The problem regarding overdevelopment has existed ever since the building boom of the 1960s. This phenomena accelerated in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s and continued to do so during the turn of this century. It has now reached a worrying situation, as it is affecting the physical and mental health of people.

As we inhale dust and emissions from construction sites and other man-made sources, and live under the shadow of tall buildings, a few are getting richer to the detriment of civil society.

With all the promises that were made before the last election, little or nothing is being done by the present Labour government to improve the environment. This is because they have been in cahoots with the building industry since before the 2013 election, and possibly even before that, when civil society was promised a better environment for us all.

It is obvious it was for this reason that Anġlu Farrugia, today Speaker of the House, had back then complained that his party had become too close to contractors.   It is clear that the Labour government’s commitment to protect our environment, an electoral promise made by Joseph Muscat, was nothing but a ruse intended to gain the support of the environmentalist lobby.

It is also clear that while Muscat was promising a better environment for us all, he was committing himself to the building lobby to destroy the environment even further.

On account of alleged corruption in land speculation, our environment has been deteriorating for decades, and the political classes have a lot to blame for this. The problem is also caused by a sense of self-entitlement that money brings to some, to the detriment of us all. We have all heard allegations of bribes, and when developers are unable to get their way, they threaten their way through.

The solution is urban planning, implemented with the best interest of people in mind

Through these manipulative and aggressive means, some developers have transformed our country into a concrete jungle, and for this they ought to be ashamed. They ought to be ashamed because they have been considering the lives of people as unimportant, if this means making more money.

This government should also be ashamed of itself for being solely pro-business, while it disregards the suffering that a bad environment is bringing to our country.

Nothing matters for this government but money.  As far as it is concerned, it is the economy that counts stupid, and nothing else matters. After all, people will get used to any kind of environment, and if they don’t, they’d might as well lump it.

This is precisely what Muscat’s words were, when Astrid Vella of Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar tried to push forward the idea of a social impact assessment. She said this during a protest in Sliema, and to be honest, I believe her on this.

Muscat considers wealth as being more important than people’s suffering from cancers, asthma, respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses etc. After all, they could get used to having these ailments, as they are privileged to enjoy an efficient and professional health system, thanks to the greediest health minister(s) we’ve ever had.

Money could justify the uglification of our urban spaces, the desecration of the little countryside we’ve got. And, in all this, Muscat doesn’t get it that the solution is urban planning, implemented with the best interest of people in mind, not only for only one group or another, but for all of civil society.

The present local scenario, or fiasco I must say, brings to mind a poem by Robert Burns in which he addresses a mouse that builds its winter nest in a wheat field, only to see it destroyed by a ploughman. Sounds familiar?

Justin Schembri is a Nationalist Party general election candidate on the eighth electoral district.