Fingers were pointed at politicians for not giving importance to the environment at the Nationalist Party’s convention at the weekend.
Architect Simone Vella Linecker, who presided over the three-day gathering for PN members, said participants felt the environment was not a priority for politicians.
She was delivering a round-up of the main issues raised during the workshops that brought together party members, officials and contributors from outside the party.
People expected politicians not to fear electoral backlash in defence of the common good, she said. It was a reiteration of a statement made on Friday by environmentalist and PN supporter Antoine Vella, who said the PN should not be scared of losing votes by adopting a green agenda.
“If politicians do not put environment at the heart of decision-making, the interests of the few would continue to prevail at the expense of the common good,” Ms Vella Linecker said, adding the common good did not belong to any party or government.
The environment should not play second fiddle to the economy
But politicians also got stick for failing to have long-term strategies to deal with environmental issues and were asked to “enter into a pact” with the people so that policy targets would be binding on future governments.
Ms Vella Linecker said an issue raised in the different workshops was the importance of having decisions based on scientific research. She said politicians were prone to knee-jerk reactions, taking decisions without consulting expert knowledge, which led to issues becoming the subject of political controversy.
She said the environment should not play second fiddle to the economy, adding that PN members expected a transparent and participative planning process.
The summary did not include proposals but outlined broad areas of concern and policy-making highlighted by members. But there was a call for a study to assess the country’s tourist carrying capacity, another one to evaluate the use of private cars and yet another to assess the link between the environment and health problems.
The convention also looked at links between the environment and culture and dwelt on the importance of a holistic education system.
What is the convention?
The convention, in contrast to the party’s general council meetings, is open to all party members and not just elected councillors. Its aim is to widen policy formulation to people outside the internal party structures.
The concept was introduced soon after Simon Busuttil became leader and followed on a similar model adopted by the Labour Party when Joseph Muscat was elected leader in 2008.
This was the PN’s second convention.