Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/964110
maltatoday WEDNESDAY 11 APRIL 2018 Analysis 7 more to lose by turning green? The electoral calculus One may well be misled by the favourable reaction on the social media to the graffiti protest which reflects wide- spread concern on the con- struction frenzy in Maltese society. This reflects the growing uneasiness in various sectors of Maltese society to rampant development. Alongside concerns on traf- fic, corruption and the num- ber of foreigners emerges as one of the main grievances in a context of economic growth and high trust ratings for the government in office. Muscat who has ticked all the concern boxes of pre-2013 Maltese society may see this as an invitation to start address- ing the concerns emerging as a result of a development model he pushed himself. Unlike concern on corrup- tion, concern on environmen- tal issues tends to cut across the political divide and most environmentalists who lead these causes have a track re- cord of opposing development under different administra- tions. It may also be easier for civil society to mobilise on soft en- vironmental issues than on more complex concerns like good governance which al- though intimately related to land use issues are more likely to become politicised along partisan lines. Moreover, the latest surveys show that concern on over- development is highest among undecided voters and those intending not to vote. At 16% concern on the en- vironment and construction together have now emerged as one of the top three con- cerns along with traffic and immigration. 9% specifically referred to construction while 8% referred to the environ- ment in general. Concern on construction rises to 14% among undecided voters. Concern on construction and over-development only started picking up in Malta- Today surveys in March 2017 when 4% mentioned this prob- lem. The intensity of feeling Yet whether this translates into substantial political change depends on the inten- sity of feeling behind these surveys. For one may well interpret rising concerns on construc- tion as a reflection of the de- cline in concern on bread and butter issues which are more likely to trigger changes in voting patterns. Moreover, environmental is- sues and even concern on con- struction itself tend to be ge- neric and do not reveal other electoral dynamics. For example, while people may grumble against develop- ment especially when they are on the receiving end of noise and mayhem, this may not al- ter their voting patterns. The cost of changing tack On the other hand planning policies which favour develop- ments like new petrol stations, chairs and tables in front of restaurants and the construc- tion of countryside structures may well change the vote of those benefitting from these policies. So does the appre- ciation in value in land which came as a result of the policy changes. We tend to overlook that thanks to these policies a con- siderable number of people have won the lottery. Moreover, in the case of pet- rol stations, the government is not faced by angry local com- munities but by sporadic ac- tion by activists. Sure enough Muscat is PR sensitive and does not like its narrative of 'positivity' tainted by protests. In the face of the massive Zon- qor protest, the government responded by scaling down the ODZ development from 90,000sq.m to 18,000 sq.m. Subsequently the govern- ment backtracked from a lo- cal plan revision set to tweak ODZ boundaries and some major ODZ developments like the old people's home in Wied Ghomor which was turned down in the face of opposition by local communities. Yet an abrupt change to these policies may well alien- ate strategic segments of vot- ers which shifted from the PN to the PL simply because it is perceived as being more pro- development. This is why the revision of the petrol stations policy is tricky for government. Yet at this stage the govern- ment may well be making the electoral calculation that enough people have benefitted and it is time to set the house in order. Whether this reasoning will extend from petrol stations to other policies remains to be seen. Now it's up to ERA to pro- pose changes to other policies like the guidelines regulat- ing rural development, which include several loopholes to accommodate ODZ develop- ments. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt come, first served? ODZ Petrol stations approved under fuel station policy Location Owner Burmarrad (opposite Kiabi) Joseph Attard (Construction &Turnkey) Triq l-Arznu in Maghtab Paul Abela (Abel Energy) Sant Antnin Road M'scala Patrick Guntrip Petrol station applications being assessed under new policy Location Owner Triq Hal Qormi Luqa Raymond Brincat Triq l-Imdina Attard Ludwig Camilleri Triq Hal Tarxien Zejtun Ruben Farrugia Triq l-Imgarr Mgarr Nazzareno Vella Triq tal-Balal Iklin Paul Falzon Triq Burmarrad, St Paul's Bay Bonnici Stores Limited Triq Burmarrad, St Paul's Bay Easysell Ltd L-Andar ta'Fuq, Mqabba Denfar Limited Marsa (near Turkish cemetery) Cassar Fuel Services Triq l-Industrija Kirkop Giancarlo Cini The petrol station proposed in Luqa