'PN is the best government for Gozo'
Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono told Parliament yesterday that the PN was the best government for Gozo and the opposition's criticism, sometimes contradictory, continued to prove that it was not currently an alternative government. It was during the Labour stint of 1996-98 that the Ministry for Gozo had been downgraded to a parliamentary secretariat.
Speaking during the debate on the second reading of the Bill implementing the Budget measures, she said that the capital vote for this year had been trebled from 2008. For the next three years, €25 million would be available for the implementation of Eco-Gozo, which was the centre of all socio-economic activity to be undertaken by her ministry.
The Budget had been defined as one of the government's priorities addressing the challenges of insularity. She said this belied opposition criticism that the government had almost abandoned Gozo. Its commitment towards the island was also on a national basis, where Gozitans were being preferred in tax credits and government subsidies on solar water heaters.
During the year, further initiatives would be taken to strengthen the Gozo Ministry to cater for the island's needs. This year had already seen the start of the restructuring of the ministry, as promised in the PN electoral programme.
There would be new directorates, one to cater for tourism and another for economic development.
Such initiatives, Mrs Debono said, strengthened the ministry's administration and inter-ministerial consultation.
In the past, the ministry had worked hand in hand with the tourism sector, and this had resulted in synergy in favour of the product. The tourism directorate would provide the necessary tools to overturn negative effects of the international crisis.
Gozo had been guaranteed 10 per cent of the EU funds for the period 2004-07, and these had benefited all of the island, including farmers, entrepreneurs, local councils, religious entities and NGOs. The ministry's track record in this regard was a sound base for the second programming period for EU funds between 2007 and 2013, which would see the start or the continuation of arterial and principal roads, the upgrading of Villa Rundle, the waterfronts at Wied Żewwieqa, Xlendi and Mar-salforn, and health facilities such as the radiology unit and the new operating theatre at the Gozo hospital.
The funds would also serve to build a swimming pool, and other sports facilities would be added as an attraction to sport and health tourism.
Mrs Debono said that employment had always presented a particular challenge in Gozo, and the present scenario had exacerbated the situation. But the Eco-Gozo project was a vision for better job opportunities.
Additionally, Eco-Gozo represented the government's aspirations for Gozo's environmental, economic, social and cultural future, which would translate into a better quality of life and strengthen the island's identity.
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Peter Aquilina
Feb 10th 2010, 17:51
Hon. Giovanna should reflect that there are better ways how to tackle Gozo's unemployment other than placing Gozitan workers in Malta. At the present rate Eco-Gozo will be realised soon enough, not through the (still-invisible) initiatives but by default since there will be very few people still opting to live in Gozo! Maybe fostering employment in Gozo might not deprive this 'fiefdom' of its subjects.
Joseph Grech
Feb 10th 2010, 17:24
@J. Martinelli
Hopefully, when you care to reply to my earlier comments you will find the time also to reply to the serious accusations being levelled at Minister Giovanna Debono in an article which is in today's Times of Malta, two articles down from this one in fact.
It is stated that ''statistics showed that the standard of living in Gozo was falling. Unemployment (is) on the increase and more people (are) living in poverty or in social exclusion. Even the Bishop of Gozo felt the need to show his concern on the worsening situation, but the government (is) ignoring these problems.''
It has also been declared in this article that ''the Auditor General's report (ocussesd on serious shortcomings and irregular expenditure at the Gozo General Hospital and other services'' and there seem to be serious concerns that '' the home help service (is) a perfect example that clientelism in Gozo reigns supreme.''
Charles Sammut
Feb 10th 2010, 17:07
@ Joseph Grech
You must be new in here. J Martinelli will not tolerate any criticism of GonziPN, even though he lives in Canada and is a kannol minghajr crema.
The PN is in this sorry stae because it is incapable or unwilling to be self-critical. Gonzi has surrounded himself with people who will only tell him what he wants to hear. He is completely detached from reality and his only goal is to keep PN in power. Party before country and religion before everything else. A true Catholic Action man.
Joseph Grech
Feb 10th 2010, 16:32
@ Mr. J. Martinelli - Excuse me, how dare YOU accuse me of ''ranting'' for expressing my honest opinions! Judging by what I read it is usually yourself that is accused of ''ranting'' - and, if memory serves me right, you do so from faraway Canada!
If you wish to show that you are naive enough to accept everything from the present administration - the good AND the bad - you may do so to your heart's content but kindly refrain from trying to shut people up by saying that they are ranting when exposing what to them amounts to serious shortcoming by the present administration. I am not interested in political pique dear Mr. Martinelli!
I do not care a fig as regards what happened at Gozo under the Socialist administrations. If wrongs and inefficiencies happened then I will condemn them. But I live in the present - unlike yourself it seems! You may contact the leader of the Opposition if you wish to know what the P.L.s plans for Gozo are.
Just to sidestep the comments I have sent in you bring in political pique and issues while also attempting to belittle the Gozitans themselves Grow up man!
C.Busuttil
Feb 10th 2010, 15:58
Giovanna fecit et ipse dixit!
Lawrence Fenech
Feb 10th 2010, 15:09
This is your opinion.
J Martinelli
Feb 10th 2010, 14:35
@ Joseph Grech
Before you rant about the present government's 'shortcomings' with respect to Gozo, why can you not remind us of all the grand projects made by a total of eighteen years of Socialist administrations?
Exactly, what are the 'Moviment's' plans for Gozo should it find itself governing? Or, is it another case of "you wait and see"?
Gozitans should first get together and present what they would like Gozo to look like. Then they should tell the government whether they agree with Eco-Gozo, or should Gozo be developed further? What about the Gozitans' feelings about a landing strip, which would probably attract more tourists? Does Gozo want more industries? What kind of industries? Where? Will they adopt the NIMBY syndrome?
There are Gozitans who complain that Gozo is over-developed already, yet others complain that it feeds off Malta's crumbs. Who's right?
Claire Busuttil
Feb 10th 2010, 14:24
She is right....the PN is the best gov. for gozo... with PN gozitans, can do whatever they want...and they get want they want.
Joseph Grech
Feb 10th 2010, 12:44
Minister Giovanna Debono seems to think that Gozo is her own ivory castle from where she can rule at will, putting party political interests before those of the entire Maltese nation. Meanwhile Gozo (and its tourism) has been dealt successive blows as a result of overspeculation.
There are many thousands of unoccupied buildings there; much of the rain water simply runs off into the sea; serious scandals (such as the latest one at the education division) often go by unpunished (or ludicrously so); the widespread abuse in Gozo's Social Services (including Early Retirement) has been pointed out but still goes on unchecked...
It is known that the Gozo Ministry has too many government paid employees already - yet apparently Minister Debono would increase the number, unconcerned about the additional financial burdens.
Most of the Gozitans certainly will not agree with Minister Debono that Gozo's interests are being properly looked after. One cannot ride on the dream of Eco-Gozo without really implementing it!
Minister Debono was one of the few Ministers whose portfolios were not enlarged - as were those of other Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries. Why is all this happening people are asking? Political concerns certainly come before all else!
Robert Callus
Feb 10th 2010, 10:28
After 18 years fighting against overdevelopment in Gozo, AD proposed a concrete concept of eco-Gozo a year before last general elections. It was ignored. Eco-Gozo was mentioned later by the PN as a promise during electoral campaign (yes, THOSE promises). Nothing has changed, the overdevelpment is still going on.
Now this talk about EU funds and millions of bla bla bla. Step 1 for eco-Gozo: Stop ruining it