The Prime Minister was adamant to develop the Zonqor area in Marsacala in spite of the public outcry against the proposed project on site, the Nationalist Party said today.

Addressing a press conference, spokesman Ryan Callus said it was deplorable that after such staunch opposition to the project in Zonqor, the Prime Minister has still not stated that the project was to be moved to an alternative site.

Mr Callus criticised the role of planning authority CEO Johann Buttigieg in selecting the area and said that, under Labour, the authority has been turned from regulator to developer.

Education shadow minister Theresa Comodini Cachia said that from an educational point of view, the PN would keep insisting that the standard of tertiary education in Malta should remain high.

This, despite the promise already made by the Prime Minster to the Jordanian construction company that it would be getting its licence for the development of a university.

She said the PN would continue to insist with the National Commission for Higher Education on the need of a thorough due diligence before any new university licence was issued.

Reiterating its call for the publication of the agreement signed between the government and the Sadeen group, Environment Shadow Minister Marthese Portelli said it was not fair that the public had been kept in the dark on what was agreed with the Sadeen group.

She said that if the government had nothing to hide, it should practice what it preached and show transparency in the way it conducted its business.

Dr Portelli said that so far, the government and the Jordanian investor were the only parties who know what they agreed upon behind closed doors.

“Secrecy is becoming the main characteristic of this government,” Dr Portelli said.

OPPOSITION WANTS TO SCARE OFF INVESTMENT - GOVERNMENT

In a reply, the government said that when it came to education, the Opposition was continuing to repeat allegations which were proven incorrect more than a month ago.

The Opposition was not even credible on the environmental aspect because while the government was working to evaluate as many alternative sites as possible, the Opposition had mentioned three that were not viable and which it was too ashamed to mention again. It had since proposed no other alternative.

The final contact of the investment would be public and the truth was that the Opposition only intended to scare the investment away, the government said.