The courage to change

Good governance is central to the proper nurturing of this 50-year-old Republic. Good governance is founded on transparency and accountability. Secrecy and the withholding of information from the public domain, in contrast, generate bad governance.

Transparency is a basic characteristic of good governance whereas secrecy is the distinguishing mark of bad governance. This inevitably leads to the shielding of unethical behaviour, as well as the propagation of a culture of greed and corruption.

Transparency and accountability are inseparable twins. Accountability is, in fact, non-existent or severely diluted in the absence of transparency.

Good governance is much more than a concept. It is the essential foundation for any democratic Republic.  In the absence of good governance, greed flourishes, and national institutions are slowly transformed into personal fiefdoms. Corruption and rampant clientelism are the inevitable results of a lack of good governance.

In her inaugural speech on Thursday, President of the Republic Myriam Spiteri Debono spoke of the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia. Daphne’s assassination was described by Her Excellency as a wound that, as a nation, we must heal the soonest.

Daphne Caruana Galizia was actively involved in journalism, investigating corruption. Notwithstanding the continuous vitriol she faced, Daphne identified many a scandal associated with the governance model championed by the Labour Party in government.

This, in reality, is the wound to be healed. We need to finalise that begun by Daphne by ensuring, as a nation, that the corrupt face the music the soonest. Then the festering wounds of corruption, made worse as a result of a culture of impunity, will start the healing process. The rule of law must prevail without any exception.

The assassination of Daphne is also a heavy blow against good governance.  The public inquiry into the circumstances that led to Daphne’s assassination concluded with identifying the Maltese state as being ultimately responsible for all that happened.

A culture of greed has been reinforced with a culture of impunity.

The change necessary to heal this wound requires considerable courage and goodwill. I am not at present convinced that the political leadership currently in government is acting in good faith. It is a leadership under siege, continuously defending those who have driven this country to the dogs.

Land use planning and our environment are regulated by greed. Agricultural land is slowly disappearing as a result of the planning policies of the PN in government way back in 2006 through the so-called rationalisation exercise. The Labour Party opposed these plans when in Opposition but it is currently in the process of milking them dry to ensure that the greedy are fully satisfied.  Some have already licked their lips! Others are awaiting their turn.

It takes courage to act against greed, when both Parliamentary parties are fully committed to entrenching it as a way of life. They ensure the quality of life of the greedy, but in the process are ruining that of all the rest of us: both the present as well as the future generations.

The current set-up of our Parliament is part of the problem. It is no wonder, that, in this scenario, we are lumped with an electoral system that ensures that the voice of change is silenced by making it as difficult as possible for it to be heard.

Change is hindered as the national institutions are rigged against those who dare to speak up for the representation of a variety of minority views in the country.

As a result of this lack of political goodwill, ADPD-The Green Party is currently in Court contesting the discriminatory nature of this rigged electoral system. It is a constitutional court case that is hopefully approaching its conclusion.

At ADPD-The Green Party, we have long been speaking about the urgent need for electoral reform, focused on the need to ensure that every vote is valued. Until such time, no change can ensure that everybody is on board. One person, one vote, one value.

It takes courage (and political goodwill) to change.

published in The Malta Independent on Sunday: 7 April 2024

Love and tears: the theatrics of the speculative brigade

During the conference launching the KPMG annual review of the property market held last week, Michael Stivala, Malta Development Association Chairman, in a tear-jerking intervention, told us that the developers love us. Developers, he emphasised, need to treat third parties neighbouring their development as part of the family.

There is only one reply to these theatrics: we have had enough.  Much more than enough, in fact.

Redevelopment works in most of our towns and villages are, many a time, carried out without sufficient attention to the needs of and impacts on those living and working in the vicinity. At times it is seems as if they don’t even exist. They are considered by developers to be a nuisance.

ADPD-The Green Party has been at the forefront, over the years, in emphasising the need to apply a moratorium on large-scale development. It is welcome news that former Prime Minister and Labour Leader Alfred Sant is now singing from the same hymn book.

Too much damage has been done over the years through the continuous support of over-development by the state.

The rationalisation exercise approved by Parliament in 2006 had then added two million square metres of ODZ land to the development zone. A substantial portion of this land is now in the process of being developed and most localities are at the receiving end. To date ADPD-The Green Party is the only political party advocating the reversal of this exercise. We have been constantly harping this point since the day the rationalisation exercise was approved way back in July 2006.

To add insult to injury, the state does not fail to take up opportunities to join the speculative industry as is currently being done by Enemalta at il-Qajjenza, limits of Birżebbuġa. Earlier this week it has been reported in the media that Enemalta Corporation as well as the Lands Authority are supporting a planning control application by a private developer, which application is proposing the development of the site of the former gas-bottling plant. This site was decommissioned some years back when the LPG sector was privatised and the plant moved to another site at Bengħajsa.

This planning control application (PC 22/23) involves land having an area of slightly under 24,000 square metres and seeks to change the zoning of the site of the former Enemalta gas bottling depot to one of mixed residential and commercial development spread over six blocks. The proposed blocks vary in height from four to eight floors.

Do we need this? Isn’t enough damage already in hand? The question which begs a reply is the need to explain why Enemalta and the Lands Authority are joining the speculative brigade: bulldozing over the rights of the residential community. Enemalta has caused too much damage to the Birżebbuġa community over the years. Isn’t it time for some form of atonement?  Enemalta should commence planning for reparations, to make good the damage done over the years.

It would be of considerable interest to know the views, on the proposed Qajjenza development, of the three government MPs elected from the Birżebbuġa electoral district. These being Robert Abela, Prime Minister, Enemalta and Environment Minister Miriam Dalli and land use planning Minister Stefan Zrinzo-Azzopardi. It would not be in my view incorrect to assume that they support this application, as otherwise they would have stopped Enemalta from giving its consent.

It is no use that they now join Michael Stivala in shedding tears in sympathy with the Qajjenza residential community. It would have been more appropriate if the political appointees which they have nominated over the years took the appropriate decisions immediately.

Shedding tears is not a newly invented gimmick. Fortunately, most can see through such theatrics.

published in The Malta Independent on Sunday: 12 November 2023

The island of villages is under threat

Regional development policy seeks to improve the well-being of regions. Within the European Union it is commonly referred to as the cohesion policy. Through regional policy one seeks to eliminate disparities between regions: it encourages, assists, and finances initiatives to bring this about.

A draft Gozo Regional Development Strategy was published for public consultation very recently. It identifies the basic characteristics of Gozo and seeks to present a blueprint for the future of the island.

The draft strategy makes interesting reading. It contrasts with, and, at times, it is even in conflict with current policy and practice. There is nothing wrong with this, as it denotes a willingness for change from within. Whether this will eventually translate into concrete action is still to be seen. It is however a positive first step and must be recognised as such.

The basic philosophy of the strategy is encapsulated in the term “an island of villages”, used to describe Gozo.  The smallness of the village is used in contrast to the relatively larger urban areas. The term conveys a sense of calmness resulting from being one with nature, which is easily accessible in the village. Fields surrounding the villages link them directly to nature, radiating vitality. Most importantly, nature is respected in the village. It provides us with food and basic ecological services. It is our constant partner which, if we handle with care, will never let us down.

The smallness of the village is beautiful, economist Ernst Schumacher would have emphasised. Schumacher’s work grew out of his study of village-based economics. The full title of his work is: “Small is beautiful. A study of economics as if people mattered.” Economics is not just about numbers and so-called growth. At the end of the day, it is about people. Unfortunately, people are not always taken into consideration when policies are formulated.

The “island of villages” has been under siege for quite some time. It is a victim of overdevelopment. The 2021 Census report on residential property, just published, quantifies the extent of the problem: 45 per cent of residential property in Gozo is either vacant or under-used, in view of its use for seasonal or secondary accommodation. This statistic for the Gozo Region stands out in contrast to that for other regions. At a national level 27.5 per cent of residential property is vacant or under-utilised. The numbers for the Western region, at 22.1 per cent, are practically half the Gozo statistic.

This identifies a major threat to the “island of villages”. Why build so much if the resulting development remains vacant or else is hardly used. Can we, as a country, afford to keep churning out flats which remain vacant or unutilised for a long time and destroy our agricultural land in the process? This does not contribute to a positive quality of life. The island of villages is slowly being transformed into a ghost island.

The draft strategy apparently wants to end all this and dwells at length on the need to nurture a sustainable urban environment. Speaking on a point of principle, the authors of the strategy are right. It is however essential that they move on from words to concrete targets and action.

The point of departure for this strategy of “the island of villages” is that 45 per cent of its built-up area is vacant. At Marsalforn the relative percentage is even higher: a staggering 66.8 per cent of residential units were vacant on Census Day! This is not justifiable, not even on the grounds that Marsalforn is a seaside resort.

This has not happened overnight. It has developed one block at a time. It has accelerated with the decisions taken to extend the development zone in 2006 through the rationalisation exercise. Then, as a result, one million square metres of ODZ land became suitable for development. The practical results are here for all to see. It keeps getting worse by the minute.

The “island of villages”, as a result, is developing into a ghost island. Practically half of its residential property is vacant.

The Gozo Regional Development Authority is right to emphasise all this. However, I have to point out that it has no authority to take action to remedy the situation. That rests with the “Planning Authority” which has meticulously planned and implemented this whole mess.

Where do we go from here?

As a minimum we need a moratorium on large scale development, not just in the “island of villages”, but all over the Maltese islands.  The rationalisation exercise must be scrapped the soonest. It must necessarily follow that the building construction industry must be cut down to size. It has caused too much damage to the country. The threat to the island of villages must be forcefully addressed.

published in The Malta Independent on Sunday: 24 September 2023

Vacant properties: an investment or a launderette?

The publication of the 2021 Census Report on the characteristics of existing residential property once, more focuses the spotlight on the urban sprawl and in particular on the substantial number of vacant or under-utilised dwellings available in these islands.

On the day of the Census, the existence of 297,304 dwellings was recorded. Of these 81,613 were grouped as either vacant or else as being dwellings having a seasonal or secondary use. It works out at 27.5 per cent of the housing stock which at a national level is under-utilised. This varies regionally from a 22.1 per cent low, in the Western region, to a 45 per cent high in Gozo! From a 15.5 per cent low at Santa Luċija Malta to a 66.8 per cent high at Iż-Zebbuġ Gozo, which locality includes the seaside resort of Marsalforn.

While the Marsalforn numbers are most probably, primarily, a reflection of the predominantly seasonal accommodation in the locality, the overall numbers are still a cause for concern. The situation gets progressively worse.

The total number of vacant or under-utilised dwellings, 81,613, is equivalent to 6 times the size of residential Sliema or 8 times the size of residential B’Kara or 9 times that of residential Mosta. Given the small size of the country these numbers are substantial. They indicate the strain on both the environment as well as the public purse which is resulting from over-development.  These under-utilised dwellings are served with the required infrastructural services:  roads, electricity, public sewers and water services at a substantial public expense, which could have been more beneficially used in other areas where existing dwellings are actually in use, continuously!

The reasons for existing residential property being vacant or only being used occasionally are various. One cannot generalise. The census itself, in fact, identifies around 6,000 residential units as being in a shell state on the date of the Census.

There are several issues which should be considered and acted upon. Hopefully they will not be once more ignored.

With over 80,000 vacant or under-utilised properties, what sense does it make to continue dishing out development permits for large scale developments which keep adding to the stock of vacant properties? One of the major contributors to the creation of this mess is undoubtedly the land use planning rationalisation exercise, which in 2006 added one million square metres to the development zone. These are currently being developed.

With over 80,000 vacant or partially used properties it makes no sense to have a waiting list at the Housing Authority for those seeking alternative accommodation. The Housing Authority should tap the existing housing stock, rather than add to it, in order to address its waiting list immediately. The current projects of the Housing Authority are a waste of resources when such a large number of properties are available. This is bad governance of the worst kind.

A third consideration is to tax long-term vacant properties. It does not make any environmental sense to develop land (including agricultural land) and subsequently to keep the developed property vacant. Nor does it make economic sense to invest so much without seeking to recover economic benefits in the form of rent. Those who persist in keeping their properties unused in the long term should pay a vacant property tax which would in part compensate the public exchequer for the expenditure incurred in creating the ghost towns made up of these 81,613 vacant or under-utilised properties.

Taxing long-term vacant properties could encourage their being placed on the market, to the benefit of all. As a result, they would possibly avoid the tax altogether! The tax would have achieved its purpose in encouraging the use of all existing properties. It would have achieved its purpose of causing a behavioural change. This is the objective of most environmental taxes.

There is another issue: that of money laundering through property investment. Since Malta made it to the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) a number of years ago, some attention is being paid to the property launderette, as both Estate Agents as well as Notaries are carrying out some form of due diligence on property which is being sold. It is not unheard of for a property sale not materialising if there is doubt on the source of funds invested or being invested.  Investigating properly unexplained sources of wealth would contribute substantially not only to cleaning up the country but also in addressing the stock of vacant properties.

The use of property to launder illicit gains is not a new phenomenon. Regulatory initiatives in this respect are however still in their infancy.

The primary conclusion from this Census is a clear message to the Planning Authority to get its house in order. Why build so much to keep the resulting residential units vacant? It is a question we have been asking for years. Unfortunately, they are not bothered to answer!

published on The Malta Independent on Sunday: 10 September 2023

The Climate Emergency: beyond the MCESD circus

On the 22 October 2019 Parliament unanimously accepted what has been obvious to most of us for quite some time: we are in the midst of a climate emergency.

Taking stock of the situation, now, four years down the line, reveals that not much has been done to translate the 2019 Parliamentary consensus into tangible action. It was only as a result of the current dramatic failure of the power distribution network that Robert Abela’s government has woken up from its climatic slumber. With a straight face he stated that the failure of the distribution network is a result of a worsening climate change!

Undoubtedly climate change was one of the contributors to the power distribution network’s failure. Climate change is however not the only culprit. Gross incompetence and lack of long-term planning are the major contributors to the current state of affairs. After ten years in office his party must shoulder the blame.

ADPD-The Green Party has written to the Auditor General specifically to investigate Enemalta’s long-term plans (or the lack of them) and to examine the investments made into the energy distribution network over the last ten years. Those responsible have to be held accountable.

Robert Abela’s MCESD circus, last week, was another exercise in greenwashing. His government had various opportunities since 2019 in order to lay the foundations for a realistic forward looking plan addressing climate change but it has completely opted to turn a Nelson eye.

During July, for example, at the EU Environment Council of Ministers, Malta was one of the countries voting in favour of the EU Commission proposal to restore nature as part of the Green Deal package. A proposal that was substantially watered down from the original Timmermans proposal. If Robert Abela’s government really believes in what he has supported at an EU level he ought to start reflecting this in the decisions he takes at a local level.

How is it possible to be credible in your commitment to restore the depleted natural capital across the EU when you have not been capable of protecting the uptake of agricultural land for development at the peripheries of our towns and villages as a result of the rationalisation exercise? (Robert Abela, you can ask your own Żurrieq constituents on the rape of in-Nigret, currently in hand.)

Or how can you be taken seriously that you have undertaken to protect the urban canopy in the existing green spaces (including large private gardens) in our towns and villages when many of these have been or are still being developed on the altar of greed? Investing €700 million in green open spaces is not enough: it does not even compensate for the damage inflicted by the rationalisation exercise on our countryside. Remember we are speaking of two million square metres.

We need a holistic climate policy that comes to grips with the reality that we are facing year in year out. The heat-wave we have just experienced has the potential of shifting the tourist market northwards during the summer months, away from the Mediterranean shores. We are witnessing the first clear indicators of the tropicalisation of the Mediterranean climate, yet the tourism industry is ecstatic at the current tourism numbers which are fast approaching the 2019 record year.

The Malta International Airport (MIA), Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) and the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) need to wake up and smell the coffee.  Climate change needs to be anchored in tourism policy before it is too late.

The Maltese islands will be severely impacted by the next stages of climate change: the rise in sea level. The coastal areas will be hard hit. Depending on the extent of the sea level rise, they will be wiped out or substantially reduced. This will impact coastal communities as well as all the coastal infrastructure, which includes practically all our tourism facilities. Yet the tourism industry is silent, busy counting today’s euros.

Beyond last week’s MCESD circus the government has a duty to act and make up for lost time. It is a duty towards future generations. Unfortunately, future generations have been consistently written off as they have no vote. Gro Harlem Bundtland had warned us in her seminal 1987 UN Report Our Common Future: “We act as we do because we can get away with it: future generations do not vote; they have no political or financial power; they cannot challenge our decisions.”

Once upon a time we also had a Guardian for Future Generations. His silence on climate change is deafening.

published in The Malta Independent on Sunday: 6 August 2023

The accumulating environmental deficit

The environmental deficit is increasing at a fast rate. We are approaching the point of environmental bankruptcy, from which there is no turning back. This is the whole point of the nature restoration debate currently in hand at the European Parliament. We must act before it is too late.

It is not sufficient to just protect nature. We must also restore it. We must make good the accumulated damage caused to date, primarily by human action. Notwithstanding all the good intentions since the first EU Environmental Action Programme in the early 70s was gradually translated into a developing EU environmental acquis, 81 per cent of protected habitats are in bad state and over 1500 species are threatened with extinction.

It is well known that the European Parliament is split right down the middle with about half of it being in favour of the constructive restoration of nature. The other half can be described as being supportive of the accumulated destruction as they couldn’t be bothered with supporting the required action. Next week, a definite decision could be taken as the EU Parliament is due to decide in plenary on the legislative proposal for nature restoration.

The legislative action being proposed by the EU Commission is not a very strong law. It is however a necessary first step in the long road ahead. It could be improved in the years ahead.

There is quite a lot to do. The havoc we see developing around us can still be reversed, even if it is getting more difficult by the hour.

We need to act within nature’s laws. The universal laws of nature are never amended: they have been consistent throughout the ages. They are not changed on the eve of elections. Nor do they offer a reprieve or probation for first time offenders. The punishment which nature unleashes, is non-discriminatory. In fact, nature rides roughshod over offenders and non-offenders alike!  We have seen this in floods and fires all over the globe. Occasionally, we have local examples too.

There are countless examples which we could list as being among the contributors to the present state of affairs. We read about them on an almost daily basis or watch reference to them on the different news channels.

We would do well if we start acting seriously on a local level about addressing Malta’s own contribution to the accumulating environmental deficit.

The current emphasis on green urban open spaces is good politics: all €700 million projected expenditure could be a positive step. It is however lost in the ocean of government indifference when agricultural land on the periphery of our urban areas keeps being taken up for development. Nor does the siege on Comino’s conservation status tolerated by the Planning Authority and the Environment and Resources Authority lead to any credibility to the open space initiative. Seen together, the green washing is too evident to pass unnoticed.

Unbridled development in our towns and villages, over the years has taken up a substantial chunk of urban green open spaces. Large gardens forming part of the essential urban ecology have been taken up and developed into residential blocks, encouraged by the continuous subsidies dished out to the construction industry as well as by a rationalisation exercise supported by the PLPN.

The conservative European People’s Party (EPP) has aligned itself with the climate-sceptic far-right in opposing nature restoration initiative forming an essential building block of the EU Green Deal. At the time of writing, it is not clear whether the campaign to derail the initiative will be successful. It is essentially down to the wire.

In the meantime, the environmental deficit keeps increasing, making matters worse.

published in The Malta Independent on Sunday 9 July 2023

L-importanza tan-natura f’ħajjitna

Iktar kmieni din il-ġimgħa, l-Kunsill tal-Ministri tal-Ambjent tal-Unjoni Ewropeja, approva posizzjoni komuni dwar regolamenti tal-Unjoni biex tkun irrestawrata n-natura. Seba’ pajjiżi membri, għal raġunijiet differenti, ma qablux ma’ dan. Il-Polonja, l-Olanda, l-Italja, l-Finlandja u l-iSvezja ivvutaw kontra fil-waqt li l-Belġju u l-Awstrija astjenew. Malta appoġġat dan il-pass: inizjattiva legali bażika biex ikun implimentat il-Ftehim l-Aħdar (Green Deal) li jonora l-obbligi li dħalna għalihom fis-Summit Klimatiku ta’ Pariġi tal-2015.  

Għad ma napprezzaw biżżejjed l-importanza tan-natura fil-ħajja tagħna.  Sfortunatament, generalment ma nagħtux kaz. L-importanza tan-natura f’ħajjtna ma tfissirx biss li nipprovdu spazji miftuħin u ħodor bħala spazju rikrejattiv fiz-zoni urbani u madwarhom. Fl-aħħar, in-natura hi dik li tagħmel il-ħajja possibli. Mingħajr in-natura u s-servizzi li din toffri, il-ħajja mhiex possibli.  

Bħala eżempju, ħafna drabi jkun emfasizzat illi li kieku kellha tisparixxi n-naħla, il-bniedem ma jgħix iktar minn erba’ snin minn dak il-waqt. Bla naħla ifisser li ma jkunx hemm id-dakra, li tfisser li m’hemmx pjanti. L-ikel ftit ftit jispiċċa. Il-ħajja kollha tiġi fit-tmiem.

Il-ħolqien ta’ spazji miftuħin u ħodor, inkella iż-żamma ta’ dawk li għandna diġa f’kundizzjoni tajba, mhiex politika ħażina. Din il-politika, imma, bl-ebda mod ma tista’ tkun sostitut għall-ħtieġa li nħarsu l-bijodiversità fil-kuntest naturali tagħha. L-anqas ma tista’ tkun sostitut għal politika li tħares l-art agrikola mill-iżvilupp, irrispettivament mill-kwalità ta’ din ir-raba’ li uħud, li jħarsu sal-pont ta’ mneħirhom iqiesu bħala żviluppabbli.

Li żewġ miljun metru kwadru ta’ art li kienet parti mill-ODZ ngħataw għall-iżvilupp kienet u għadha dagħwa kbira. L-eżerċizzju ta’ razzjonalizzazzjoni li fl-2006 għamel dan possibli għandu jitħassar minnufih jekk il-kliem sabiħ kollu li jgħidu dwar l-ambjent għandu jkollu xi tifsira tajba.

Għalfejn noħolqu riżervi jew żoni protetti fl-art jew fil-baħar?  It-tikketta ta’ status protett irid ikun segwit minn azzjoni serja li teħtieġ li tassigura li z-zoni protetti mhux biss nieħdu ħsiebhom imma fuq kollox li nibdew il-proċess ta’ restawr tagħhom biex nagħmlu tajjeb għall-ħsara akkumulata li dawn sofrew tul is-snin.

Dan hu l-iskop tad-dibattitu kurrenti fl-Unjoni Ewropeja dwar il-ħtieġa ta’ restawr tan-natura.

Id-dokumentazzjoni li tipprovdi l-Kummissjoni Ewropeja biex tfisser u tissustanzja l-proposta tagħha u l-urgenza tal-azzjoni meħtieġa biex in-natura tkun riabilitata fl-Unjoni kollha temfasizza li 81 fil-mija taz-zoni protetti huma fi stat ħażin ħafna.

L-analiżi tal-impatti tal-proposta, mifruxa fi tnax-il parti u ippubblikata mill-Kummissjoni Ewropeja tispjega li investiment fir-restawr tan-natura huwa pass effettiv. Kull euro minfuq joħloq bejn €8 u €38 f’valur ekonomiku miżjud u dan riżultat tat-tisħiħ tas-servizzi ekoloġiċi li jagħtu appoġġ lis-sigurtà fil-produzzjoni tal-ikel, fil-ħarsien tal-klima, tal-ekosistema innifisha u tas-saħħa umana.

U issa? Malta illum tifforma parti minn maġġoranza żgħira fil-Kunsill tal-Ministri tal-Ambjent li appoġġat lill-Kummissjoni Ewropeja fl-isforzi tagħha biex toħloq dan il-qafas regolatorju ħalli tkun irrestawrata n-natura.  Cyrus Engerer, l-uniku Membru Parlamentari Ewropew Malti fil-kumitat ambjentali tal-Parlament Ewropew ukoll appoġġa l-proposta tal-Kummissjoni Ewropeja meta din ġiet għall-vot. B’hekk ta’ kontribut biex tingħeleb l-isfida tal-Partit Popolari Ewropew (PPE) li ried jimmina din l-inizjattiva.

Il-passi li jmiss huma kruċjali. Jeħtieġ li nimxu l-quddiem u mill-paroli favur l-ambjent ngħaddu għall-ħarsien effettiv li jrażżan id-deficit ambjentali li qiegħed dejjem jiżdied. Hu biss f’dak il-waqt li nkunu nistgħu b’mod rejalistiku ngħaddu għar-rijabilitazzjoni u r-restawr tal-ambjenti naturali protetti u tal-eko-sistema in ġenerali.

Jeħtieġ li napprezzaw iktar in-natura. Qabel ma jkun tard wisq.

ippubblikat fuq Illum: 25 ta’ Ġunju 2023

Re-Connecting with nature

The EU Council of Ministers of the Environment, earlier this week, approved a common position on the proposed EU regulations relative to the restoration of nature. Seven EU countries did not support the measure, for a variety of reasons. Poland, the Netherlands, Italy, Finland and Sweden voted against while Belgium and Austria abstained. Malta has supported the measure, a basic legislative initiative in implementation of the Green Deal, honouring commitments undertaken at the 2015 Paris COP 21, the Climate Summit.  

The importance of nature in our life is grossly underestimated. It is unfortunately, generally, taken for granted. Being conscious of the role of nature in our life is not just about the provision of green open spaces for recreational purposes in and around our urban areas. At the end of the day, nature is what makes life itself possible. Without nature and the services that it provides, life on earth would not be possible.

By way of illustration, it is generally emphasised that if the bee were to disappear, the human being would not live more than four years. No bees would mean an end to pollination, no more plants, no more animals and hence little left to eat. Life itself would be practically impossible.

The creation of green open spaces or the maintenance of existing ones is not bad policy. It is however not in any way a substitute to the need to protect biodiversity in its natural setting or, as it is normally described, in its natural habitat. Nor can green open spaces substitute or make good the take-up of agricultural land for development, notwithstanding the quality of the agricultural land earmarked for this development.

The two-million square metre incursion of the development zone into ODZ territory was, and still is, blasphemous. The rationalisation exercise which made this possible in 2006 should be reversed the soonest if environmental sweet talk is to have any significance.

What is the purpose of creating reserves or protected areas, terrestrial or marine? The designation of a status of protection must be followed up with meaningful action to ensure that the protected areas are not only taken care of but also that the accumulated damage is reversed the soonest through restoration.

This is the purpose of the current debate at an EU level on the restoration of nature.

The documentation made available by the European Commission to substantiate the urgency of the required action leading to the rehabilitation of nature throughout EU territory emphasises that 81 per cent of protected habitats are currently in a very poor state.

The twelve-part impact assessment published by the EU Commission emphasises that investing in nature restoration pays back considerable dividends. Each euro spend in nature restoration adds between €8 and €38 in economic value due to the resulting enhancement of ecosystem services which support food security, climate, the ecosystem and human health.

Where do we go from here? Malta has joined and is part of the slim majority in the Council of Ministers of the Environment supporting the EU Commission in its endeavours to create a regulatory framework for nature restoration. Cyrus Engerer, the only Maltese MEP forming part of the EU Parliament Environment Committee, supported the EU Commission initiative when it came to a vote in the said Committee thereby contributing to defeating the European People’s Party (EPP) attempted sabotage of the said initiative.

The next steps could be crucial. We need to move forward as a country from verbose declarations in favour of environmental protection to effective measures which stop the accumulating environmental deficit. Only then can we realistically start the rehabilitation and restoration of natural habitats and the eco-system.

We need to reconnect with nature the soonest. No wifi is required.

published in The Malta Independent on Sunday : 25 June 2023

Is-skiet tal-Ministri fiż-Żurrieq

L-attivisti li waħħlu messaġġ mal-uffiċini tal-Ministri Miriam Dalli u Stefan Zrinzo-Azzopardi, fiż-Żurrieq, għamlu sewwa. Bil-bibien kollha magħluqin dan kien l-uniku mod kif setgħu jikkomunikaw mar-rappreżentanti tagħhom fil-Parlament: mal-Ministri tagħhom.

Il-messaġġ li wasslu lill-Onorevoli Ministri ifakkarhom li huma kienu siekta waqt il-kontroversja dwar l-art tan-Nigret. Wara kollox huma responsabbli politikament għal dak li għaddej. Stefan Zrinzo-Azzopardi bħala Ministru għall-Ippjanar tal-Użu tal-Art u Miriam Dalli bħala Ministru għall-Ambjent.

L-attivisti setgħu żiedu lit-tielet Ministru, Robert Abela. Anke hu jiġi elett mill-ħames distrett elettorali li minnu ż-Żurrieq jifforma parti.

Matul dawn l-aħħar għaxar snin, il-Partit Laburista ma għamel xejn biex jaġġusta, jemenda, inkella jħassar il-pjan ta’ razzjonalizzazzjoni li kien ippreżenta fil-Parlament George Pullicino fl-2006, dakinnhar Ministru responsabbli kemm għall-Ippjanar għall-Użu tal-Art kif ukoll għall-Ambjent. Robert Abela, dakinnhar, kien wieħed mill-konsulenti tal-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar permezz tad-ditta legali ta’ missieru Abela & Stafrace.

Il-PN, li, bħalissa, fil-Parlament, qed ixerred id-dmugħ tal-kukkudrilli dwar id-drittijiet ambjentali tagħna hu resposabbli għal din il-mandra li qed tiżviluppa quddiem għajnejna. Il-Partit Laburista, min-naħa l-oħra, li fil-Parlament fis-sajf tal-2006 kien ivvota kontra l-proposta tar-razzjonalizzazzjoni ukoll irid jerfa’ parti mit-tort, għax għal għaxar snin sħaħ ma għamel xejn dwar din il-problema. Ħalla kollox miexi waħdu.

Mill-Qrati hemm bosta deċiżjonijiet li juru li ma jkun hemm l-ebda dritt għal kumpens kemm-il darba il-pjan ta’ razzjonalizzazzjoni kellu jitħassar immedjatament. Imma l-Labour fil-gvern, kontinwament jipprova jbeżża’ bil-babaw tal-kumpens biex jipprova jiġġustifika għala ma għamel xejn dwar dan.   Għaxar snin ta’ skiet li matulhom żewġ miljun metru kwadru ta’ art ingħataw għall-iżvilupp. Żewġ miljun metru kwadru li sal-2006 kienu kollha ODZ, jiġifieri barra miz-zona ta’ żvilupp.

Waħda, waħda, qed induru diversi lokalitajiet li, illum, 17-il sena wara li l-Parlament approva l-pjan ta’ razzjonalizzazzjoni bdew iħossu l-impatti tiegħu. Iż-Żurrieq missu wara Marsaskala, l-Iklin, Marsaxlokk, il-Mosta, Santa Luċija, Ħ’Attard, is-Swieqi u bosta lokalitajiet oħra. Bla dubju ser ikun hemm iktar lokalitajiet li jintlaqtu għax il-Labour m’għandux il-kuraġġ li jmur fil-Parlament biex iħassar il-pjan ta’ razzjonalizzazzjoni. Jippreferi jilgħab bis-€700 miljun, jikkonvinċi lilu nnifsu li taparsi qiegħed joħloq xi spazji miftuħa ġodda, meta, kien ikun ferm iktar effettiv kieku beda biex iddefenda l-kampanja, l-ispazju miftuħa li diġa għandna għax ipprovdietu n-natura bla ħlas.

Min-naħa l-oħra, il-PN irid jipprova jingħoġob ma kulħadd. Il-Membri Parlamentari Nazzjonalisti li jiġu eletti mill-Ħames Distrett (Toni Bezzina u Stanley Zammit) kienu in-Nigret b’appoġġ u b’solidarjetà mar-residenti.  Imma ftit siegħat wara, il-kelliemi tal-PN għall-politika dwar l-ippjanar tal-użu tal-art, (Stanley Zammit) iddikjara bi kliem ċar daqs il-kristall li l-PN kien għadu favur il-pjan ta’ razzjonalizzazzjoni u ma jrid li jinbidel xejn minnu.  Għall-PN jigifieri l-art tan-Nigret għandha tinbena.  Ma nafx x’ġew jagħmlu n-Nigret!

Flimkien, il-PLPN huma responsabbli għall-ħerba li qed tiżviluppa quddiem għajnejna. Il-PN fil-gvern ħoloqha. Il-Labour fil-gvern sostniha u dan meta seta faċilment ġiebha fit-tmiem, darba għal dejjem.

ADPD hu l-uniku partit politiku li b’mod ċar u konsistenti tkellem favur it-tmiem tal-pjan ta’ razzjonalizzazzjoni u l-qerda ta’ żewġ miljun metru kwadru ta’ art, il-parti l-kbira raba’. L-oħrajn, kontinwament iddefendew ir-rebgħa u l-iżvilupp esaġerat. L-effett ta’ dan kollu jista’ jarah kulħadd: qerda tal-kampanja, il-ftit li għad baqa’.

ippubblikat fuq Illum: 11 ta’ Ġunju 2023

In Żurrieq the Ministers are silent

The activists who fixed banners outside the Zurrieq constituency office of Ministers Miriam Dalli and Stefan Zrinzo-Azzopardi were right in what they did. All other channels being closed, this was the only way they could communicate with their parliamentary representatives, “their ministers”.

The message conveyed to the Honourable Ministers underlined their silence in view of the Nigret land controversy for which the two Ministers are currently politically responsible. Zrinzo-Azzopardi as Minister for Land Use Planning and Dalli as Minister for the Environment.

The activists could easily have added a third Minister, Robert Abela. He too is elected from the fifth electoral District of which the Żurrieq locality forms part.

During these last ten years, the Labour Party, did nothing to adjust, amend or repeal the rationalisation exercise piloted through parliament by George Pullicino in 2006 when he was the Minister responsible for both Land use Planning and the Environment. Robert Abela was then one of the Planning Authority’s legal advisors through his father’s  legal firm Abela & Stafrace.

The PN in Parliament, now shedding crocodile tears on our environmental rights is primarily responsible for the developing land use planning mess. Yet the Labour Party, whose Members of Parliament voted against the rationalisation proposal way back in summer of 2006, have to shoulder the blame too, as for ten whole years they did nothing about it. They did nothing to translate their party’s political stance to concrete action.

As evidenced by a never-ending case law, no compensation whatsoever would be due if the rationalisation exercise is immediately abrogated. Yet the labour party in government continuously uses the fear of compensation to absolve itself of not acting for ten whole years. Ten years of silence, during which each and every one of the two million square metres taken up by the rationalisation exercise is slowly being developed. This is a two million square metres area which until 2006 was an area outside the development zone (ODZ).

One at a time we have been at a multitude of localities which today, 17 years after Parliament approved the rationalisation exercise, are feeling the pinch. Żurrieq follows Marsaskala, Iklin, Marsaxlokk, Mosta, Santa Luċija, Attard, Swieqi and many other localities. More will undoubtedly follow as Labour in Parliament does not have the courage to proceed with the cancellation of the rationalisation exercise. It prefers to play around with €700 million thinking that it is creating new “open spaces” when it can be much more effective if it starts by defending the countryside, the existing open space provided by nature for free.

The PN on the other hand excels at a particular sport: simultaneously running with the hares and hunting with the hounds. Its fifth district Members of Parliament (MPs Toni Bezzina and Stanley Zammit) were present at in-Nigret in a show of solidarity with the residents. Yet some hours later, its spokesperson on land use planning (Stanley Zammit) declared in crystal clear language that the PN was all for more development in the ODZ land annexed as a result of the rationalisation exercise! Why, then, did they turn up at Nigret?

The PLPN are together jointly responsible for the developing mess. PN in government created it, and Labour in government is now sustaining it when they can very easily bring it to an end, once and for all.

ADPD is the only political party which has clearly and repeatedly advocated the cancellation of the rationalisation exercise and the ruin of two million square metres of land, mostly agricultural. The others have continuously defended greed and overdevelopment, in the process slowly ruining the countryside that we have left.

Published in The Malta Independent on Sunday: 11 June 2023