It is a well-known fact the PN harbours within its ranks people with a reputation for copying, but having the Leader of the Opposition engaging in the same practice to put together a number of proposal, is worrying to say the least. There is a lack of vision and he is completely unprepared to lead this country.
A cursory look at the proposals by the PN is enough to convince anyone with an open mind that the Leader of the Opposition is not serious in his business. The first six proposals deal with the regional status of Gozo, which Busuttil says he will enshrine in the Constitution. Why did he not do this when it would have been useful, before the negotiations of EU membership? At that time, Simon Busuttil was a leading member of the team that were actively negotiating with the EU, earning thousands of euro in direct orders. At that point in time, Gozo could have been declared an island region. Renewing negotiations with the European Union is not flexible.
He also wants to reform the Ministry for Gozo, but in doing so, he risks diluting its importance and rendering the Ministry for Gozo just a hollow ministry.
He mentions a Gozo Regional Development Agency, which is just another name for entities that have the expertise and with whom the Ministry for Gozo works well in collaboration such as Malta Enterprise and the Malta Industrial Parks. This is why we have a €16 million project, co-funded by the EU, for the setting up of the infrastructure for offices (the Creativity and Innovation Hub listed as Proposal 40), and workshops and garages for SMEs (Proposal No 42) in the Xewkija Industrial Estate. A newly set-up Foundation for Financial Services Gozo is another public private partnership aimed to attract investment in this sector, (thus going beyond Proposal No 44, which aims at an MFSA office). During the past four years, we have managed to attract foreign investment, something unheard of in the previous 25 years.
This leads us to a potentially dangerous set of proposals dealing with health. Barts Medical School and the enlargement (from 270 to 450 beds) of the hospital go hand in hand since the former needs a bigger and more specialized hospital if it wants to be a teaching hospital. Threatening to renounce the investment in the hospital puts at risk the medical school and potential medical tourism, with all its multiplier effects on the rest of the economy in Gozo, including accommodation, restaurants, transportation and entertainment. Has Busuttil really understood the enormity of the harm such a statement can have on Gozo’s economic potential?
We next have accessibility and here we have the tunnel, the fast ferry and digital accessibility. Does Simon Busuttil know that studies have been conducted on the tunnel, including a Cost Benefit Analysis, a social impact assessment, geological and geophysical studies, seismic investigations, and other feasibility studies? Does Simon know that the tender for the fast ferry was issued a few weeks ago? Does Simon know that in this year’s budget €3.2 million were allocated for a second fibre optic cable, now that studies have been concluded? All his proposals are useless because they are already being carried out. Nothing new.
The same lack of preparation is evident when covering proposals for business. It seems that the authors of the proposals were not even aware that two years ago, this administration introduced a scheme where a company that employs individuals will be reimbursed the NI for the first three years. When it comes to grants and tax incentives, Malta Enterprise continues to offer what is possible under EU competition policy regulations.
Another section deals with infrastructure, such as the multi-level car park. Does Simon know that this is already incorporated in the Law Courts design, which plans have been approved, tenders for the underlying parking have been issued and funds for the first year have been allocated in this year’s budget? Regarding roads, does he think that Gozo is not included in the €700 million investment being proposed by this administration, for the next seven years?
The list could be longer but it would render this article tiresome. The main issue is that the Leader of the Opposition is unprepared to assume the responsibility of administrating Malta. He lacks the necessary vision. He lacks the decision-making skills that are required to be Prime Minister.
After all the noise that characterises the electoral campaigns, Malta will return to ‘normal’ life. This means having a clear vision, a clear direction. The choice will be between this administration that has a good track record after only four years and an alternative that guarantees confusion.
Dr Refalo is Minister for Gozo