Franco Mercieca said it is the tunnel with one lane each way or nothing at all for at least a generation. He also said the tunnel will be built by a private investor.

Every tunnel in Malta has two lanes each way. So it seems we will be regaled with a not good enough tunnel for at least a generation to come. I think that this being a national decision the view of all the Maltese should be taken into consideration.

Moreover, it seems the decision on the tunnel has already been made even if the EIA is not ready yet.

It will be more difficult for Gozitans to campaign for a metro system connecting the islands as part of a nationwide one.

How will this private investment work? Will the private investor enjoy a monopoly on transport between the islands? Will the Gozo Channel Company continue operating? 

And why is the liberalisation of transport between the islands, which does not necessarily start and end at Mġarr and Ċirkewwa, never on the cards? 

If this private investment deal is botched up, like the Gozo General Hospital one and the fast ferry, it will not promise well for the future.

It seems Mercieca wants to leave us this legacy but I do not think making Gozo part of Malta is a good idea.

The entrepreneur interested in investing €300 million should be careful that this amount does not triple. We should ask him where the money will come from?

Mercieca said we are still in time to save Gozo by making a master plan before the tunnel is finished. He should know that the only thing that saved a small part of Gozo from the unhealthy appetite of his colleagues and their collaborators was that Gozo is an island. Local and master plans are in place but they can be tweaked and mishandled too. Also, the rules under which the Planning Authority operates seem to apply differently to different situations and individuals.