‘Manoel Island back to the people, and don’t expect compensation’ – AD

Alternattiva Demokratika's spokesman for sustainable development Carmel Cacopardo has presented a motion during the AD's Annual General Meeting in which he proposes that government should reclaim Manoel Island back from MIDI.

"This would be done without any form of compensation to MIDI," Cacopardo said.

The motion, seconded by chairperson Michael Briguglio and AD's spokespersons Ralph Cassar and Arnold Cassola, insists, "Government should make amends for the damage caused, with the consent of the Labour Party, as a result of the misconceived politics of encouraging development at all costs".

The motion resolves "that government should reclaim Manoel Island back from MIDI and convert it to a recreational park accessible to the public, containing community facilities freeing the space from speculative development. This should be done without giving MIDI any form of compensation".

MIDI plc, the developers of Tigné Point, won the 1992 public tender to develop both Tigné Point and Manoel Island against €100 million in premiums to the state and other infrastructural obligations.

In the past days, an interview in The Times with MIDI chairman Albert Mizzi fuelled public speculation leading MIDI plc to deny having held any discussions with government on divesting itself of the Manoel Island projects. MIDI plc insisted that the development remains on course.

Mizzi, in reply to a campaign from various quarters, said that Manoel Island should be spared from development. He said that if Government now preferred to leave Manoel Island free of construction, then it would need to compensate the successful bidder of that tender.

But Alternattiva Demokratika is seeing the issue under a different light, insisting that their stand is against MIDI receiving compensation.

"MIDI ruined everything with its projects and it should now make amends for the environmental fracas it carried out," Cacopardo said.

"AD wants to be clear on its stand. We are not in the business of toying with words and we want to say things as they are."

The sentiment was fully supported by Briguglio who said that developers have gained a lot from Siema. Replying to disagreements from AD members who said that the issue of compensation should be tackled differently, Briguglio said ultimately it is the court that decides the issue.

"Our mission is to say what the other political parties can't say because they are at the service of the big developers. We have the historical duty to defend the environment and the heritage," Briguglio said.

Closing off the AGM, Briguglio said he was very satisfied with how the AD fared during the past three years under his helm.

"An important milestone was the legalization of divorce, something which AD had been insisting for since its inception in 1989. Probably, if AD hadn't set the ball rolling by writing to the members of parliament, Malta today wouldn't have the divorce legislation," Briguglio said.