It’s been a year since I announced my intention to contest the European Parliament elections on behalf of the Nationalist Party. From day one, I’ve been visiting Gozo weekly, conducting hundreds of house visits. 

Gozitans are resilient, but the situation is bleak. Unkept promises make the situation worse. The connection between the two islands is a major hurdle for thousands of Gozitans who commute daily for work, studies or medical purposes. The current Gozo Channel vessels have been unchanged for the last 18 years. Heavily inflicted delays are detrimental to commuters. The fast ferry service is embroiled in a legal battle within the law courts. 

What follows are daily life experiences I’ve encountered in my weekly house visits in Gozo for the past year. Names have been changed to protect privacy.

Maria is a 38-year-old mother of two. She and her husband work in Malta, and reside in Gozo. They wake up at 5am, Monday to Friday, take their children to her parents and the 7am ferry to Malta. They work in the central part of Malta – taking them an hour to reach their respective destinations. They’re back in Gozo by 7pm.

Maria and her husband both have tertiary level of education, but in Gozo they have no opportunity to work and put into practice, long years of studying.

Joseph is a taxi driver. He commutes to Malta daily ferrying tourists to and from the airport. It’s a daily nightmare for Joseph – the lack of the fourth Gozo channel ferry is a major inconvenience for Joseph and his colleagues.

Seventy-year-old Lina needs constant medical attention, requiring her to visit the Gozo General Hospital on a weekly basis. The services offered by the new, private owners leave much to be desired. Gozitans were robbed of their hospital and their disappointment is huge. That to put it mildly. 

Sandra and Joe are an elderly couple from Victoria with a summer residence in Marsalforn. The once sought after locality is fast turning into an unregulated area with a large number of third-party nationals making Marsalforn their residence due to its, relatively low rents. Sandra and Joe are, rightly, concerned about the lack of security in Marsalforn. They are now wary of taking their usual evening stroll along the Marsalforn promenade. 

Michela is an IT graduate whose dream was to set up a software company in Gozo. The lack of incentives for Gozitan start-ups, and the absence of a much-promised but never materialised fibre optic cable quashed Michela’s dream, as it did to hundreds of other would-be investors. 

The benefits of EU membership should have transformed Gozo into a vibrant economy. It did not

Toni has been working his fields in Għarb since he was a young boy – he’s now in his late 60s. So did his father, and his grandfather before him. His two sons would have none of that. The lack of government aid, and the bureaucracy involved in the filing of applications for the securing of EU funds, is a good enough reason for them to look elsewhere. 

The Cassar family have been in the furniture business for years. Following the 2018 general election, they suffered a massive blow having lost their handful of employees to the public sector. It is a well-known fact that hundreds of Gozitans were taken off the private sector and employed with the government.

The population of Gozo is officially estimated at around 33,000. Every single employee who leaves private sector employment constitutes a big loss. It was a heavy slap in the face for Gozitan businessmen and entrepreneurs.

Gozo is a beautiful island, but its challenges are various and the prospect of a better future is bleak. The benefits of EU membership should have transformed Gozo into a vibrant economy. It did not. Endless conferences have taken place discussing Gozo’s future. There has never really been a long-term business plan for Gozo. 

The time for action is now.

Gozo’s case in Europe must be made boldly and convincingly. For a start, Gozo must be given a region status thus making its case stronger in Europe and in the attainment of EU funds for its multiple needs.

A resolution on boosting growth and cohesion in EU border regions has been adopted by the European Parliament. This was a step in the right direction because it highlights reasonable concerns about the disadvantages that burden border regions compared to other European regions.  

Previous administrations had allocated to Gozo 10 per cent of the EU funds received by Malta. The 10 per cent allocation was based on the size of the Gozo population which was around seven per cent of the Maltese population and topped it up by a further three per cent as a catching up effort.

A greater share for Gozo is needed if we are to revive the island which is crying out precisely for that. 

On a local level, a fast ferry service is needed, as is the fourth Gozo ferry channel and a fibre optic cable. 

Budget 2019 fell short of addressing Gozitans’ most pertinent challenges. Only five pages, from an extensive document are about Gozo and most of what has been promised has already been pledged, and undelivered in previous Labour government budgets.

A new hospital; new law courts; embellishment of Xlendi and Marsalforn; the upgrading of Pjazza San Franġisk in Victoria are a few of the many unkept promises.

There is no better way to understand Gozitan needs than being there and speaking to Gozitans themselves. Gozo should not be considered an extension of Malta, or just another electoral district. Gozo has its own unique challenges.

It as a region of Malta and should be treated accordingly. It is a region with its specific environment; its history; its diocese and its demography.

Gozitans deserve better.

Frank Psaila is a lawyer and PN MEP candidate.

This is a Times of Malta print opinion piece

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