockeying for votes risks skewing the debate on the Gozo tunnel Franco Mercieca and Chris Said, who have teamed up in a "front" in favour of the Gozo tunnel, may belong to rival parties but they are both aspiring to become the respec- tive front runners of their respective party and to take over from the old guard represented by Gozo Minis- ter Anton Refalo and former Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono. They seem to be banking on the inevitable popularity a tunnel pro- posal is bound to have on a small island where travel to the mainland depends on maritime transport. The latest MaltaToday survey on the issue conducted in 2011 showed 65% in favour of a tunnel. It was Chris Said who first milked political capital out of this issue be- fore the 2013 general election. In an orchestrated move the proposal for a Malta-Gozo tunnel was not made by the government but by Gozitan businessman Joe Borg, during a visit by former Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi to the FXB Xewkija furniture factory in January 2011. Then it was Chris Said's turn to endorse the proposal, costing it at €150 million (half the current price tag) and organising a public dialogue meeting on the subject. Follow- ing Giovanna Debono's resignation from the PN parliamentary group after her husband was arraigned in court facing works for votes allega- tions, Said finds himself the natural front runner in the PN ranks, espe- cially after being divested of the role of general secretary and asked by his party leader to dedicate all his ener- gies on Gozo. He cannot afford to lose paternity for the Gozo tunnel proposal to Joseph Muscat. There- fore he now finds himself at the fore- front of the movement to support a project on the watch of a Labour government. Franco Mercieca is also widely seen as Muscat's favourite for the role of Gozo Minister. In fact before 2013 he was regarded as one of the party's star candidates. But Mer- cieca failed to dent Anton Refalo's strong hold on Labour's Gozitan electorate. Now Mercieca seems to have Muscat's blessing to take an active role in pushing for the tunnel project. This is bound to give Mer- cieca more visibility at the expense of Refalo. Feeling left out, Refalo, who previ- ously supported the idea of building a bridge, has come out in favour of a referendum in which he expects Gozitan votes to count more than Maltese votes. Mercieca has shot down Refalo's idea. Gozo Business Chamber president Michael Grech has scoffed at the idea, noting that Refalo had never mentioned the word referendum, yet he wants one now, when a tunnel, not a bridge, is the primary option for government. "Why do you want a referendum now?" The referendum seems to be a way for Refalo to remain on the centre stage of the debate. For af- ter having seen the bridge proposal which he had supported ditched, and the proposed airstrip put on the backburner due to its take up of ODZ land, Refalo has found himself losing the paternity over any large project in Gozo. Apart from the consideration of individual candidates jockeying for the Gozo Ministry, both parties have come to the realization that Gozo is one of the most electorally strategic districts. In 2013 Labour won an unprec- edented three seats in Gozo amidst major losses for the PN. In the 2015 local election the PL continued gaining ground in Gozo despite PN gains in the mainland. Both parties therefore seem keen on affirming their paternity of a project which may give them the edge in Gozo. Moreover both parties know that they can keep the dream alive for the two years without having to fork out any monies to realize it. What they may be discounting is that some Gozitans may see through the propaganda and start clamouring for more sustainable solutions like a fast ferry service to Valletta. Surely for the PN the tunnel may create a rift between environmental- ly sensitive voters who tend to scorn large-scale developments, which are bound to impact negatively on the environment, and Gozitan voters who consider a tunnel favourably. It also creates a problem for the PN in selling its newly acquired green cre- dentials. Muscat may have less of a prob- lem with his voters, who so far seem to support his pro-development agenda. By ditching the bridge he had initially favoured to the extent of commissioning a blacklisted Chinese company to conduct feasi- bility studies, Mucat has effectively neutered the Nationalist opposition, which now finds itself fighting for paternity of the project. Had Muscat persisted on the bridge, he would have allowed the PN to take a mid- dle of the road position favouring a tunnel as an alternative to a highly visible bridge. Interestingly the new movement has also usurped the "front" appella- tive – which in the Maltese context is associated with environmental movements opposing mega devel- opments like the Verdala golf course and the Zonqor university. This may suggest a preventive strike against opponents who may be tempted to use the front appellative to oppose the project. Ultimately what counts for the rival parties and candidates is who will take paternity of the tunnel. The risk is that with big business and both political parties support- ing the project, the debate will be one-sided. Moreover, if ever realized, the project may well be beneficial to the politically well connected construc- tion industry due to spin offs like the construction of new roads leading to the tunnel in both Gozo and north- ern Malta. Moreover so far the only report presented is a pre-feasibility study by Gordon Cordina, which con- cludes that a tunnel costed at a stag- gering €300 million is more feasible than a bridge. It is still unknown how much the state will have to sub- sidise the private owners of the tun- nel for them to provide the service at an affordable price for the Gozitans who want to use it on a daily basis. Geological studies which would ul- timately determine whether a tun- nel could be constructed or not have still to be held. News Gozo tunnel: The battle for paternity Pro-tunnel lobby says accessibility is key for Gozo residents MARTINA BORG A group of relatively unknown university students have joined forces with Gozitan MPs to cre- ate 'Front Favur il-Mina' in sup- port of a tunnel linking Malta and Gozo. Speaking at a press conference at Sa Maison, Front member Jonathan Mintoff stressed that Gozo was not just a holiday island and that some 30,000 residents depended on better connectivity between the islands. "As a front we are in favour of a three-stage approach to tackle issues, both in the short- and long-term," Mintoff said, adding that there were some 1,700 Gozi- tan students in Malta and over 30,000 employees with many having to travel to Malta on a daily basis. Although not formally part of the group, MPs Chris Said (PN) and Franco Mercieca (PL) at- tended the conference to show their support and when asked why they were so vocal in their support before any geological studies have been completed, they stressed the need for stud- ies to be carried out quickly in order to have work begin as soon as possible. Both MPs praised the students for taking the initiative to sup- port better connectivity between the islands and opposition MP Chris Said underlined that the quality of life and progress of the island depended on a permanent link. He stressed that Gozo was fac- ing a brain drain, as many young people felt the need to move to Malta in order to enjoy better opportunities. "We should avoid a situation where Gozo becomes like an home for the elderly and give young people the choice to live there if they wish," Mercieca added. Discussing whether the idea of Gozo as an ecological island would be shattered with such an initiative, Mercieca stressed the needs of the residents of the island, and the importance of ac- cessibility. The MPs were also asked about the impact that such a tunnel might have on Gozo Channel Co., saying that the company would probably be downsized but that appropriate studies would also be carried out to determine the future of the ferry service. Front member Beppe Galea said that the group was suggest- ing a reintroduction of fast ferry services and of merchant vessels from Gozo to the centre of Malta, besides the tunnel, as short-term solutions to connectivity issues. Galea pointed out that the front supported an open debate about the proposed tunnel be- tween Malta and Gozo, and they encouraged anyone who was in support of this proposal to join in the discussion. "This tunnel will inevitably put Gozo on a higher level," another front member, Carla Galea said. She added that according to a study compiled by economist Gordon Cordina, the tunnel will only cost €300 million which she insisted was a cheaper option than a bridge which the same study said would cost some €800 million. Speaking on a particularly windy day, Cachia fittingly point- ed out that Gozitans had grown accustomed to travelling in bad weather conditions, but that the attitude of complacency towards this should change. Front favur il-mina launched to support better connectivity between Malta and Gozo