Gozo has long been a headache to successive administrations, regardless of political allegiance.

The geographic limitations of the island have never helped and for many years Gozo was reliant on Malta for much of what it consumed. Times have changed, as have circumstances, but the sister island still depends on Malta for raw materials, certain foodstuffs and practically everything which is imported from mainland Europe.

This meant that Gozo has always needed a reliable sea link to keep it going. The subsidies for Gozitan’s to travel to Malta, for example, are necessary and justified, but no one can deny that they are a drain on public coffers.

For many years, Gozo was simply given a budget and was pretty much left to its own devices. But since EU accession, the island has moved away from that mentality and has become a region in itself.

The fact that Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and the top echelons of Cabinet are going to Gozo today to discuss Gozo-specific proposals at MCESD levels just shows that there is a commitment to improve Gozo and to allow it to branch off in its own identity.

Now, the other side of the political camp might say that not enough is being done, and they have every right to say that if they so believe, but the fact that Gozitan people are putting forward their own suggestions is indicative of the recognition that Gozo has its own needs, its own ideas, its own roadmap and its own peculiarities.

But the front page story on today’s edition shows that the business and social community of Gozo have their own ideas of where they want to go and that is positive. It is being what is called pro-active. Rather than sit back and allow the Central Government to decide on each and every minute, the community has banged heads together and come up with a set of proposals which they believe will be beneficial to the business community and the residents of Gozo as a whole.

The government, of course, has the obligation to listen and to also put forward its proposals in the grander scheme of things. But first and foremost, it must listen to what Gozo has to say and where it wants to go, after all, the people of Gozo know the needs and aspirations of the island far better than someone who is based on the mainland.

Some of the measures that have allowed Gozo to develop its identity further have been the mooring of cruise ships outside its harbours, the sea link to Valletta (which is eventually intended to be a direct route to Sicily) and of course, the right to apply directly to the European Union for assistance and funding. The upgrading of ferries and road networks (although they were way overdue) has also allowed the island to become a more attractive tourist destination.

Gozo is a very marketable destination, but we must not make the mistakes that have been made with some of the islands in Greek or Spanish territory. We simply cannot afford to plan for Gozo centrally and not let the island, shall we say, “spread its wings”. Gozo’s main charm is pretty much everything Gozitan – from the rolling hills and beaches to the women who still make bizilla (lace), potatoes on pizza to the fantastic countryside that it offers. Gozitans make Gozo... and they must be heard.