If Joseph Muscat continues to insist on giving away untouched coastal land in an ODZ area to this Jordanian construction company, he runs the risk of coming across as a very warped version of Robin Hood. The Prime Minister is looking increasingly like a reverse Robin Hood – stealing from the poor to give to the rich. This is not an exaggeration but simply a statement of fact.
From the information we have to date we know the following. A Jordanian construction company has decided to set up a university.
As far as can be seen, it has no prior experience or expertise in administering educational establishments – only in building them.
By that same yardstick, Sandro Chetcuti or Charles Polidano would seem to be equally qualified, but back to the Jordanian outfit.
Initially they set their sights on Spain, but then plumped for Malta. Why? Perhaps their decision may have been swayed by the fact that most of the land is public land and classified as an ODZ area, which brings down the cost. Land which cannot be developed is cheaper than land which can.
These lucky Jordanian construction magnates are going to acquire land at the going price for land which should not be developed, but the Labour government is going to let them develop it – which is great for them but not for other people who actually believed ODZ was not meant to be developed.
According to reports which appeared in the press, Maltese farmers have tilled and worked part of the land for generations. They fear it will be taken away. Their fears are justified. As things stand, it looks like Muscat is intent on depriving the Maltese public and future generations of a huge tract of pristine land.
The farmers will lose their land. But the Jordanian construction company (which has loads of money but apparently not enough to finance a website written in half-decent English) gets a unique coastal site where it can earn fat profits from the accommodation of Middle East students.
The assorted Labour minions who have been brought in to defend this appalling destruction of our heritage are all using phrases from the same playbook in an attempt to fudge the real issue – which is the fact that a huge tract of ODZ land is being built over.
Bring over your new Jordanian best buddies by all means; let them invest in any legitimate enterprise – but not in one of the very last tracts of undeveloped, unbuilt land
The first thing which trips off their tongue is that this is needless nay-saying obstructing investment. They deliberately ignore the fact that every single entity which has voiced concerns about the Jordanian venture has welcomed the investment but not the choice of site.
Bring over your new Jordanian best buddies by all means; let them invest in any legitimate enterprise – but not in one of the very last tracts of undeveloped, unbuilt land. And we’re on board with the idea of the project being in the South – just not on a pristine ODZ site.
So it’s all about the site – and this is where it gets all weird and difficult to understand. Because every time someone states the obvious – that the country simply can’t afford to lose any more undeveloped land and why can’t the Jordanian construction company set up shop on anywhere else, your typical Labour minion will turn around and ask why objectors haven’t come up with any alternative sites.
However, when any alternative site is proposed, it is immediately shot down because there is some aspect or other which doesn’t comply with the Jordanian construction company’s undisclosed master plan.
The only conclusion that can be drawn from this is that a foreign construction company conveyed its wish list to Muscat. The salient points on this wish list were that the land has to be (a) along the coast (b) untouched (c) encompassing a huge area (d) granted at a budget price.
It would seem that along the way, this wish list changed into a dictating of terms – for it was only this specific ODZ site which would satisfy the Jordanian speculators. There are vague mutterings from the government about alternative sites but the general feeling is that it’s a done deal.
Mepa itself identified the plum choice for the benefits of the Jordanian construction guys who have laid down the parameters in the first place.
The seemingly inevitable result of this is the sale of our natural heritage for a song – for a foreign construction to rake in the dosh while we look on as yet another part of Malta is lost forever.
cl.bon@nextgen.net.mt