Our mind instinctively labels things and categorises them to ease the process of digesting and storing information. While this process makes sense insofar as objects are concerned, we should never categorise persons.
Which is why I find this whole current north-south categorisation reprehensible. Categorisation leads to labelling, which in turn leads to prejudices and generalisations. We are all Maltese and the attempts being made by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to create some form of distinction between ‘in-nies tan-naħa ta’ fuq’ and ‘in-nies tas-South’ (people from the north and from the south) is unacceptable and nonsensical.
Equally nonsensical is the assertion that the south suffers from some investment dearth. Over the past years a number of large investment projects have been channelled in areas located in the zones surrounding the Grand Harbour and Marsaxlokk harbour areas.
They include the Freeport, the Malta International Airport, Lufthansa Technik, SR Technic, the Rinella film facilities, Smart City, major utilities projects, industrial and housing estates and yes, even large scale educational projects. The Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology, which represents the single biggest investment in education in recent years, is located in the limits of Raħal l-Ġdid.
Admittedly some of these projects, such as the Delimara power station and the Freeport, had their own fair share of controversy and came with a price to pay by the neighbouring community. The location of these projects was however never intended to privilege or spite one side of the island or the other but was rather often dictated by the location of our harbours.
Having said that, it is also true that some areas or localities in Malta have a higher than average share of social problems. It is also true that there are small pockets of our population that continue to suffer from lack of formal education. But this has little or nothing to do with geographical location and more to do with breaking a vicious cycle that condemns generation after generation of families to substandard living.
Our country has progressed a lot in its fight against illiteracy and social inequality over the years. Illiteracy levels have dropped and the number of persons holding a degree has soared. The fight against illiteracy, unemployment and social hardship should be fought by sound educational, economic and social policies.
Over the past 25 years, the university population went up from 800 students to over 11,000, including close to 1,000 overseas students. Over the past 10 years, all Maltese towns saw a 5 to 7 per cent increase in tertiary-educated persons. Our economic performance outpaced that of most other EU countries with our level of unemployment among the lowest in the EU. All this information should be kept in mind when analysing the way the government is pitching the proposed university project.
The main issue with this project is its proposed siting but it is not the only issue. Was a cost-benefit analysis carried out? And while nobody is debating the need or otherwise of an additional university, did we consider the credentials of this investor in the educational sector?
Moreover, the recent lowering by stealth of the accreditation criteria risks putting our reputation in the education sector at stake.
The Żonqor Point proposal is a non-starter and should have been thrown out by Mepa
Government wants to change the designation of 90 tumoli of pristine arable seashore land, currently designated in our Local Plan as a nature park, to accommodate the development of this project. And this despite Joseph Muscat’s pledge to respect ODZ boundaries.
The Friends of the Earth, Din l-Art Ħelwa, Fondazzjoni għall-Ambjent Aħjar, Birdlife, the Archbishop, the student organisations, the Chamber of Commerce, the Malta Employers Association, Alternattiva Demokratika, the Nationalist Party, the Federazzjoni Kaċċaturi Konservazzjonisti, the farmers who currently till the land and others strongly disagree with the Prime Minister.
Notably among the others one finds Marlene Farrugia – a sitting Labour MP and the chair of the Environment and Development Parliamentary Committee – and Desiree Attard, the Labour deputy mayor of Marsascala.
Dr Muscat is facing a united growing movement and the very least he should do is to pause and listen to what this movement is saying. His assertion that complainants should come up with alternative sites is unfair. It is up to the investor and maybe government to come up with suitable alternatives and for Mepa to then assess them.
The Żonqor Point proposal is a non-starter and should have been thrown out by Mepa. It is a non-starter because it fails to recognise the true value of undeveloped land and goes against the principles of sustainable development.
Gone are the days when we accepted any proposed investment irrespective of the environmental price. The price paid for our so-called development in the past was high enough. If the scales tip this time too in favour of the proposed investment in ODZ, where do we draw the line with the next proposal?
Dr Muscat is arguing that in the past projects were carried out in ODZ. True, and future generations will still pay the price for mistakes of the past.
But it is equally true that a number of projects, including three golf courses, the airstrip in Gozo and the Għadira by-pass road, were shelved or altered because of environmental considerations. No-body doubted the economic benefits of a golf course, but the environmental price outweighed the benefits.
Ironically, the Labour Party in opposition vehemently opposed these projects, putting across the same or similar arguments that are being put forward today by all those who do not wish to see Żonqor Point developed.
The government then listened and chose the environment over the economic gains. Will this government find the internal strength to do the same?
Mario de Marco is the deputy leader of the Nationalist Party