More than four months have passed since the government had to announce the final plans for the building of a sports village in what is now a derelict piece of land at the former White Rocks complex, but the Maltese public is still to know the outcome of the negotiations.

The government is tight-lipped, and has failed to reply to questions put by The Malta Independent on Sunday a few weeks back. That the government also failed to make at least a mention of the project when the ministry responsible held its press conference to mark the end of the third year of this administration is also a bad sign. The project barely got a mention in the glossy publication that was printed for the occasion too.

Plans to develop what used to be the White Rocks complex have already failed twice in the 1990s and 2000s, and it would be a pity if we are not third time lucky. Almost a year ago, the government had announced the project – to cost €200 million and to create 800 jobs – with much pomposity, but since then the public has heard almost nothing about progress in the negotiations, if there have been any. The deal for what parliamentary secretary Clyde Puli described as “Malta’s first sports college” was supposed to have been reached by December, but we are still waiting.

The Labour Party has asked several questions about the project too but, like what happened to this newspaper’s sister, they have remained unanswered. The government is conveniently hiding behind phrases such as “delicate talks” to keep the lid on any developments that there may have been.

But, actually, it is not known whether the project is still on or otherwise. The government has confirmed that there are negotiations, but apparently there may have been issues which have thrown doubts on whether the sports complex will see the light of day.

It is hoped that the announcement of the project last June was not just a ploy to deviate attention and increase the government’s popularity at a time when its ratings were low. If there are problems that need to be sorted out, the government should say what they are and explain what is being done to resolve them.

The Maltese community, especially the sports associations that will benefit the most if and when such a project is completed, deserve to know what is happening.