Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/952911
maltatoday SUNDAY 11 MARCH 2018 26 As the dust settles and the debris of Monday's celebrations is cleared away, the people of Malta will most likely take stock of the implications of last Saturday's election result. At face value, it represents a monumen- tal victory for Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, who has pulled off a remarkable win, made all the more memorable for having been largely against the run of play. Working against Gonzi was the law of averages, which in Malta has always (until last Saturday) militated against the possibility of a single party winning three consecutive elections… not to mention five in the space of just over 20 years. Also working against the Nationalist Party was a systematic smear campaign against a number of key Cabinet minis- ters and members of parliament. For the past five years at least, individual MPs have been targeted by a campaign of muckraking and charges of corruption. Sometimes these involved gratuitous and unwarranted allegations, but in many cases the accusations were substantiated. Gonzi's earlier resistance to change any of his misbehaving ministers may have paid off in the short term, but the incoming government must also accept the fact that some of its members now come with baggage which makes them unsuitable for reappointment as ministers. *** Former ministers such as Jesmond Mugliett, Ninu Zammit and Giovanna Debono were all besmirched by allega- tions of corruption, cronyism and incom- petence. Mugliett in particular had even tendered his resignation, which Gonzi turned down. Still, all three have survived the electoral test, albeit with smaller vote counts. Ironically, among those to pay the ultimate price of the GonziPN gamble was none other than Louis Galea; a veteran Nationalist of the old school, who can be said to have engineered this latest victory on at least two counts: coming up with the fatal "repeater class" slogan, and defusing Dr Sant's health cabinet memo bomb by revealing that he had personally sent it back before Cabinet discussion could take place. But perhaps the most indicative case is that of Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, the Nationalist backbencher formerly viewed as potential environment minister mate- rial. Over the last two weeks Pullicino Orlando was at the centre of a veritable cyclone of pre-electoral controversy, after Sant produced document after document to reveal his involvement in an applica- tion to develop a large open-air disco in Mistra Bay: one of Malta's environmen- tally sensitive beauty spots. Admittedly, Sant's endless accusations of "corruption" were at best weak, con- sidering that the documentary evidence produced to date does not add up to any law-breaking on the MP's part. But in consistently denying knowledge of the Mistra permit application – only to be exposed as signatory to a contract which specifies that his land is to be leased precisely for such development – the otherwise affable and popular Zebbug politician has dented his own credibility and annihilated all his green credentials in one fell swoop. It is also true that Pullicino Orlando was nonetheless elected from two dis- tricts; but from this newspaper's enquir- ies it is estimated that outside the periph- ery of PN hardliners, Pullicino Orlando's antics have also cost the Nationalist Party dearly in terms of national support. From this perspective, Gonzi's outright, a priori exclusion of a Cabinet post for Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando suggests that the Prime Minister has taken the general message on board. More importantly it signals that Lawrence Gonzi is intent on making a fresh start for his second term of office as Prime Minister – as he had in fact promised before the election. This is welcome news, and a brave step for the newly sworn-in Premier. However, it also leaves Gonzi with limited options when it comes to forming a Cabinet which can really give that much-needed impression of novelty. A cursory glance at the composition of parliament will in fact reveal only two entirely new Nationalist MPs to speak of – Franco Debono and Beppe Fenech Adami. Of the rest, there are many who are capable, but none who can realistically be described as "young blood". By distancing himself from Pullicino Orlando, Prime Minister Gonzi has already given an indication that he genu- inely intends to strike a different course. Today we shall see just how "new" his future way of doing politics will be. Send your letters to: The Editor, MaltaToday, MediaToday Ltd. Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 | Fax: (356) 21 385075 E-mail: newsroom@mediatoday.com.mt. Letters to the Editor should be concise. No pen names are accepted. 'Young blood' in short supply Opinion News – 12 March 2008 Malta is shrinking! A simple coastal walk on our small island will make one conscious of a sad reality that cannot be contested by anyone – our small island is shrinking, and shrinking fast! You do not have to be a geo- graphical expert or an acclaimed geologist to observe this because the facts speak for themselves: our Azure window in Dwejra has disappeared into the blue sea, the cliffs at Tal-Ahrax in Mellieha are crumbling, the ground near the tower at Qbajjar in Gozo is slowly but steadily giving way to the waves… the list goes on. Indeed, all those who go for walks along the coast will easily confirm that erosion is alive and literally kicking at the base of the Maltese archipelago. The next step is what to do about it, as the beautiful Mediterranean sea slowly eats away at our small island while the population on this rocky outcrop keeps increasing. And, the answer is blatantly clear: land reclamation. Unfortunately, because of a few pressure groups who quickly rub- bish the idea, land reclamation has been sidelined in recent years but it is the only solution to this shrinking island of ours. We have done it before – with successful results – and we should do it again now, before it is too late. Just take a look at the Sliema Fer- ries… the roads there are all built on reclaimed land which continues all along the Gzira front. Even the road at St George's bay in Birzeb- buga is reclaimed. As a young boy in the late 1960s, I remember the sea washing up all over the tarmac, that is before the road was widened over reclaimed land. In reply to those are still scepti- cal, I don't think that dumping rubble and construction waste from building sites into the sea – as happened on many occasions and as is planned to happen again with the development of shoreline buildings in the SmartCity area – makes any sense both from an economic viewpoint and also from an environmental perspective! Obviously, one has to exert max- imum caution when reclaiming land because, as happened in the case of Freeport, such land recla- mation helped to bring in the cash but at an exorbitant environmen- tal price! However, by and large and with some genuine common sense, I think it is about time that we start considering this realistic option which can be a win-win situation for our tiny islands that are ever becoming tinier. Richard Hall Qawra Moviment Graffi tti salutes Charles Miceli PA is responsible for choking last green lung at Luqa Moviment Graffitti activists are in utter shock, speechless after receiving the news that Charles Miceli, a towering figure in the struggle for social justice in Malta, has passed away. No words can explain the void he leaves, not only on a political level, but also on an emo- tional one. He was an inspiration to all of us; leftists, activists and all those who believe that another world is possible. Up to this day, we had been fighting together for rent regulation in Malta, and last year we were together in de- manding a decent minimum wage. Charles was a kind-hearted, genuine person. He always lived true to his principles, helping people in need while fighting for social, political and economic change. We are sad, we're in tears and we feel or- phaned. Charles, your loss makes us feel lost. At this point we can only promise you that your spirit, your thirst for social justice and activ- ism, will continue living in all of us. Andre Callus Moviment Graff itti The Planning Authority is responsible for choking Luqa's last green lung as hun- dreds of apartments are being approved through piecemeal applications on the only tract of open space near the village core and the Luqa Primary school. The mass concretisation of this virgin land started in 2016 through the proposal of a large scale development covering 8,700sqm being processed through five separate planning applications. FAA had warned that the splitting of the develop- ment was clearly an attempt to evade screening for an Environmental Impact Assessment, and to negate the developer from having to provide open space as would have been necessary had the devel- opment been processed as a whole. Three of the five applications were immediately withdrawn, due to what the developer insisted were economic factors. FAA warned that the developer would likely apply for the other sites to be devel- oped in time and that it was necessary for the Board to insist that if such applica- tions were submitted, the PA must con- sider them as part of the whole develop- ment and not allow abusive salami-slicing of the site that would enable the area to be developed without an environmental as- sessment being carried out, or any public open space being provided. The warnings fell on deaf ears, with the Planning Board approving the two appli- cations without imposing any conditions for the provision of open space or the sustainable development of the adjacent sites. Now barely a year later, new develop- ments on the surrounding sites are being approved through piecemeal applications with no provisions for even a square inch of open space, as FAA had warned. The land offered a unique opportu- nity to design and plan for open space and public amenities that would have complemented the new residential area. Instead, as a result of the PA's outright refusal to consider holistic planning, and to shoulder responsibility for the shaping of our towns, this last bit of grass will be tarmacked with no considerations for facilities, green areas or open space that would have made it a sustainable and attractive location offering both existing and new residents a decent quality of life. This once green lung will be transformed into monotonous over-built streets void of character and a sense of place, all with the PA's approval. Tara Cassar Flimkien ghal-Ambjent Ahjar @ maltatoday