Last Updated on Friday, 4 October, 2024 at 8:11 am by Andre Camilleri
Last week, I wrote an article about the importance of providing a vision when it comes to planning. However, by planning, I did not mean just the Planning Authority, but an overhaul on the way we do things, especially when it comes to mega infrastructural projects.
Personally, I strongly believe that the PL and the PN must come together and agree on common principles, that matter to people, and which the electorate is craving to see. These include, among others, education, health and the environment. An agreement on the latter is desperately needed. Frankly, the Nationalist Party must reconsider the narrative to make the environment a fundamental right in our Constitution. In part, I agree with the thinking, but they are being populist. We need to understand the principles of what this fundamental right entails, and how this will affect us if it is included as part of our Constitution. What we surely need is the right to adequate green space, in highly urbanised zones. Also, we need to live in a country where people understand what is right and wrong. And the right and wrong can only be agreed, and explained to the electorate, if the two leading political parties agree on the principles. Nonetheless, I do not mind involving smaller parties. Their opinion matters, too, along with civil society.
This year, we have marked 60 years since Malta achieved its Independence. True, when you have a look at the economic proposal of the 1950s, and the 1960s, some viable options for Malta to progress, back then, were just mass migration. Indeed, it happened. Thousands left to build another life elsewhere. When we analyse what we had back then in terms of assets, and what we have today, we are relatively better off. The country is more affluent, and people are more comfortable. However, we must digest the fact that we are at a critical point. We are currently standing at a great precipice. Our economy must be pulled back. We are more people living here today, and therefore we need to readjust our policies. It took only 60 years to ruin the environment. This was thanks to tribal politics. Indeed, subsequent parochial politicians gave to certain segments of our society what was never theirs, and what was only meant to be for the enjoyment of future generations and the public. Politicians, on both sides of the room, robbed current, and future, generations. The electorate must understand our economic priorities. We cannot have a situation where we do not prioritise the environment, anymore. It is not an option but a must. Please, do press the reset button on the planning side.
When last week I uploaded a photo of two peaks of debris seen in a distance from my back home terrace on my social media, people jumped in and mentioned the authors and the area. Well, Onorato Visconti must be rolling in his grave for ruining the view! Needless to say, I deleted the post out of respect, as I always hold dear to verify things before any names are mentioned. In principle, having a plant that is crushing and recycling stone, to then be reused as a raw material, is in part aligned with the EU’s strategy of the circular economy. It is the only way to achieve sustainability and reduce construction waste while optimising the limited waste disposal spaces left on the Maltese islands. However, the problem is that we need to oversee how the business operations are executed, now that each town and village expanded to a point of touching each other.
For instance, let’s all agree that Malta has a problem where to dispose of construction waste. We are currently at a critical point. The government and the Opposition must agree on the way forward. They have to agree on whether we go for land reclamation or else we stop building. This applies also to the proposed mass transportation system that the Opposition is mentioning as a matter of a fairytale to solve the traffic problem in Malta, immediately. They seem to be living in a parallel universe. As if they have a magic wand to solve everything, without even providing any solutions. If we agree on land reclamation, it mustn’t be for luxurious hotels and additional marinas. That won’t solve our problems. If we agree on land reclamation, it is appropriate to study the idea of having an artificial island offshore. We need to commission a feasibility study. The vision needed is to carefully point towards those sectors that are polluting Malta, and we relocate them elsewhere. It would help ease the problem and resource pressure in Malta. We would retain the sectors that leave higher quality jobs for us living in Malta and stop ruining the few green spaces left. In its 2022 manifesto, the PL pledged to provide many green spaces. Indeed, they tried. However, it is just not working out. It did work for some, albeit differently, but not for the collective.
The electorate understood that by establishing an agency, specifically focused on refurbishing some dilapidated green areas, it won’t solve Malta’s environmental problems. The vison must be wider, and authorities must jump in to stop ruining green areas. The plan must be in line with the EU’s decarbonisation strategy, and the preservation of biodiversity and nature. Hopefully, by now, we all know that trees are not the main source of oxygen for the planet. No need to try hard there. Most of the planet’s oxygen is produced by photosynthesising organisms. These live in fresh water, the ocean and on land. In fact, photosynthesizing algae, in the ocean alone, attributes almost 70% of the oxygen in our atmosphere. So, we’d better look at our oceans, too.
We must start by understanding, which sectors we need to rid ourselves of, and a 25-year economic vision for the sectors that we must retain and enhance. If some sectors are not providing proper employment and gross value added to Malta’s economy, just get rid of them because they are impinging on the quality of life of the rest of the Maltese. We have a situation, where we are further creating additional pressures on our limited resources. And this includes, natural capital, as well as infrastructure. We must stop with our petty politics, and our politicians must scurry to take bold decisions, other than focusing on mindless chatters on Facebook and respond in crises. Else, we are all doomed to live gallingly in Malta. And please note that the Nationalist Party in government won’t solve the problems. The political problems are much wider, and beyond the PL and the PN.
Lastly, I pledge to work indefatigably to convince the authorities that this is the only way forward for Malta. Perhaps, one day, we achieve better standards that would aid in the quality of life for all.
