Think big at election time

The 1989 film Field Of Dreams is a sentimental redemption story of a farmer in rural Iowa who grew up dreaming of becoming a baseball star. As an adult, he hears a voice telling him to build a baseball ground on one of his cornfields. “If you build it, he will come” is the film’s catchphrase.

… not one single day will pass without the government launching some sort of project- Anton Refalo

The moral of the story is that undertaking big infrastructural projects, in this particular case a baseball diamond, is uplifting and good for you.

The same kind of mentality seems to be prevalent among the decision-makers in this Administration. Projects such as the building of a new Parliament or that of a corporate village by Malta Enterprise are prime examples of such frame of mind. Proposing infrastructural projects, especially if they come with catchy names and flashy concepts, are a guarantee of attracting the attention of many people and, thus, serve a very useful purpose.

One year ago, the hottest topic in town was whether to start thinking about building an undersea tunnel across the Gozo channel. As expected, the idea captured the imagination of many.

It reached its climax when, a few days after a Gozitan businessman took advantage of a visit by the Prime Minister to his factory and called for the building of a “permanent road” between the two islands, a public meeting to discuss the possibility of such permanent link by a subsea tunnel between Malta and Gozo was organised.

During that meeting, the public was informed that a preliminary study, acting as an aid in deciding the viability of the project, would begin in July and be completed by October. The interest lasted for a couple of weeks and then fizzled out as more pressing issues started to emerge. Such pattern is expected when dealing with such proposals. It is almost cyclical in nature. It starts with a bang, discussions follow for a few weeks and then no one hears anything about it for months or years until a new rehearsed proposal is presented.

Over the last two decades we had, at different times and in varying degrees of intensity, heated discussions about the airstrip and the golf course.

What is particularly interesting with such big infrastructural projects is the fact that by a strange coincidence all the studies commissioned to evaluate them always show that they would make everyone better off.

When consultants are paid to do these types of reports the argument generally goes like this: undertaking the project will generate jobs first for the construction workers and later for the people working in it. Activity will increase significantly and will create further jobs.

The economic impact study then typically clothes the model with some big benefit in terms of revenue, jobs, tourists arrivals and greater economic activity.

The best part of all this is that no one will ever be able to prove the number wrong. Very much on the same lines when land was given in order to launch the SmartCity project a few years ago.

Unfortunately, upon questioning such proposals one is often targeted as being negative. The big truth is that big and spectacular projects are always attractive to launch and propose. The difficult part starts when going into details, into the financing part of the project and into the real net benefits after taking into consideration the full opportunity cost of the project. By full opportunity cost I include also the money that could be spent in improving the inadequate infrastructure and services in place, such as, for example, the Gozo general hospital.

It is all too well to argue for better infrastructure, for better accessibility and for better surroundings. But the sole aim for such initiative should always be to improve the welfare of residents and not to score points or, worst, to accommodate some vested private interests.

It should neither be to alienate people from the real problems, which they have to face on a daily basis. This is why I find it rather ironic to propose new ambitious infrastructural projects when important projects do not materialise, such as the one at Ċirkewwa, work on which has been going on for over 12 years.

At a time when an election is just a matter of months, if not weeks away, be assured that not one single day will pass without the government launching some sort of project. Five years ago, we had SmartCity. A few months ago we had the idea of connecting the islands by an underground tunnel. In the coming few weeks rest assured that some other great idea or ideas will crop out. The bigger they are the better.

Dr Refalo is the opposition’s spokesman on sustainable development in Gozo.