Momentum calls for 'transparent' parliamentary debate on Manoel Island
Turning island into a national park is 'not a fantasy' - Arnold Cassola
Momentum has called for a “transparent” parliamentary debate on the Manoel Island contract after slamming the PN leader’s comments on the petition accusing him of aligning with the government.
In a statement on Friday, Momentum chairperson Arnold Cassola reiterated the party's “full support” for the petition to return Manoel Island to the public as a national park, urging the Parliamentary Petitions Committee to move it forward “without delay”.
The petition has garnered over 29,000 signatures and was endorsed by over 40 civil society organisations.
On Thursday Opposition leader Bernard Grech said Malta must honour the MIDI contract and described the petition as a “beautiful dream”.
“The very least the Opposition Leader could have done is welcome a debate in Parliament. This is not the kind of leadership expected from someone who claims to ‘genuinely care about everyone’s opinion’, let alone from a Leader of the Opposition, who now appears more interested in opposing the public than holding the government to account,” Cassola said.
He pointed out that Grech’s comments effectively meant that “back in 2000, the Nationalist Party, with the support of the Labour party, did not deliver a beautiful dream to the Maltese people”.
The Momentum chairperson insisted a transparent debate should be held in parliament with all members clearly stating their positions.
“A national park on Manoel Island is neither a fantasy nor a “beautiful dream.” It is an attainable and necessary goal, one rooted in the public interest, environmental responsibility, and the evident failure of MIDI to uphold its contractual commitments,” he added.