Wednesday, 23rd July 2008 - 10:43CET
Labour laments lack of consultation on marinas privatisation
The Labour spokesmen on transport and public investments have criticised the government for not consulting the opposition about its plans to privatise the yacht marinas.
In a statement, MPs Joe Mizzi and Helena Dalli also asked a series of questions about the implications of the government’s plans.
They asked why the marinas had been allowed to deteriorate to their current state once the government planned to privatise them; what studies had been made about the privatisation, and what safeguards there would b regarding access to the sea, security, the current employment of workers and current marina users.
They also asked whether it would be just the management of the marinas which would be privatised or whether the exercise also included the assets.
The government on Monday said the marinas at Msida, Ta’ Xbiex and Mgarr, currently run by the Malta Maritime Authority, would be leased for 25 years to the bidder that could offer the best price and the best plans for investment and modernisation.
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Comments
This is exactly what I see the government doing. Though I am totally in favour of Private entrepreneurship, I'm afriad I do not agree with the way this is being done.
The prospective buyers had all the dirty and hard work done by Government, at the people's expense. Now we'll have a very attractive priice tagged, and Bingo! the marinas are privatised.
Same story as HSBC/MidMed, il-Posta, Drydocks (perhaps)???
One word about the Drydocks - why is it that for an entity to be effective and efficient, it has to be privatised? With the millions spent on consultants and professionals - Could not the government made it a little gem in the mediterranean?
Or are the politicians simply unable to manage these organisations without screwing everything up with their politics/favoritism/nepotism/etc? Or is it afraid of looking ugly with the people that it has been sheltering and subsidising for so many years?