Front Ħarsien has called on Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to renege on his party’s pre-electoral agreement with the Armier boathouse lobby and therefore join the Opposition leader's pledge.
In a statement, the NGO welcomed the declaration made by Simon Busuttil that he is not bound by agreements signed by his party with the Armier boathouse lobby in the past.
“The pre-electoral agreements signed by the Nationalist Party in 2003 and 2008 and by the Labour Party in 2002, 2007 and 2013 represented a dark chapter in Malta’s political history which saw the two major parties entering in to agreements with squatters occupying a large tract of public land, thus becoming accomplices in theft.”
The Front expressed satisfaction that the PN is no longer bound by 2003 and 2008 agreements which committed government to hand over 230 tumoli of public land in Armier to Armier Developments Limited on 65-year lease against an annual €350,000 payment.
It is a shame that the PL is still bound by an agreement signed before the 2013 election
The Front also recognised that Alternattiva Demokratika has consistently opposed the occupation of public land at Armier and has never signed any agreement with the lobby.
“It is a shame that the PL is still bound by an agreement signed before the 2013 election which reconfirms an agreement signed in 2002 foreseeing the reconstruction of the village as long as no speculation or destruction of irrigated agricultural land takes place.”
Reneging on these pre-electoral commitments is an important first step but this should be followed upon by a clear and unequivocal commitment against the occupation of public land by anyone including the Armier squatters.
“What the country needs is a national consensus supported by the the PL, the PN, AD and civil society to ensure that all those who occupied public land illegally are served with a notice of eviction and given a reasonable timeframe to vacate the land. The land should be returned back to the public as an open space for public enjoyment following a restoration plan approved by the planning and environment authorities”.