Lino Debono writes about Gozo and the need to boost its economy. Fair enough. Everyone agrees that Gozo has its special needs. However, if Debono is going to write about Gozo, he needs to state facts if he wishes to be credible.

He speaks as though, prior to 2013, Gozo was forgotten. He forgets that a big chunk of the EU package negotiated by the previous administration, and here we are speaking of millions of euros, were specifically designated for Gozo.

Gozo always screamed for special attention and rightly so.

Gozo is where Malta was in the 1950s and 1960s: an excellent place for sun and sea

It is an island which, in my opinion, merits to be not only safeguarded for its uniqueness but also pushed so that its residents can actively participate in its development.

And no one can deny that Gozo has seen a lot of development in these past years.

Accessibility is way improved when one compares it to what it was up to 15 or 20 years ago, its road network has been developed further and, as an overall tourist destination, Gozo is envied by many other similar destinations.

Having said that, as a whole, Gozo remains a very fragile island. Its people want to keep thriving and rightly so, yet, the opportunities are admittedly limited. This is why Debono’s condescended tone spurred my reaction. Because Gozitans deserve better.

He speaks of foreign investment. There has been an announcement of a company planning to open up and employ people in Gozo but, to date, we have not witnessed any openings or jobs.

With all due respect, foreign investment in Gozo will only be forthcoming if it involves employment in IT-related industries where locality is not an issue.

No entrepreneur with the right frame of mind will ever consider starting a venture in Gozo, which would involve added transportation and logistical commitments.

Debono speaks of more social benefits as “a direct result of vision and direction”. It is easy to dish out benefits.

In the short term, these appease everyone but the money is coming out from my and his pockets and, at some point, the balance will need to be redressed.

Finally, Debono mentions his own suggestions to revive Gozo. Wait for it: excavating Gozo’s citadel, restoring old maps and safeguarding ancient prehistoric and historic sites.

No harm in all this.

But, ultimately, after all the praise and sweet talk was done, I expected Debono to come up with some tangible ideas with regard to Gozo’s economic development.

Unearthing underground dwellings and restoring old maps are important for the collective identity of Gozo but, at the end of the day, Gozitans want proper jobs, peace of mind and a guaranteed future for their children.

If these jobs are not in Gozo but in Malta, so be it. Then it means we would need to further improve accessibility and transportation to and from the island. But it’s a fact that Gozo’s population is ultimately as big as that of a large locality in Malta and, in Malta, no locality provides jobs for most of its own residents. Most venture out and commute to work.

So unless a large call centre decides to operate in Gozo and employ 500 people, unless a couple of manufacturing plants decide to start operating there, most Gozitans will have to keep commuting to Malta. Gozo is not an easy issue.

Way back, conferences used to be held annually by a local leading bank purposely to discuss Gozo and ways how to leverage its potential. Whether anything came out of those initiatives is hard to tell. What can be said, lest I am branded as being too negative, is that an entrepreneurial spirit needs to be established among Gozo’s youths, encouraging them to think differently, focusing on innovation.

We can have students studying in Gozo, well and good. But once they graduate, then what? Are they expecting to find a job in Gozo?

Gozo is where Malta was in the 1950s and 1960s: an excellent place for sun and sea. But not even this is enough for its population to thrive.

This is the reality and, unless we accept it, it is going to leave us going round in circles.