Alfred Sant: Sustainable development bill ‘wrong and should be discarded’

Tonight, Parliament continued the discussion on the sustainable development bill which aims at creating a framework through which "sustainable development is to be mainstreamed across government".

Former Labour prime minister Alfred Sant said that the sustainable development bill should aim to end the "greed and hypocrisy" which is bringing environmental destruction. He called for good governance as the country is "paralysed" in the many aspects including the environmental sector.

He said that it is ironic that whilst the Opposition is criticised for a lack proposals, government forwarded a bill that has "no beef". Sant said the bill is "wrong" in the way it is written and structured and it should be "discarded". Sant added that "there is no clear strategy and political commitment in terms of sustainable development. The country deserves better".

Sant said that Minister de Marco should have been responsible enough to present an adequate law. On renewable energy he said that the Auditor General report published two years ago makes it clear that Malta has fallen back on its targets and government is not doing anything to make up for lost ground. He said government only came up with "empty words".

He stressed that there is no accountability in regards to the environment. Sant mentioned the delayed closure of the Marsa power plant and the explanation of the "mysterious" black dust as examples of a lack of accountability.

"The bill leaves us in the dark over the country's goals and targets. The bill is a clear indication of the government's lack of direction and leadership," Sant said.

He mocked the proposal of setting up a warden for future generations. He said this might be "sexy" but it is not clear what executive powers the warden will have. He dubbed it "another pompous structure that is useless". Sant said that it "useless" to have new structures in governmental departments to ensure the implementation of sustainable development goals if the goals and policies are not clearly defined.

Labour MP Leo Brincat said that the environment minister Mario de Marco should make it clear whether government agrees with commiting itself to sustainable development goals on a par with the millennium development goals. "If Malta is successful in setting up a clear strategy, all Maltese and Gozitan citizens will be the real winners".  

The Opposition spokesperson on sustainable development, Leo Brincat said that in order for this bill to be taken seriously "the minister must stipulate by when the policy will be implemented and who will be involved in drawing up the strategy as I fear that nothing will be done before the next election".

He said if no timeframe will be established the law will be a "road to nowhere". He said that Malta needs a short-term and long-term strategy which stipulates targets rather than make simple recommendations.

Brincat said that these targets will remain a "dream" if good governance is not practiced. "I am sorry to say that there is no culture and public awareness on the concept of sustainable development. This is shocking. The main contradiction of the bill is that on paper the law looks stronger however the proposed structure is weak."

"The elimination of poverty must not be put aside. Greening the economy will create decent new jobs, stimulate economic growth and combat poverty. This does not only apply to third world countries but it also tackles hidden poverty in Malta and abroad," Brincat said.

"We need fundamental changes in governmental structures, in our economy and our human behaviour patterns. The UN secretary general has recently said that he has placed sustainable development at the forefront of his second term in office."

He also spoke about public-private partnerships and said that Ban Ki-Moon has stressed the importance of the critical role business has in ensuring world-wide sustainable development. Brincat said that the UN chief is trying to implement these measures before the Earth Summit to be held in Rio in June

Brincat stressed the need for businesses and multi-national companies to reinvent their products and practices in order to reach sustainable development targets. He also praised the work done by the National Commission for Sustainable Development, even though "government dissolved the commission and shelved the report".

Brincat said that it is useless to have targets unless there are clear indicators established by the law. He added that all we be lost if stakeholders will have no sense of ownership.

"Today, Eurostat published a recovery and recycling study states that Malta is not only last but Malta has not submitted data on this matter since 2007.  If the environmental minister de Marco is serious in making Malta better then the EU in sustainable development then things need to be done more seriously."

He also made reference to the Auditor General's audit report on Safeguarding Malta's Groundwater. The report concluded that although the implementation of various initiatives have commenced, efforts must be stepped up to ensure the sustainability of this resource.

Labour MP Charles Buhagiar said that Malta's environment is afflicted by the "greed" of the construction industry and the solution will "certainly not come from the construction industry".

The debate on the sustainable development bill will continue on Tuesday.