Id-deċiżjoni li Manoel Island terġa’ lura fil-pussess pubbliku hija waħda pożittiva. Il-Partit Laburista u l-Partit Nazzjonalista, ikun xi jkun l-ispin tagħhom fuq din il-kwistjoni, mhumiex spettaturi innoċenti f’din is-saga. Qed nitolbu wisq jekk nistennew apoloġija għall-kompliċità tagħhom f’din il-kwistjoni?

Id-Deputat Chairperson ta’ ADPD-The Green Party, Carmel Cacopardo, sostna li “Manoel Island ingħatat lil żviluppaturi privati permezz ta’ riżoluzzjoni parlamentari approvata unanimament kemm mill-PL kif ukoll mill-PN f’Jannar tal-2000, bil-kuntratt ta’ enfitewsi jiġi ffirmat fil-15 ta’ Ġunju 2000. Iż-żewġ partiti kienu kompliċi fil-privatizzazzjoni ta’ wieħed mill-aktar spazji pubbliċi strateġiċi f’Malta.”

Cacopardo, li huwa wkoll kandidat fuq is-7 u l-11-il distrett, żied jgħid li “Illum Robert Abela qed jippreżenta lilu nnifsu bħala l-prim ministru li ‘ta lura Manoel Island lill-poplu’. Ir-realtà hija differenti. Dan mhux riżultat ta’ prinċipju jew konvinzjoni ambjentali. Huwa riżultat ta’ konvenjenza politika u ta’ bidla fl-opinjoni pubblika li għamlet l-iżvilupp ta’ Manoel Island inaċċettabbli għal ħafna nies. Huwa wkoll riżultat tal-ħidma bla waqfien tal-voluntiera li mexxew kampanja fuq din il-kwistjoni.”

“Għal snin twal, ADPD sostniet b’mod konsistenti li Manoel Island għandha tinbidel fi park pubbliku u pulmun aħdar f’nofs waħda mill-aktar żoni urbani densament popolati fil-pajjiż. Filwaqt li l-partiti PL u PN iddefendew żvilupp spekulattiv, il-Ħodor insistew ripetutament li l-interess pubbliku għandu jiġi l-ewwel.”

Iċ-Chairperson ta’ ADPD-The Green Party u kandidata fuq is-6 u t-12-il distrett, Sandra Gauci, qalet li: “L-aħbar pożittiva tal-lum ma tħassarx għexieren ta’ snin ta’ politika distruttiva tal-ippjanar. Filwaqt li Manoel Island issa tista’ tkun politikament utli bħala simbolu għal Abela, l-iżvilupp żejjed qed ikompli għaddej bla kontroll f’postijiet oħra. Spazji miftuħa qed ikomplu jisparixxu taħt il-konkos. Komunitajiet qed ikomplu jsofru minħabba kostruzzjoni bla kontroll u l-spekulazzjoni.”

“Is-sitwazzjoni fuq Manoel Island innifisha diġà tirrifletti l-fallimenti tas-sistema permissiva tal-ippjanar f’Malta. Il-padel courts illegali u encroachments kummerċjali huma sintomu ta’ awtorità li ħafna drabi hija qaddejja tal-interessi privati minflok ma tipproteġi l-ġid komuni. L-applikazzjoni għar-reklamazzjoni tal-art għal lido ftit mijiet ta’ metri ’l bogħod minn Manoel Island hija eżempju ieħor ta’ interessi privati jippruvaw xortihom u jiffangaw aktar.”

“Il-Gżira tibqa’ wieħed mill-aktar eżempji ċari tal-falliment tal-ippjanar f’Malta: lokalità mgħaffġa minn żvilupp żejjed, traffiku, telf ta’ spazju pubbliku u d-deterjorament kontinwu tal-kwalità tal-ħajja tar-residenti. Robert Abela, li hu stess kien avukat tal-MEPA u li kontinwament iddefenda l-indifensibbli kontra l-ġid komuni, ma jistax jibqa’ jissagrifika spazji pubbliċi għall-interessi spekulattivi u mbagħad jistenna l-prosit meta jreġġa’ lura deċiżjonijiet li hu u l-partit tiegħu stess għenu biex iseħħu.”

***

Manoel Island: PL and PN cannot rewrite history

The decision to return Manoel Island to public ownership is welcome. The Labour Party and the Nationalist Party, whatever their spin on the issue are not innocent spectators in this saga. Is it too much to expect an apology for their complicity in the matter?

ADPD-The Green Party Deputy Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo noted that “Manoel Island was handed over to private developers through a parliamentary resolution approved unanimously by both PL and PN in January 2000, with the emphyteutical deed signed on 15 June 2000. Both parties were accomplices in the privatisation of one of Malta’s most strategic public spaces.”

Cacopardo, who is also a candidate on districts 7 and 11 added “Today Robert Abela wants to present himself as the political leader who “gave Manoel Island back to the people”. The reality is different. This is not the result of principle or environmental conviction. It is the result of political convenience and a shift in public opinion which made the overdevelopment of Manoel Island increasingly unpopular. It is also a result of the tireless work of volunteers who led a campaign on the issue.”

“For years, ADPD consistently argued that Manoel Island should become a public park and green lung in the middle of one of the most densely populated urban areas in the country. While PL and PN parties defended speculative development, the Greens have repeatedly insisted that the public interest must come first.”

ADPD-The Green Party Chairperson and candidate on districts 6 and 12, Sandra Gauci said:”Today’s positive news does not erase decades of destructive planning policies. While Manoel Island may now be politically useful as a symbol, overdevelopment continues elsewhere unchecked. Open spaces continue disappearing under concrete. Communities continue suffocating under uncontrolled construction and speculation. The situation on Manoel Island itself already reflects the failures of Malta’s laissez-faire planning system. Illegal padel courts and commercial encroachment, are symptomatic of an authority that too often bends to private interests instead of protecting the common good. The application for land reclamation for a lido a few hundred metres from Manoel Island is another example of private interests trying their luck once again.”

“Gżira remains one of the clearest examples of planning failure in Malta: a locality crushed by overdevelopment, traffic, loss of public space and the steady deterioration of residents’ quality of life. Robert Abela, himself a former planning authority  lawyer who constantly defended the indefensible against the common good, cannot continue sacrificing public spaces to speculative interests and then expect applause when partially reversing decisions he and his party enabled.”