After the rehearsals, we come to the actual performance. Gozo is Gozo and anything that concerns the infrastructure is under the responsibility of the Gozo Ministry. Infrastructure Malta has nothing to do with Gozo.

In 2019, Clint Camilleri, still on his way up to the pinnacle of labour ministerial status, was a Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture and Fisheries. He already had the Ministry of Gozo in the crosshairs of his ambition telescope. Justyne Caruana was then Minister for Gozo and responsible for road works in Gozo.

“There is the need for a bigger and immediate investment so that several roads are rebuilt in Gozo, including in Nadur, which have been left to deteriorate for several years,” Clint Camilleri wrote in 2019.

“I believe that once Infrastructure Malta is improving the roads in Malta in an efficient and professional manner, the same agency must also be allowed to work in Gozo,” he added.

In Jan 2020, Clint Camilleri achieved his ambition and was now Minister for Gozo. While the Minister was greeting workers who were paving St Francis Square in Victoria in front of his ministry, members of the media present were curious to know the views of the newly appointed minter regarding the state of the roads in Gozo.

“Talks are underway on ways how Infrastructure Malta may be involved in roadworks in Gozo,” the new minister for Gozo replied. 

Opposition MP Chris Said seized the opportunity to raise the issue in Parliament in 2020 by asking the newly appointed Gozo Minister how much in EU funds had been spent on roadworks in Gozo since Labour was elected to government in 2013.

In a brief reply, the Gozo Minister said that talks were underway with Infrastructure Malta so that it could offer its support and expertise for the ongoing roadworks in Gozo. As for the use of EU funds, the minister replied that the government’s surplus was financing these projects.

Meanwhile, in 2017, former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat announced the ambitious €700 million project that would fix up all of Malta’s roads. He was right! Government allotted all funds to Malta, ignoring Gozo completely. 

In 2022 Infrastructure Minister Aaron Farrugia stated: “A 2017 election promise to revamp all of Malta’s roads is still on track and set to be delivered on time despite the impact of the Ukraine war on raw materials.”

Fast forward four years and Clint Camilleri remains Gozo Minister and now is also responsible for planning. The Ministry for Gozo is still responsible for road works in Gozo and it seems the minister has no intention whatsoever of transferring this juicy bite of his portfolio to Infrastructure Malta.

The state of the roads is no better than those which he denounced five years ago. I stand to be corrected. The Nadur road project started in 2018 and finally opened by the Gozo Minister on Sep 2023. Meanwhile, the Gozo Ministry strongly denies that they financed private work by the funds dedicated to this road project. They failed to explain how the road’s final price had soared to €13.6 million from the original €8 million estimate - a difference of over €5.5 million - and the Gozo Ministry is still receiving bills.

But now change is in the air and the Marsalforn road project is to be launched by the Gozo Minister. This is after this project faced several protests, including an unsuccessful appeal from the Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar (FAA).

Residents from the area testified that the road in question does not need to be widened since within living memory, there has been no congestion except for the Victoria and Marsalforn bottlenecks which will continue to hold up traffic.

It is mostly busy during the month of August when many Maltese descend upon the sister island. This has led to questions about the project’s necessity and to suspicions that the primary aim is to line up the pockets of these contractors and maybe several building permits are in the pipeline.

The Gozo Ministry has already awarded the €9 million tender to Prax Ltd – a company owned by Nadur developer Joseph Portelli and his close Gozitan associates.

Through the project, the ministry aims to turn the idyllic tree-lined road between Victoria and Marsalforn into a four-lane road with a 2.5-metre-wide bicycle lane.

“After the Planning Authority had approved the infrastructure project on the application of the Ministry for Gozo to widen the road from Victoria to Marsalforn – unnecessarily – the Environment and Resources Authority then decided in favour of removing or moving over 200 trees,” said the PN.

FAA and Moviment Graffitti said the Planning Authority CEO Martin Saliba took on the role of Infrastructure Malta promoter in insisting that the road needs to be upgraded to European TenT standards, failing to realize that this applies to trade routes, which is definitely not the case with Marsalforn. 

This differs widely from the case related to Ghadira bay in Malta. This was really a European TenT standard road and ended up losing one lane to accommodate the catering outlets by the beach. Really, two weights, two measures, but the PA does not care.

Considering previous projects, which always exceeded the allocated budget, the cost of this Marsalforn road will outstrip the €9 million tender. Besides, building permits may start cropping up along the expanded section from Victoria to Capuchins Friary. 

This is once again a dazzling example that developers have the upper hand over the environment to appease their limitless greed. The funds forked out by taxpayers could have been better utilised by the Gozo Ministry. If the Gozo Regional Development Authority (GRDA) is really committed to the interests of Gozo, especially to the enhancement of Victoria, then they should focus their awareness and resources towards accomplishing the long overdue Victoria ring road.