Wara li numru kbir ta’ persuni wrew biċ-ċar li jridu li Manoel Island issir park pubbliku, kemm il-PL kif ukoll il-PN diġà qalu li din ir-rieda se tigi injorata, kif ilhom jagħmlu għal għexieren ta’ snin. Xejn ġdid. Qegħdin fejn qegħdin minħabba l-kompliċità tal-PN u l-PL mal-ispekulaturi tul is-snin. Dan qaluh l-kelliema ta’ ADPD-The Green Party Sandra Gauci u Ralph Cassar waqt konferenza stampa fid-daħla għal Manoel Island is-Sibt.

Iċ-Chairperson tal-partit Sandra Gauci qalet li wara tnax-il sena fil-gvern il-Prim Ministru Robert Abela nduna li issa fi kliemu ‘tiswa wisq’ biex ireġġa’ lura lil Manoel Island f’idejn il-pubbliku. Skont il-Kap tal-Oppożizzjoni hemm kuntratt li jrid jigi onorat. “Li nsew jgħidulna t-tnejn li huma huwa kemm il-gvern Nazzjonalista, u warajh il-gvern Laburista aġevolaw kemm felħu lill-ispekulaturi. Kemm għalqu għajnejhom għall-ksur ta’ kundizzjonijiet, u kif kull darba ħafrulhom dnubiethom. Kif nafu aktar ma tħalli għall-aħħar, l-affarijiet isiru aktar diffiċli. Għalhekk ħallew iż-żmien jgħaddi mingħajr azzjoni biex jaġevolaw l-ispekulazzjoni fuq art pubblika. 2,500 ‘luxury units’ ġodda fis-suq fis-snin li ġejjin inkluż f’Manoel Island, biex ikomplu jippumpjaw il-prezzijiet tad-djar ‘il fuq, bi wħud minn dawn fuq art pubblika. Dan huwa l-ġenn kbir li jridu l-PL u l-PN.”

“Lura għal Manoel Island. Infakkru biex ħadd ma jinsa li din is-serqa ta’ Manoel Island biex tingħata lill-privat twieldet taħt gvern tal-PN, bil-kompliċità tal-PL. Bi qbil unanimu tal-Parlament aċċettaw li Manoel Island tingħata lil MIDI flimkien mal-Ponta ta’ Tigné. Milli jidher inbidlu l-kapijiet, il-mexxejja u l-Prim Ministri u xorta baqgħu  bl-istess mentalità. Kif jistgħu PN u PL kontinwament jinsew lil min tellagħhom imma rari jinsew lil min jagħtihom id-donazzjonijiet? Kif jistgħu ċ-ċittadini jafdaw dawn li fil-Parlament unanimament qablu ma din il-ħatfa ta Manoel Island?

“Donnu li d-29,000 firma li nġabru ftit li xejn għamlu effett fuq il-fehma tal-Prim Ministru u tal-Kap tal-Oppożizzjoni. Xorta baqgħu pappagalli bl-istess skript li japoloġizza għan-nuqqas ta’ azzjoni ta’ gvernijiet Laburisti u Nazzjonalisti fejn kien hemm ksur tal-kuntratt min-naħa tal-MIDI. Anzi raw kif aġevolaw aktar lil MIDI. Kellhom kull ċans li jieħdu lil Manoel Island lura.  Eks-Ministru Laburista Edward Zammit Lewis stess ilbieraħ ammetta li hemm nuqqas kbir ta’ kontrolli li jaraw li l-kundizzjonijiet tal-konċessjonijiet ta’ art pubblika lill-privat jiġu rispettati. Jirrifletti ħażin fuq il-PN u l-PL li ma kienx hemm u mid-dehra għad m’hemmx strutturi u riżorsi sura biex jiżguraw li l-kundizzjonijiet tal-użu ta’ art pubblika mogħtija b’konċessjoni jiġu rispettati. Mhux sorpriża għax anke sempliċi kundizzjonijiet ta’ konċessjoni ta’ mwejjed u siġġijiet jew umbrelel fuq il-bajjiet qajla jiġu nfurzati.”

“Kull min għandu għal qalbu saħħtu kemm dik fiżika kif ukoll dik mentali jaf x’importanza strateġika jkollu park pubbliku f’Manoel Island. Jekk verament il-Gvern għandu verament għal qalbu s-saħħa tan-nies u mhix gimmicks ta’ gyms b’xejn, jara kif jagħmel u jinnegozja, juża l-kreattività tiegħu jekk għandu, u l-armati ta’ konsulenti u avukati tal-gvern u jieħu lura Manoel Island. Jekk il-Prim Ministru qed isibha diffiċli xorta l-ballun f’saqajh, għax hu u l-partit tiegħu qgħdin fil-gvern u huma jridu jaraw kif isolvu l-problemi li b’kompliċità mal-PN ħolqu għalina u għal pajjiżna.”

Is-Segretarju Ġenerali ta’ ADPD-The Green Party Dr Ralph Cassar qal li kemm il-PL kif ukoll il-PN mhux fl-interess tagħhom li jindirizzaw il-problema li ġabu huma stess b’idejhom. Issa wara 25 sena li ilna nitkellmu fuq l-iskandlu ta’ Manoel Island l-ebda wieħed minnhom m’huma kapaċi jammettu li aġevolaw lill-ispekulaturi għas-skaptu tal-pubbliku. “In-nuqqas ta’ spazji miftuħa fiż-żoma tal-Gżira, Tas-Sliema, Ta’ Xbiex, l-Imsida u l-madwar kien diġà jinħass 25 sena ilu. Issa l-problema marret għall-agħar. Riżultat ta’ kompliċità bejn il-Partit Nazzjonalista, l-Partit Laburista u l-ispekulaturi, l-fatt jibqa’ li MIDI ingħataw kemm il-Ponta ta’ Tigné, kif ukoll Manoel Island bl-approvazzjoni tal-Parlament kollu fis-sena 2000. L-ebda deputat ma’ oġġezzjona dakinhar. L-ebda deputat ma’ kellu s-sinsla dakinhar li jopponi t-trasferiment ta’ mheded kbar ta’ art pubblika lil MIDI. B’hekk ċedew id-drittijiet tal-propjetà mill-istat għal MIDI, u taw drittijiet protetti mill-Kostituzzjoni lil ħaddieħor, sfortunatament. Dan hu l-iskandlu li seħħ ħamsa u għoxrin sena ilu. Li Tigné kien hemm spazju li kieku intuża għal skopijiet kulturali u sportivi wkoll intnesa. Alternattiva Demokratika biss dakinhar opponiet t-trasferiment tal-art għall-ispekulazzjoni.”

“Għalhekk hija ipokrezija li per eżempju persuni bħal Alfred Sant u Evarist Bartolo jiftħu ħalqhom issa. Dawn meta kellhom aktar saħħa u influwenza politika mxew mal-kurrent, għax fl-aħħar mill-aħħar huma karrieristi, ma ridux idardru l-għajn li jixorbu minnha. Moda din li la jirtiraw joqgħodu jippontifikaw. L-istess xi deputati tal-Partit Nazzjonalista, għax wara kollox kien Gvern Nazzjonalista li kien il-gvern li nsista li Manoel Island u Tigné jingħataw lill-ispekulaturi. Kemm għajruna li ‘kontra l-progress’ dakinhar. Il-progress veru kien ikun kieku Manoel Island sar park pubbliku, u l-Ponta ta’ Tigné spazju kulturali u sportiv. Minflok il-PN u l-Labour għażlu l-ispekulazzjoni tal-art għat-tgawdija tal-ftit.”

“Jekk xejn il-kampanja li qed issir mill-NGOs kompliet tikxef l-iskandlu tal-kompliċità bejn il-PN u PL biex jaġevolaw l-ispekulazzjoni u l-iżvilupp bla rażan. L-anqas ħaġa li jista’ jagħmel il-Parlament huwa li Bernard Grech u Robert Abela jagħmlu seduta dwar Manoel Island li fiha jiskużaw ruħhom  għall-iskandlu ta’ trasferiment ta’ art pubblika għall-ispekulazzjoni. Frankament, jiddispjaċini ngħid li l-PL u l-PN se juru lil kulħadd li petizzjonijiet parlamentari m’għandhomx piż, għax x’aktarx lanqas diskussjoni fil-plenarja m’hi se ssir. Jafu li dibattitu jirrifletti ħażin fuqhom, għax għandhom għal xiex jistħu.”

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Manoel Island: We are where we are due to the PLPN’s complicity with speculators

After thousands of people have shown that they wish to see Manoel Island become a public park, the PL and PN have already said that this wish is going to be ignored, just as they have been doing for decades.  Nothing new.  We are where we are due to the complicity of PLPN with speculators for decades.  This was emphasised by speakers for ADPD-The Green Party Sandra Gauci and Ralph Cassar during a press conference near the entrance of Manoel Island on Saturday. 

Chairperson Sandra Gauci said that after 12 years in government, the Prime Minister Robert Abela has now realised that it is in his own words ‘too costly’ to return Manoel Island to the public.  According to the Leader of the Opposition, there is a contract to honour.  “What they have both forgotten to tell us is that both the Nationalist government and the Labour government have both given in to speculators.  They closed their eyes to the breaches of contract, forgiving their transgressions every time.  As we know, whenever you postpone action, things become more difficult to rectify.  This is why they allowed time to pass without taking action on this public land.  Now we have 2,500 new ‘luxury units’ planned for the market, some on Manoel Island, which will continue to drive property prices up, some on public land.  This is the madness that PL and PN want.”

“Now back to Manoel Island. Let’s remind people that the takeover of Manoel Island started when the PN was in government, with PL complicit in the affair.  Parliament unanimously agreed that Manoel Island would be passed on to MIDI together with Tigne Point.  From what we can see, the leaders of both parties have changed, together with ministers and a change of party in government, but they have remained with the same mentality.  How can PN and PL keep on giving priority to their donors whilst continuously forgetting those that elected them to power? How can citizens trust those in Parliament, the very ones who voted unanimously in favour of the takeover of Manoel Island?”

“It seems that the 29,000 signatures that have been collected have had little effect on the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.  They have stuck to parroting the same script in which they apologise for their lack of action when MIDI did not honour the contract.  They actually seemed to side with MIDI in this case, allowing them to retain Manoel Island, when they had every opportunity to take it back.  The former Labour Party Minister Edward Zammit Lewis himself admitted yesterday that there is very little control in seeing that conditions concerning concessions of public land to private interest are respected.  It reflects very badly on the PN and PL, and it seems there are no structures or resources to ensure that concessions regarding public land for private use are following such agreements.  It is not surprising because even simple things like concessions concerning tables and chairs and umbrellas on beaches are very rarely enforced.”

“Whoever has mental and physical health at heart knows how strategically important a public park like Manoel Island is.  If the Government truly has the health of the people as a priority, it should not simply be an issue of free gym memberships, but actually actively putting to good use the army of consultants and lawyers it employs to retake Manoel Island. It seems that the Prime Minister is finding it difficult to actually locate the proverbial ball in his court; he and his party are in government, and they must solve this problem which has been created back in the day in complicity with the PN.” 

ADPD-The Green Party Secretary General Dr Ralph Cassar said that it is not in the interest of the PL and PN to address the problem that they have created. “For the last 25 years, we have been speaking on how the PL and PN refuse to discuss solutions to problems that they themselves have created. The Manoel Island scandal is one of these problems, and now the PL and PN are not able to admit that they have very much sided with the speculators at the cost of the public.  The lack of open spaces in the zone comprising Gżira, Tas-Sliema, Ta’ Xbiex, l-Imsida and the surrounding area was already being felt 25 years ago.  Now the problem has been aggravated.  This is the result of the complicity of the Nationalist Party, the Labour Party and the speculators.  The fact remains that MIDI were granted Tigné Point as well as Manoel Island with the approval of Parliament in 2000.  Not one of the members objected.  No one had the backbone to oppose the transfer of public land to MIDI.  As a result, any property rights were passed from the government to MIDI, and any rights protected by the Constitution were unfortunately given away.  This scandal occurred 25 years ago.  The fact that Tigné Point could have been used for cultural and sports use has also been forgotten.  The only party to speak against the transfer of that land to speculators was Alternattiva Demokratika. 

“That is why it is hypocritical to have persons like Alfred Sant and Evarist Bartolo raising their concerns now.  When they had more political clout and influence, they went along with the current, because at the end of the day, they are also careerists and they did not want to bite the hand that feeds them.  Now it seems fashionable to pontificate.  The same goes for the Nationalist Party deputies, as after all it was a Nationalist government that insisted on Manoel Island and Tigné Point being transferred to speculators.  They called us names then, saying we are against progress.  True progress would have been the case of having Manoel Island transformed into a public park, and Tigné Point a creative and sports space.   Instead, PN and PL chose land speculation to be enjoyed by the few.   

If anything, the campaign led by NGOs has continued to reveal the complicity scandal between the PL and the PN to appease the speculators and unbridled development.  The least that Parliament can do is to have Bernard Grech and Robert Abela have a sitting about Manoel Island to apologise for the scandalous transfer of public land for speculation.  To be frank, I regret to say that PL and PN will show us all that parliamentary petitions mean nothing and have no weight, because not even a plenary session will be held.  They are aware of how much it would reflect badly on them and that they truly should be ashamed of themselves”.