The single focus of this article is to try and probe the recent gratuitous assertion that any talk of the south, as if Malta formed part of one big continent, is risible and even reprehensible.

Regardless of the sharply contrasting views on the proposal for a new university and park in the south, I fail to understand what could have whipped up such over-the-top hysteria.

Only a few weeks ago, when the results of the local elections were out, there was much talk of who gained and lost support in the south, irrespective of whether the conclusions drawn were correct or erratic. So why could we talk of the south then but not any more?

When the government set up a consultative council to tackle purely advisory matters linked to the south, both the Nationalist Party and the Church authorities accepted such an invitation without questioning whether the south really existed or not.

When the would-be location of an LNG tanker was the subject of an understandable controversy, the Opposition accused the government of not having given enough attention to the concerns of the people of the south.

So what triggered the change of heart?

One of the most interesting and constructive seminars that I attended this year was in late March as a guest of Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar at Smart City. Environmentalists, local councillors, developers and representatives all focused on what I considered to be one of the most balanced discussions that I can recall: the future of the south of Malta.

The seminar had as its main theme a discussion about the options facing the development in the south.

The point was made that, over the past 50 years, while the leisure industry developed in the north, power stations, dockyards, gas plants and recycling plants have continued to expand in the south.

It is very unfair to suddenly talk as if the south does not exist, when it has been a political ping-pong ball for so many years

Not to mention the previous government’s advanced plans to also set up a massive new incinerator in the area.

Even a particular top environmentalist supported the latter option as far back as the 2008 MEP election campaign.

According to the FAA, while this shift was dictated by the harbour infrastructure, this did and does not excuse the authorities’ lack of planning and effort to mitigate the social and environmental impact of that infrastructure.

Once again, not only was the mere notion of the south not abandoned then but it was rightly placed at centre stage.

When the government spoke of ending the north-south divisions it did so only within the context of bridging the long-existing disparities, even in terms of quality of life.

It is true that we are at a crossroads, with the south needing a fresh planning approach prioritising the well-being of local communities through an approach that respects health, the economy and heritage. However, it is also crying out for the deserved investment that has swept it by in recent years.

This article is not intended to offer a vision for the south but only to stress emphatically that it is very unfair to suddenly talk as if the south does not exist, when it has been a political ping-pong ball for so many years right across the political spectrum, as well as within the ongoing debate between environmental and de-velopment lobbies.

The PN even has its own Facebook page on the south, while articles have abounded in recent months in the local media about the potential for tourism investment, sustainable development and regeneration of the south.

For this sole reason, I call for more political honesty, even if we may continue to remain divided as to how to best develop the south. I say so with a sense of conviction and commitment, having been brought up in that part of the island and knowing it well.

Leo Brincat is Minister for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change.

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