Last week, with my colleagues, I spent a full two days of very productive meetings in Gozo. At our invitation, representatives of the island's economic, social, religious, cultural and sports organisations came to discuss the state of Gozo, their current activities and prospects, as well as their ideas about the future. We did this in the context of Labour's draft plan for the regional development of Gozo, which we published recently.

Organisations and representatives who came to the separate meetings had received advance copies of the draft. Their comments, critical or supportive, about its contents were more than welcome. In fact, this was why the discussions we had turned out to be so productive: most of the people we met, besides being very well informed about their different areas of activity, also had a hands-on approach to affairs. Their input was down to earth and directly related to life as it is being experienced in Gozo. For a moment, I thought I had been transported to the intensive doctoral research seminars on management which I followed many years ago to assemble data, review theories and prepare thesis papers.

However, our aim in conducting the Gozo exercise went well beyond the academic. We wanted to get a realistic picture of the problems and opportunities that Gozitans face so as to assess realistically, whether the ideas we have proposed could make a difference for the better. We needed to start from a picture of the situation such as it is.

Now it is true that PN propagandists and their fellow travellers in the "independent" media project Labour as interested only in spreading doom and gloom. Maybe: but the raw information we got about the current state of economic initiative and morale across the channel, was bleak... to put it mildly. And nobody was trying to put on a gloom and doom show in order to please the opposition, "behind" Lawrence Gonzi's back. From what we were told, it is clear that in tourism, in manufacturing, in commercial, farming and artisanal activities, an array of problems has built up that is demoralising many effective operators in Gozo. This is not acceptable.

During our meetings, good ideas were mooted by which to "solve" the ongoing problems. In Gozo just as much as in Malta, we all know, have known for some time, what needs to be done. The problem is why are "solutions" not implemented? Why do they still come up for discussion, year in year out, years after they have first been identified?

I am wary of proposals for new projects to solve old problems before we have seriously tried to make what we already have work or work better. This for me, has become an essential precaution when considering policy ideas. So all the time we asked the question: were things going better for Gozo 10 to 15 years ago, in tourism, manufacturing, whatever? And, invariably, the reply was yes. To which the follow up question was: what are we doing differently now to what we did then? What was being done better then, and what are we doing badly now?

In a nutshell, the reply to these last questions referred to the infrastructure (physical, commercial, human) and the environment of Gozo: they have been allowed to deteriorate. Across a wide range of sectors, facilities have been run down or badly utilised, so that now they no longer give adequate returns. Indeed, as we listened to the comments being made, the news was dropped that another hotel facility in Marsalforn was closing down and will be converted into "flats".

The most revealing point referred to the tourist day trippers coming to Gozo. For long years, the justified complaint from Gozitan operators was that day trippers coming to Gozo summed up Gozo's share in the country's tourism industry; which was not fair because such visits, packed into a day, allowed minimal benefits to Gozo's economy. This time, the comment went further. It seems that day trips to Gozo have, in many cases, become shorter and shorter. A big percentage of tourists now arrive around 11 a.m. and leave by 4 p.m. Which hardly gives them time to have a mediocre lunch and visit two sites or two shops. About this, some blamed tour operators and agencies in Malta. Others blamed Gozo Channel regulations.

Whoever is responsible, here we have a clear indication of why things are going wrong. If the point about day trippers staying for a shorter time is correct, we do not need a new airport to solve it. Why is the problem being allowed to fester?

Labour's plan for Gozo's regional development makes it clear that there will be a wide-ranging exercise to make Gozo work again.

The focus for the effort will be located in Gozo. All those having the goodwill and the disposition to put their mind to it will be invited to participate. There will be full backing from the Malta end to ensure that regional decisions are implemented fully. Labour has credibility when it promises that this will be done.

The consultations we carried out last week will continue, even if at a less intensive pace. They will help to improve a plan document about which I feel happy and proud, since it is one of the best documents that Labour has published. It provides what Gozo deserves.