SIMON BUSUTTIL has hedged his bet on a green agenda to try and upstage the Labour Party in the next election. Kurt Sansone asks whether this move will suffice to deliver victory.

If history is anything to go by Joseph Muscat could win the next general election despite having a poor environmental track record.

The environment is just one of many considerations voters make in elections as the Nationalist Party found out in 2008 when it won by a whisker despite having faced a massive environmental backlash.

Pundits argue the PN won that election primarily on the strength of Lawrence Gonzi’s trust rating, which was miles ahead of his competitor Alfred Sant.

From an environmental perspective, Dr Gonzi’s administration lost many brownie points in the previous legislature when it embarked on a rationalisation exercise that saw development boundaries extend further.

It was 2006 and much to the dismay of environmental groups the PN government revised development boundaries in all localities. An area the equivalent of Siġġiewi was turned into developable land.

During the same period the government facilitated the construction of penthouses by relaxing conditions and increased height limitations in various localities like Swieqi and Marsascala, intensifying development in already built-up areas.

The decisions had led to the creation of a new grouping by a diminutive Sliema woman called Astrid Vella to campaign against environmental degradation. Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar successfully organised two well-attended demonstrations in Valletta against the rationalisation exercise. One of the demonstrations became famous for the placard that said ‘Vote George Get Lorry’ (a reference to then environment minister George Pullicino responsible for the rationalisation exercise and the corrupt former Labour minister Lorry Sant).

Arguing for petrol prices to drop, as the PN has been doing, contradicts a green agenda

The PN was at its lowest ebb, hit hard in its electoral hinterland by a growing pro-environment movement.

The rationalisation exercise was never reversed but in 2007 Dr Gonzi abandoned plans for a golf course in Għajn Tuffieħa and cut short the spring hunting season after a massacre of protected birds.

The two successive decisions helped the government regain some of the green lustre it lost 12 months earlier. In fact, in less than a year Dr Gonzi was again sworn in Prime Minister.

In their post-election analysis (The Sunday Times - March 16, 2008) Lawrence Zammit and Richard Cachia Caruana revealed that one of the main reasons the election went in the PN’s favour was due to Dr Gonzi’s “successful meetings” with thousands of disgruntled Nationalist voters towards the end of the campaign.

The Opposition lacked trust and people believed Dr Gonzi could deliver on two key electoral planks: cutting the top income tax rate to 25 per cent from 35 per cent and reforming the planning authority.

It would seem the PN’s dismal environment record did not translate into a pro-Labour vote.

Can the same happen in 2018 when the next election is due or will the environment be a determining factor for voters to switch parties?

Labour Party insiders recognise that the government’s lack of appreciation for green issues can lose it votes, especially in traditional PN strongholds, but they insist a booming economy would win the day.

This point of view is reflected in the findings of a non-scientific poll on the Times of Malta website in the wake of the PN’s convention that tackled the environment. The poll asked whether the PN could win the election with a pro-environment agenda. It delivered a split result with 46 per cent of the more than 9,000 participants voting yes and no in equal measure.

And yet the environment came in second as an issue of concern for Maltese respondents in the Eurobarometer survey released last month by the European Commission.

The environment was mentioned by 19 per cent of respondents as a matter of concern, a distant second after immigration, mentioned by 65 per cent.

Political observer Godfrey Grima believes people are concerned about environmental issues and not just the economy.

“Whoever said ‘it is the economy stupid’ [a quip made famous by former US President Bill Clinton] is wrong… when people achieve certain lifestyles concerns shift,” he says.

Whether the environment is a game-changer remains open for debate, he says, but it becomes a more powerful chip in the game when linked to abuse over the way public property is distributed to private individuals.

“It seems to me this government does not have a minister for the environment because things have not got any better and Simon Busuttil may have realised this and made a dash for the breach,” Mr Grima says.

The PN convention earlier this month did not produce concrete proposals but provided the party with fodder for developing a green agenda.

So far the party has championed the cause against building in outside development zones: it was vociferous in opposing the granting of ODZ land at Żonqor Point in Marsascala for the construction of a private university – now institute.

But Dr Busuttil has qualified that by saying there may be exceptions. Those exceptions remain as yet undefined.

For Godfrey Baldacchino, professor of sociology at the University of Malta, the devil will be in the detail.

He says this is the age of sustainable development and many jurisdictions are pursuing what are generally known as blue-green economic strategies that reduce waste, promote clean energy and make solid business sense by improving environmental credentials. Pro-green agendas are the order of the day, he adds.

“Sooner or later, decision makers will have to realise that development also means quality of life and not just construction,” he says.

Within this context, Prof. Baldacchino says he would be “most surprised” if the PN did not subscribe to a green agenda, as would the Labour Party.

“Malta may be advancing towards a more post-materialist culture that values ecological assets – but this is quite different from declaring the environment a game-changer,” he argues.

Politicians have often referred to quality of life in terms of car ownership, mobile phone usage and other material possessions. Obtaining and flaunting those statistics is easy, unlike non-tangible improvements in life expectancy, disease prevention and general satisfaction.

Arguing for petrol prices to drop, as the PN has been doing, contradicts a green agenda that seeks to reduce dependency on fossil fuels and encourage people to make more use of public transport.

This is just one example of conflict a mainstream party like the PN is likely to face. Dr Busuttil is convinced the challenges of going green can be overcome and the strategy could win the party votes – he called it a game-changer.

Whether it will win him enough votes to win though is less clear-cut.

kurt.sansone@timesofmalta.com

The proof of the pudding…

Environmentalists were invited to the PN convention Idea Ambjent to share their views. But are they convinced by the PN’s newfound pro-environment vocation?

Vince Attard, president Nature Trust

“It is a good thing that a political party talks straight about the environment, especially at a time when green issues are low in priority on the government’s agenda. But the proof of the pudding will be in the eating. You cannot blame us for being cautious because it is not the first time that a political party promises to work for the environment and then delivers something completely different. This happened last year when the Prime Minister, in the wake of the spring hunting referendum, said the government took note of the growing environmental concern but did very little to show that he meant it.”

 

 

Astrid Vella, coordinator Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar

“The PN convention was encouraging. To see a political party with a dismal track record on the environment truly striving to turn over a new leaf brings hope, especially after 2015 being a particularly difficult year for the environment under the Labour Party.

“However, much is left to be desired. While the PN opposed the Żonqor campus site vehemently, there was silent support for the motor race track, which will take up vast tracts of land and lead to far greater noise and air pollution. Additionally, the PN support of spring hunting went down sourly with environmentalists and with people who uphold principles above populist appeal and political interest. There is also the issue of abuse: until PN politicians effectively boycott illegal developments such as Montekristo Estates, they shall be seen as collaborators, not opponents of environmental abuse.

“At the end of it all much has yet to be seen. The PN deserves five out of 10 points for effort, but words need to translate into action.”

Alfred Baldacchino, former head environmental directorate

“The convention was a positive idea because it showed that the party was ready to listen to all stakeholders. It served as an eye-opener for party officials on what the environment really meant. What PN officials do with the proposals put forward is up to them but at least the party got to know what people and stakeholders thought about the issue. This in itself would create positive pressure on the party to adopt a green agenda because the convention showed that the environment was of concern to many people.”