The ‘deficit island’ tag is not restricted solely to financial deficits.

Unfortunately, the country is currently facing deficits in practically all areas. Green deficits. Deficits in transparency and accountability. Deficits regarding law and order. Deficits in our prison system

Deficits in our energy sector priorities. Imminent drops in our tourism sector in spite of pro-government hype. As well as social deficits which have according to a new EU study led to the rich-poor gap growing wider in Maltese society, where people on low income have been relatively far more affected by the drops in real income than the rest of the population.

With all these negatives in mind one can easier understand why the Prime Minister and a number of ministers and parliamentary secretaries preferred to stick to pre-set speeches in winding up the various Budget 2012 debates rather than addressing the various direct and pointed questions posed by the Opposition.

As I write this article the anti-climax with which the budget debate proper was wound up by the Prime Minister has been almost completely overshadowed by the recent disclosures about the goings on in our prisons.

In passing judgement on the so-called Prison Queen, Mr Justice Michael Mallia did not mince words.

He spoke of a failed prison system which has nothing correctional about it but is rather serving the opposite function where people who are relatively clean are at great risk of coming out of prison far worse than they went in.

He also made a strong point when he suggested that the problem might extend far beyond the prison’s confines when bearing in mind that in spite of the prison’s director at the time of the Bickle saga having been removed, the endemic problems tend to remain and prevail.

On the tourism front, the MHRA prediction of a drop of 400,000 bed nights over the winter seasons contrasts sharply with the almost euphoric low down we were given by the Tourism Parliamentary Secretary in the House.

On the environmental-clean energy side I can now understand quite well why both Dr de Marco and the Prime Minister flagrantly and cheekily refused to ignore all the various queries I raised; while dismissing lightly an independent newspaper’s recent editorial that the recent new environmental policy merely offered green dreams at a snail’s pace.

These were some of the issues that I had naively hoped in vain to see addressed in the public interest.

• Government failed to announce its long-delayed strategy on green jobs by merely glossing over the issue the same way that it did on the White Rocks project and SmartCity;

• Not an inkling was given as to the roadmap government intends to pursue to ensure that we can eventually make it towards the attainment of a green and low carbon economy over an agreed number of years;

• Such important issues as solar rights were completely ignored;

• It must have taken some cheek for Dr de Marco to describe the power station extension at Delimara as an environmental-friendly measure;

• Government’s postponement of the incineration project to 2015 shows that it has strictly electoral considerations in mind;

• There was not a reference to government’s position on land reclamation in the environment policy document;

• Insufficient reasons were given to justify the cancellation of an EU co-financed tender regarding precipitators for the existing Delimara power station;

• Spatial planning remains a chimera in Mepa’s future strategy while in a number of other EU and non-EU countries they even have a ministry for such a modern concept;

• Even though the Air Quality Plan was launched in 2010 we still seem to have failed to make any significant progress in this direction. An update would surely be welcome by one and all;

• It is shocking to see eminent officials of Mepa writing at length on the negative environment effect of the transport sector while holding back from commenting on the heavy fuel oil issue. Almost as if it was an untouchable holy cow, due to its political sensitivity;

• Until recently, government took exception to my claim that Mepa seemed to be submissive to the operator Enemalta on such issues as the black dust saga. On the Delimara power station extension issue, it gave the impression, through the manner in which the infamous but decisive board meeting was conducted, that it seemed to be in bed with all the key players;

• Even though Dr de Marco tried to claim credit for Mepa having finally got round to admitting that Enemalta was the main cause of black dust due to the Marsa power station, this was no revelation at all. As way back as 2000 a University student by the name of Claudette Spiteri had already reached such a conclusion in a University thesis of hers;

• Why did both the PM and Dr de Marco conveniently choose to ignore the potential environmental health bill of HFO during the recent budget debate in the House, in spite of certain guesstimates made by the EU itself?

• Why did it take Mepa so long to acknowledge the fact that the maintenance costs of gas oil add up to less than half those of an HFO-run plant?

• Why were the KPMG auditors not given a brief to compare and contrast the current operational costs of the Marsa power station with those of the new proposed Delimara extension – even on gas oil? Could it be that they feared that the auditors would have reached the same conclusion that Prof. Mallia reached? That it would prove to be actually cheaper to go for the gas oil option than to stick to the Marsa power station?

• Even were costs to rise with the conversion to gas oil – which does not seem to be the case according to Prof. Mallia – since when has Mepa been tasked to go into such economic considerations?

• Why was there stony silence regarding my allegation that when foreign environmental auditors assessed the implementation of the current Delimara power station IPPC Permit they were politely asked by Mepa to review anew some of the recommendations of the first draft of their report?

• How can one take seriously the Gozo Minister’s commitment in favour of Gozo as an eco-island when the Game of Thrones crew were allowed to carry out such extensive ecological damage in Dwejra?

• Was government not sending a decisively negative message when it recently allowed building material for the new Parliament construction to be shipped all the way from Gozo from quarries that were subject to Mepa enforcement orders?

• Why did government fail to deny or confirm my allegation that the GRTU was accused of dumping illegally electronic waste?

• What has been the net result and outcome of Mepa’s investigations into the claim that the GRTU was overcharging its members for making good for its defaults regarding waste packaging scheme fees?

• But no doubt the cherry on the cake must have been the Prime Minister’s laughable claim that the hike in utility rates should encourage more people to shift to photovoltaic systems. Just try and convince minimum wage earners to do so when they can hardly cope with their utility bills and for them even a solar water heater is simply unaffordable.

I will reiterate what I said in earlier articles. That I will definitely refrain from speculating on the prospective election date.

But regardless of whether they will be held in March, this time next year or even at the very end of this legislature, it is patently obvious and evident that government has embarked on a massive political rebranding exercise in the environmental sector to try and make good for the mortal sins committed during this legislature. In sync with those previously committed when Minister Pullicino still held the fort prior to the 2008 elections.

On a separate note I would like to take this opportunity to thank the editorial board of this newspaper, its staff, readers and all those who might have even been the butt of my criticism during the past months, my sincerest and warmest thanks and best seasonal greetings.

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www.leobrincat.com

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