Residents ‘treated as second-class citizens’ during election campaign, Il-Kollettiv says
Il-Kollettiv has accused Malta’s main two political parties, the PL and PN, of sidelining residents’ concerns throughout the electoral campaign, saying that issues such as overdevelopment, overpopulation and worsening traffic continue to be overshadowed by the interests of business lobbies, the NGO said in a statement.
The organisation said residents across different localities were increasingly being forced to organise themselves and speak out over projects affecting their communities, warning that both major parties had failed to seriously address the realities being faced by people living in towns and villages across Malta and Gozo.
“Despite the very real fears of further overconstruction, overpopulation and traffic felt by thousands of residents across Malta and Gozo, the main political parties have insisted on pandering to the big business lobbies throughout the election,” the NGO said.
“This was the first electoral campaign in which residents from different parts of Malta felt compelled to organise their own events, a clear sign that the political parties have not given any attention to their realities,” President of Il-Kollettiv Jeanette Borg said.
“Both parties have made numerous vague promises involving the expansion of infrastructure, a review of planning laws and Local Plans, without clear initiatives to limit population increase. Quite to the contrary, it seems as if they’re warning us that there’s no intention to regulate, let alone change, the economic model, and that its main side-effects will continue to be borne by residents for years to come,” she said.
The group highlighted how many of these ambitious proposals were publicly criticised by a number of business lobbies, but they also do little to solve the immediate, day-to-day issues faced in our towns.
“Throughout these years, we have worked with residents from different regions in Malta, who face difficult struggles because of the excessive power given to numerous private interests and their lobbies. Yet, PL and PN only take stances on these matters when they face questions from the media,” Borg said.
Borg quoted the ongoing saga in Nigret as an example of this.
“During this campaign, Prime Minister Robert Abela declared that government land won’t be used for private development in Zurrieq. Residents now expect him to act upon his word and find a solution. The same goes for Żnuber in Mellieha, where another piece of public land in a residential area has been given away for the construction of a hotel,” she said.
Borg said the group was also active in lobbying the authorities for a solution to the woes of residents in Safi and Swatar, where the development of numerous rationalisation zones foresees a massive dumping of apartment blocks on virgin land which serves as a breathing space.
The group expressed its solidarity with the residents of Naxxar, whose safety and peace of mind is under threat after the collapse of a building site.
“The impunity afforded to these so-called developers is a dangerous precedent. Even here, both parties decided to play silent hostages for fear of upsetting a major electoral donor, leaving residents on their own,” she said.
“We are pleased to see so many residents coming together to work for their town and their own quality of life. At election time it has become more obvious that they are being treated as second-class citizens in their own country. Political parties should consider these groups as an active part of Maltese society, especially since they have been asking for dialogue since day one,” Borg concluded.
Photo credit: Rakel Vella/Il-Kollettiv
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