Opposition MPs refuse to move amendments to development zones

The parliamentary Development Planning Committee yesterday concluded its debate on the extension of development zones and the amended zones will now be discussed in a sitting of the full Parliament.

Opposition members Charles Buhagiar and Roderick Galdes requested several changes but refused to move amendments at this stage. Environment Minister George Pullicino said the government was willing to consider suggestions but these had to come in the form of amendments.

During the committee's second meeting on Monday, the opposition had argued that there should not be a vote on each and every plan but one vote at the end.

From that point on, it abstained from voting on the remaining plans.

Whenever the opposition argued a case on several of the plans yesterday, it was asked to present an amendment so that the government could consider it. This was not done. At one point, Government Investments Minister Austin Gatt expressed surprise that the opposition MPs were consistently asking for more land to be added to what was being proposed. Was this MLP policy or the personal policy of the MPs in the committee, he asked.

Mr Buhagiar pointed out that the opposition was there to show that according to the government's criteria there was other land which could have been included in the zones but which had remained out for no reason.

He said that it was not true that the opposition was constantly asking for more land to be included and they had called for the exclusion of certain areas, especially those filling strategic gaps linking one village to another, such as was the case at Safi, Mosta, Naxxar and Attard.

Mr Galdes pointed out that even though it was said that the aim of exercise was for justice to be done with the people who had suffered an injustice, this was not always happening.