The government has been elected on a vision to improve the standard of living of the people of our country and to be at par with the best of countries within the EU.

This target is not easily attainable, yet, slowly but surely, we are on the right track. Our economic growth is one of the best within the EU, the government finances are back on track, and unemployment is at its lowest in decades.

Yet, we still have challenges, such as the sustainability of our pensions system and the meagre pension currently being awarded on retirement, and the sustainability of our free health care system with the ever-rising costs related to free medicine and treatment.

Another major challenge is that of poverty and the working poor. These people have to struggle to make ends meet as they are either on a meagre pension or on social assistance and, in the case of the working poor, in precarious employment.

There should be a clear policy and plan as to where development can take place

The financial resources that are required to sustain and improve pensions, healthcare and social assistance, just to name a few challenges, must come from somewhere! If this government is committed, like the previous administration, to reduce taxes, then the only other option is for the government to increase its revenue from taxes through economic growth. As they say, money does not grow on trees!

The current debate on the American University of Malta needs to be seen in this light too. The economic benefits to our economy are very positive, to say the least. The report compiled by the very able economist Gordon Cordina estimates that the value-added to our economy will see GDP grow by more than one per cent, in money terms an annual injection of approximately €70 million.

This is not to mention the capital cost required to build the campuses and the other facilities and the estimated 500 new jobs that will be created.

Naturally, businesses in the south such as restaurants, guest houses, apartment owners and car rental companies will be the major beneficiaries, but the whole economy stands to benefit too, through increased government revenue via both direct and indirect taxes which the government will have at its disposal to address the challenges mentioned above.

The argument that this project stands to fail because the investor has no experience in education is just a weak excuse. We have had quite a few businessmen in Malta who started in construction and branched into the hospitality industry or some other venture and made a success of it. The important thing is to partner or hire professional people who have the competence and experience in the new venture.

While no one wishes our country to become a concrete jungle and we all wish that ODZ land should be protected, there are exceptions to every rule. The previous government on the other hand made the exceptions the rule.

This is perhaps why certain genuine environment NGOs, including Alternattiva Demokratika, are protesting against this project. They are perhaps thinking that there is going to be a repeat of what happened under the previous administration.

The government must reassure these genuine NGOs that the environment is a top priority for this administration. There should be a clear policy and plan as to where development can take place. Such a policy and plan should also consider the possibility of rehabilitating government land and turning them into ODZs.

The Opposition organised a protest at Żonqor to oppose this project. I have only one comment to make. The people expect a serious Opposition that opposes and comes up with serious and credible arguments and solutions. So far, the Opposition has come out against every new investment that was proposed by the government, just for the sake of opposing, with very poor arguments.

But the cherry on the cake goes to the PN spokesperson who said that, if this project takes off, the price of spaghetti in the south would go up!

Victor Carachi is the president of the General Workers’ Union.