PN appeals to government to ‘scrap Zonqor project immediately’

Shadow environment minister Marthese Portelli and PN spokespersoen for planning Ryan Callus have urged Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to scrap the choice of Zonqor Point for the siting of the 'American' university.

The two MPs said that many NGOs and individuals had spoken out against the Jordanian investment to build the American University of Malta in a stretch of land that was formerly designated as a natural park.

“The prime minister should give the public some peace of mind that this project will not be built up in a stretch of virgin, protected and ecologically important land,” Portelli said, adding that the land should be enjoyed by the public.

Listing some of those who had expressed their disagreement of this project, Portelli said that the government should consider alternative sites for the investment. Some of the main opponents to the project include Archbishop Charles Scicluna, students of the University of Malta, environmental NGOs and hunters among others.

Portelli said that the project was also condemned by members of the Labour Party itself, with deputy mayor of Marsascala Desiree Attard insisting that the people of the locality did not want the project, and Labour MP Marlene Farrugia saying they had not been consulted over the location of the project.

Referring to last night’s episode of TimesTalk, Portelli said that even education minister Evarist Bartolo had admitted that alternative sites needed to be found. “I expect Muscat to take up this challenge and to tell the public how it feels to have so many entities against his decision,” Portelli added.

Callus said that the PN had also made various suggestions of alternative sites and that the 42,000 square metre Petroleum Division of Enemalta in Birzebbuga, had been confirmed as a possible candidate site by Enemalta chairman Robert Ghirlando.

Ghirlando was quoted by the press stating that the oil tanking depot would have to be thouroughly cleaned before it could be put to any urban use.

“The PN does not exclude that a thorough dismantlement and decontamination project would be needed to use this land, but since these projects are planned anyway, the property could then be put to use once again,” Callus explained adding that the land is already developed.

“The land has all the credentials for the project,” Callus said adding that the PN was in favour of the investment in education in itself, but opposed only to the location.

Callus also referred to Labour MP Deborah Schembri’s behaviour during a parliamentary environment committee meeting last night, calling her attitude and comments “unacceptable and undemocratic”.

The parliamentary select committee meeting held last night was meant to listen to NGOs’ proposals over the draft Strategic Plan for the Environment and Development (SPED), but instead saw Schembri expressing concern over the committee setting “an ugly precedent”. “There was a consultation process which for all intents and purposes was also lengthened, during which the NGOs present and all civil society had the right to express their views and concerns on the document,” she said.

Schembri argued that that period of consultation was over and allowing further amendments to be proposed at this stage, at just a day’s notice, does not give “equality of arms to other people who might be in opposition to what is being proposed”.

The NGOs have insisted that almost none of their recommendations had been included in the SPED. Describing public consultations as just lip service, the NGOs said there was no way of knowing which of their recommendations would have been included in the actual document.

The NGOs were invited to the committee by chairwoman Labour MP Marlene Farrugia and, for the first time, were given the opportunity to see the document before it is amended by parliamentarians.