The whole purpose was to contest or rather disallow our oil drilling plans. It all boiled down to their claim of jurisdiction over areas where Malta was reported to have wanted to drill for oil.

The crux of the story in question is that as way back as 2008 a particular company had been asked to put its drilling plans on hold by a particular neighbour country.

I found it and continue to find it humiliating that we had to come to learn of such incidents through the printed media rather than through government itself.

It was equally ironic to learn that rather than seeking clarification from the state involved, the government is reported to have sought clarification from the company in question. At least this is the impression I got from what appeared at a later stage in the media.

If expectations were raised in recent months and years one can solely attribute it to government itself – as well as to certain government friendly media.

One particular newspaper predicted that 2010 was meant to be “the oil drilling year” while another even ‘predicted’ that by the next general elections Malta could find itself with an oil production industry already alive and kicking even though still in its infancy.

After weeks of silence some new ‘light’ was shed by government ministers through PQs in the House, to try and give the impression that it was back to business as usual in this realm. So much so that the Minister of Resources informed the House in reply to a specific question that there was no slowdown in oil exploration activity and insisted that Malta had the right to explore for oil in Area 7 south of Malta – and that the acreage granted for exploration to Heritage Oil led to a situation where the contract remained still in force.

The ‘reassurance’ that Malta’s view was that this was part of Malta’s continental shelf and that Malta enjoyed sovereign rights for oil exploration and exploitation in terms of international law was as hollow as the other reassurance that the government was currently discussing a proposal for a tripartite oil exploration with Italy and Libya when only a few days ago the Foreign Minister told the House that Malta had formally protested to Italy over oil exploration after the Italians had offered oil exploration licences around the islands of Pantelleria, Linosa and Lampedusa which Malta considered as part of its own continental shelf.

I find it strange indeed that for so many days there was complete silence on the government’s part when newspaper reports quoted the representatives of a Canadian oil company as stating that Malta’s contested offshore territorial claims were likened to a waltz moving two steps forward and one step back.

The point I raised during the Adjournment was primarily that it is high time that the House of Representatives should be formally informed of a complete and thorough stock take on the whole issue of our oil exploration activities.

The argument that this could prejudice our position vis-à-vis other prospective private sector bidders in the area cuts no ice.

We would equally be interested in finding out why Malta did not claim any rights when the Greenstream gas pipeline passed through our territory and could have potentially been used as a bargaining point.

Even though the website of Heritage Oil says that they plan to test drill in 2011, recent news, quoting the local representative of Heritage Oil gave the impression that they had stopped physical activity during the past year.

Company websites traditionally tend to be optimistic since negative outlook may somehow affect their share price. In the circumstances, local media declarations appear more credible.

And yet the minister responsible claims that there was no slowdown in oil exploration activities.

Let us for a moment accept the ‘claim’ that Minister Pullicino was right in what he said in Parliament.

Then why did he not correct the media statements over the oil waltz allegation which confirmed that there was no physical activity being carried out in the past year?

When certain newspapers close to government publish government unfriendly articles, they tend to be believed more than government itself!

While – as Minister Pullicino says – the contract with Heritage Oil may still be valid, the statement by the Minister that there has been no slow down and the statement by Heritage Oil’s rep that nothing has been done over the past year, are diametrically opposed.

It surely does not take a whole year to analyse results from a seismic survey!

Also if Minister Pullicino is right that Heritage is going flat out, why bother considering a tripartite split with Italy and Libya?

This would simply reduce our eventual profits.

If Heritage does find oil, financing the exploitation is surely not a problem.

It could be carried out by Heritage or any other oil company with Malta keeping substantial royalties.

Once again we are unfortunately faced with a situation where the most important elements are what government is NOT saying.

That this government has a penchant to be economical with the truth is nothing new.

But things seem to have reached a stage where one feels regularly compelled to ask if they are hiding anything, what are they hiding and even worse, why.

That government invariably manages to sow such doubts through its actions and inaction is in itself worrying enough.

Nothing short of a fully-fledged Parliamentary statement can clear the air.

Meanwhile the oil exploration mystery continues to thicken further, exacerbated by the fact that contrary to many other EU member states the Maltese government has over recent years pig-headedly and stubbornly refused to lift any oil purchases from Libya while preferring to go to the open market, and in the majority of cases to one primary supplier.

The Opposition is clamouring for light to be shed on Malta’s oil procurement practices and the reasons behind them.

In the absence of such clarifications, then it would seem that government has something to hide and suspicions could be legitimate.

Similarly, Parliament, and indeed the Maltese public have a right to know the full story behind Malta’s oil exploration saga.

The Party in power has repeatedly raised the electorate’s hopes.

What is the reality behind Malta’s legal position over the areas it considers it has the exclusive right to explore and eventually exploit any hydrocarbon deposits?

Are the friendly relationships this government has with neighbouring states simply eye wash?

Even the government’s own backbench is protesting over the policy of withholding information.

And when statements such as those by Minister Pullicino over the status of oil exploration are made in the House and which contrast with information from informed sources, it is inevitable that we ask ourselves if government is deliberately misinforming Parliament and the public.

This goes way beyond withholding information.

Government, please come clean.

Meanwhile it was courtesy of a parliamentary question of mine that we just came to learn last week that government has been sourcing considerable amounts of purchases of fuel from TOTSA the TOTAL offshoot – the figures for 2008-2010 speak for themselves :

2008: $650m

2009: $332m

2010: $222m

The saga continues...

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www.leobrincat.com

Leo Brincat is the Shadow Minister for the Environment, Sustainable Development & Climate Change