Wednesday, 8th October 2008
'After Valletta, it's SmartCity'
The Labour opposition spokesman for planning, Roderick Galdes yesterday hailed the SmartCity project as the greatest city built after Valletta.
The project is a historical landmark for Malta and therefore gives way to a new experience which can be used by future generations, Mr Galdes said.
He added that the Malta Labour Party is ready to offer any cooperation to ensure that the project is a success.
The statement comes in the wake of the green light given to the project by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority on Monday.
The project's environmental credentials were questioned recently by environmentalists who say that the development is nowhere as green as a project of its stature should be.
The developers defended themselves by pointing out that they had explored different technologies before drawing up the master plan for the project and also stressed that the permit issued on Monday is an outline permit.
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Comments
However I cannot but note how unstable Labour is. We have the very same people who flipped opinion from being nemesis to being forced to offer co-operation because the party had been shoved to the cliff edge by the Maltese people. It also shows that the same people in the MLP do not have the reliability to steer the country if they flip decisions on policies so fast. Imagine what would have happened if U-Turns on crucial policies had not happened thanks to the MLP being hammered to opposition. Local Councils, Mater Dei - MLP said "inhottu gebla gebla!" (will dismantle it stone by stone), famous EU battle fought vehemently anti-democratically by labour's MP who most of them are still there, and even Smart City.
It's good to hear that Labour made a U-Turn but sadly the U-Turn comes out of Hobson's choice and not policy. Labour had better learn the lesson that government policies in the national interest should be supported/improved and not go charging horns for head on collision! This especially counts for the old hard core MLP such as Anglu Farrugia who is the new Dr NO.
Where was this denial of smart city by labour? They have not committed themselves blindly to the rpoject, which is whatever decent opposition should do. Actually, the statement should have been issued in the sense that where it's good for the Maltese, Labour should back it. But never blindly. Look at another "Smart" city project - The Fort Chambray project. Still not finished after some 15 years, lots of issues regarding overbuilding and speculation and esthetics. Do we want a re-run? NO!