Six years ago the Labour Party tried to deceive motor sport followers by an ambiguous electoral promise. It did not promise to develop a motor racing circuit. It simply promised that it would seek to identify a site for such a circuit.

Joseph Muscat visited one of the events of the Malta Drag Racing Association at the Ħal Far Raceway in February 2013, to try and impress motor sport followers that he supported the development of a motor racing circuit.

It is likely that the majority of motor sport followers gave the Labour Party the benefit of the doubt. The Parliamentary Secretary for Sport of the time also believed in the promise.

During 2013, the Labour government issued a call for proposals on reclaimed land. It received 21 projects from 17 companies, among which was one for a “race track”.

The evaluation committee met on December 18, 2013, but nothing was heard after that. An exhibition of the projects was also announced, but it never took place.

Five years later, on March 12, 2019, the Minister for Education in reply to a parliamentary question submitted by Godfrey Farrugia of the Democratic Party, stated that the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) was still conducting studies about land reclamation, so the government could not commit itself to a race track on reclaimed land.

The Labour government took 17 investors for a ride and took their money in the form of fees in 2013, because the relevant studies had not been conducted

This means that the Labour government took 17 investors for a ride and took their money in the form of fees in 2013, because the relevant studies had not been conducted. Has the Labour government returned the money to the investors?

In September 2015, the government went through the motions of issuing a call for expressions of interest for a Motor Recreation and Education Park.

On August 5, 2016, the Privatisation Unit of the Labour government announced the five proponents who had submitted their proposals. Nothing has been done since then.

In 2017, the Labour Party made another electoral promise, this time covering the development of a racing circuit at Ta’ Qali, but two more years have elapsed and no progress has been made.

Is it possible that the Labour government is having second thoughts after the Church Environment Commission objected to such a project? Where was the Church commission when the Church distributed large areas of land for the building of villas and houses? Was the environment not important then, as long as the Church collected the money from the leases?

Motor sport followers refuse to be fooled any more. Six years are more than enough. Once bitten, twice shy.

In those localities where the councillors have not supported the development of a motor racing circuit in their respective locality, motor sport followers have either stayed away or written the words “motor racing circuit” on the local council elections ballot paper.

The time of reckoning has arrived.

Alfred Farrugia is former competitions secretary of the Malta Automobile & Cycle Racing Association (MACRA), and was the representative for motor sports on the National Sports Board in the 1970s.

This is a Times of Malta print opinion piece