Gifting public woodland for political gain is not on

Reports in the press suggest that in the next few days the Prime Minister Robert Abela and his Minister for the Environment Aaron Farrugia will be gifting their favourite lobby what had been decided in an April 2020 Cabinet meeting: the handing over of woodland five times the size of Buskett, at il-Miżieb and Aħrax, to the notorious FKNK. This move shows the Government’s lack of respect towards the public and is just another cynical vote-buying exercise by a party which has been rendered into an unprincipled and unashamedly opportunist organisation. The Nationalist Party ‘is studying the situation’, doing what it does best, that is sitting on the fence.

AD spokesperson Luke Caruana said: “The handover of a public woodland to FKNK makes no sense for various reasons, including the fact that il-Miżieb and Aħrax are notorious for illegal hunting and are grossly mismanaged by the hunters’ organisation. While it is in the public interest that real conservation NGOs manage sites such as nature reserves, to ensure the proper and scientific  management of sensitive sites, the only aim of the FKNK is to serve the narrow and selfish interests of its members, contributing to the further degradation of the Maltese countryside. The countryside around Mellieħa should be managed properly for the enjoyment of all residents of Malta and not the privileged, politically protected few.”

Marcus Lauri, PD PRO said that AD and PD support the call by environmental and social NGOs, for il-Miżieb and Aħrax to be managed professionally by a public entity such as Ambjent Malta. “One of the most densely populated countries in Europe, a country which has lost large swathes of countryside over the years needs serious decision makers and not a Prime Minister and a Cabinet who pander to an arrogant, self-serving lobby group.”

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L-għoti ta’ art pubblika għal gwadann politiku mhuwiex aċċettabbli

Rapporti fl-istampa jindikaw li fil-jiem li ġejjin il-Prim Ministru Robert Abela u l-Ministru għall-Ambjent Aaron Farrugia se jkunu qed jagħtu rigal lil-lobby favorit tagħhom, hekk kif kienu wegħdu f’laqgħa tal-Kabinett ta’ April 2020. Se jagħtu art pubblika msaġġra li fiha ħames darbiet id-daqs tal-Buskett, fil-Miżieb u l-Aħrax, lill-ħbieb taghhom tal-FKNK. Din il-mossa turi n-nuqqas ta’ rispett tal-Gvern lejn il-pubbliku. Huwa ovvju li dan huwa biss eżerċizzju ieħor ta’ xiri ta’ voti minn partit li biddel lilu nnifsu f’organizzazzjoni opportunista, mingħajr prinċipji u bla sens ta’ mistħija ta’ xejn. Il-Partit Nazzjonalista, min-naħa l-oħra indika li ‘qed jistudja s-sitwazzjoni’ biex bħas-soltu jibqa’ gallerija.

Il-kelliem ta’ AD Luke Caruana qal: “L-għoti ta’ msaġar pubbliċi lill-FKNK ma tagħmilx sens għal diversi raġunijiet, inkluż il-fatt li l-Miżieb u l-Aħrax huma notorji għal kaċċa illegali u huma mmaniġġjati b’mod ħażin mill-organizzazzjoni tal-kaċċaturi. Filwaqt li huwa fl-interess pubbliku li NGOs ambjentali jimmaniġġjaw siti bħal riżervi naturali, biex jiżguraw il-ġestjoni xierqa u xjentifika ta’ siti sensittivi, l-uniku għan tal-FKNK huwa li taqdi l-interessi dojoq u egoisti tal-membri tagħha, u tikkontribwixxi għal aktar degradazzjoni tal-kampanja Maltija. Il-kampanja madwar il-Mellieħa għandha tkun immaniġġjata kif suppost biex titgawda mir-residenti kollha ta’ Malta u mhux il-ftit privileġġati, u politikament protetti.”

Marcus Lauri, PRO tal-PD, qal li AD u PD jappoġġjaw is-sejħa tal-NGOs ambjentali u soċjali, biex il-Miżieb u l-Aħrax ikunu immaniġġjati professjonalment minn entità pubblika bħal Ambjent Malta. “Wieħed mill-aktar pajjiżi b’popolazzjoni densa fl-Ewropa, pajjiż u li tilef meded kbar ta’ kampanja matul is-snin għandu bżonn awtoritajiet u politiċi li jieħdu d-deċiżjonijiet serji u mhux Prim Ministru u Kabinett li jilgħaqu grupp arroganti li moħħu biss li jservi l-interessi dojoq u egoisti tal-membri tiegħu għad-detriment tas-soċjetà kollha.”

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