The lack of importance given to the environment in the leading parties’ manifestos indicated that they have not understood that Malta’s financial prosperity and public health depended on sound environmental management, the NGO Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar (FAA) said.

It said in a statement this morning that job creation in tourism and knowledge-based services similarly depended on ensuring a healthy and green environment which would only materialise when both parties ceased to allow developers to determine their policies.

FAA said it always emphasised the importance of using clean energy, especially alternative, renewable energy. In the case of the PL’s proposals, FAA insisted that all the necessary environmental assessments and EU requirements had to be adhered to, especially in view of the protected ecology and landscape in the area and, should this not be the case, FAA would speak out, it said.

However, it said that just as FAA had refused requests to criticise the Mistra case on the eve of the 2008 election, it would not be drawn into any political agendas.

FAA highlighted the dangers of misplaced promises being made as vote-catchers. Both leaders of the two main political parties promised speeded-up permits in supposedly eco Gozo, the very area which needed special attention if it was to retain its employment numbers in the tourism industry.

FAA recalled the hundreds of permits rushed though Mepa before the last elections, many of them abusively. It said that the Lidl project on fields of Xewkija was already being presented without the necessary studies, and the number of applications being processed was increasing.

“Is this the shape of things to come,” it asked

“Now that the property glut has proven that more development is not needed, do the main parties have the courage to reverse the rationalisation take-up of virgin land especially when our village cores are becoming increasingly abandoned and dilapidated?

“Will MEPA’s expert committees on heritage and environment and Auditor/Ombudsman continue to be ignored by the MEPA Boards? Do the main political parties share the stand, viewed by other public bodies, that board members should not be appointed by politicians? Will top MEPA officials again be hand-picked, in violation of public appointment procedure?”

FAA noted that the main parties have not yet declared themselves on the boathouses at Armier and elsewhere, many of them built recently while politicians closed a blind eye to the blatant theft of public land.

Ground-water also continued to be stolen through abusive boreholes with no action being taken while the country faced a water crisis. FAA asked when government would start charging for the water being stolen from the public. In spite of running water-saving campaigns, the authorities dismantled laws that obliged residences to include wells and failed on enforcement.

“Will the next party in power have the courage to order roadside vehicle emission testing to reduce Malta’s high rates of air pollution,” it asked.