Leading exponents in favour of the rampant “development” in Gozo frequently cite “the need to create a balance between environmental protection and economic development”, as if both were mutually exclusive – a fallacy demonstrably debunked in www.adgozo.com , which readers are invited to consult.

Among the many reasons why I will be voting for Alternattiva Demokratika in the forthcoming general election is its categorical rejection of the tried, tested and failed formula of myopic concrete construction, wreaking the permanent, irremediable destruction of not just a uniquely beautiful, but a hugely lucrative natural landscape too.

Which Maltese or Gozitan does not return from Ireland, for example, without indelibly etched memories of its pristine green scenery, harbouring no qualms about having paid top dollar rates for the privilege?

In the same vein, even “rock and weed wasteland”, indifferently dismissed by a few in Gozo as suitable only for construction development, commands highly prized experiential value among discerning visitors, content and willing to effectively substantiate it with very hard “green money”.

It is unacceptable therefore that Gozo be irrevocably scarred by the blight of residual debris from bankrupt speculation, conspicuously evidenced by the defunct Mgarr Hotel, typifying “yesterday’s economy”, characterised by low status, low-paid, low-skilled, dead-end contingent “jobs” with no prospects.

Gozo’s woes, spawned by the tragic, wanton squandering of natural assets and human talent, do not, however, have to obtain. Inordinately possessed as they manifestly are, of resourceful inventiveness, industry and consummately innovative creativity, Gozitans deserve a secure future with permanent, highly skilled, well-paid and all-year-round careers.

In this regard, AD’s cogent economic equation encompasses both its steadfast quality-of-life commitment to the protection and preservation of Gozo’s outstanding natural environment, as well as a vastly enhanced standard-of-living by virtue of the correlated creation of wealth and sustainable employment in high value-added heritage, cultural, eco and agro tourism.

Oisin Jones-Dillon

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