The Labour Party 2020 vision for the Grand Harbour area has once more exposed one of the major management flaws of the Nationalist party in government. One of the basics in management is the setting forward of goals and any such goals must be of course realistic. It is only through the setting up of achievable goals that success can be reached. The Nationalist Party has repeatedly set infrastructural and construction goals which at the outset looked, at best, difficult and in time have proved to be risible. I will use Dock 1 as an example of this depressing tendency.

The goals the Nationalist party have set for this Dock have been repeatedly missed and this manifestly so. In 1994, the Nationalist government had signified the government’s intention to build a yacht marina and recreational area in its stead. Fast forward to 1996 and this has been extended to a promise that the area would be re-developed into a community centre, bridge, shopping arcade, apartments, hotel and restaurants among others.

In November 2000, six proposals were published by the government with the declared intention of fast-track development. In September 2004, Minister Jesmond Mugliett declared that an artisans centre was to be developed in Dock 1 and this was approved a few months later by the Cabinet. Since then further declarations have been forthcoming from the government and the PN of the vision the government has for this area. The government record in this matter is, to put it plainly, atrocious.

This management (or lack of) style makes me wonder whether, after all, the declared proposals were even intended to take of or whether, as it seems, were merely intended as pre-election gimmicks in order to garner some votes. This is symptomatic of all government proposals over the past few years from Mater Dei to Regional Road to Cirkewwa to the Airport access roads. Nothing is ever done on time and within budget. This is bad management with attendant negligence par excellence.

Simon Micallef Stafrace

Valletta