Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/989894
11 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 3 JUNE 2018 NEWS ANALYSIS delegate this role to local councils and indi- vidual MPs and candidates in his own party? Muscat's grassroots problem Muscat may also have underestimated op- position to mega-projects which impinge on people's daily life in terms of traffic, infra- structure and visual impact. Muscat's second term in office has seen La- bour-led councils becoming more assertive in taking a stance against development backed by the central government. Muscat already had to back off from a factory extension at Bulebel. The strong opposition to the project by the Labour-led Pembroke council must have weighed on Muscat's attempt to skirt the issue. Asked whether he agreed with the planned development, Muscat told MaltaToday that it was not a matter of being for or against it, but what was important was to ensure it was done in a sensible manner. Like Delia, he also has thrown the ball back to the PA. Asked whether – considering that the gov- ernment had an interest in the project, since it had already issued the land transfer con- tract for the area proposed for developed – a consideration of the impact on residents should have happened before the land was transferred, Muscat said that while the State agreed that a project should take place, the ef- fect on residents would be something within the Planning Authority's remit. Muscat may still have space for manoeuvre on this issue. His hint that a "good compro- mise" could be possible, has to be seen in view of previous compromises like the decision to scale down the development on ODZ land proposed at Zonqor Point. Muscat may well position himself as the monarch who inter- venes on behalf of the people to persuade de- velopers to scale down their plans. Yet this time round it is difficult to envis- age how a compromise can be struck at such an advanced point of the project. One major constraint is the presence of an underground cave whose preservation has conditioned the design of the project. Scaling down the development could also impact the developers' financial projections as they have paid out a €15 million premium on the land. It remains questionable whether the government could reduce any due payments on the land in return for a scale-down. Ultimately what the DB saga shows is the importance of having representatives of government and the Opposition on the PA board: only in this way can they be account- able for their party's position on important issues impacting on local communities. And that means neither Delia nor Muscat can skirt these issues indefinitely. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt The other major problem for Delia is that his silence may be seen as further evidence that he is as compromised with powerful lobbies as Muscat is PHOTO BY JAMES BIANCHI