The concept of Eco-Gozo is hard to fault and it would be short-sighted and counterproductive to even consider doing so.

But the biggest insult to one’s intelligence is when the government tries to use the Eco-Gozo tag as a mantra at the same time when it is common knowledge that, particularly in recent months, the whole sister island has been subjected to environmental rape of the worst kind.

That makes a mockery of sustainable development, as well as of the Eco-Gozo concept itself.

The writing on the wall was evident from day one: when the Gozo Minister started including among her initiatives items and measures that could not in any way be linked to an eco concept while on the other hand side stepping urgent measures that needed to be taken to preserve and or safeguard the environment in Gozo. The manner in which the Minister brazenly supported initiatives that would have subjected the environment to rape and plunder in Gozo speaks for itself.

Some time back – about a year-and-a-half ago – my attention had been drawn to two aspects of Eco Gozo: that a 300-page report had been drawn up on Eco Gozo by highly technical people and that it was languishing on the desk of the then Parliamentary Secretary, reportedly with instructions not to publish it or divulge its contents – as if it was a Ministry of Defence strategic document.

When I raised this issue in Parliament the Minister was evasive to say the least. She first hinted that an action plan was already underway and then went on to argue that there was already a strategic document on line. (This, incidentally, turned out to be a mere 20-page document rather than the exhaustive and comprehensive study that I had in mind.)

What I found interesting was that at no time did the Minister ever categorically deny the study’s existence.

When Parliament reconvened earlier this week, I considered it opportune to refer the Hon. Minister to this report again while urging her for the umpteenth time to publish it.

In what has by now become her typical and customary wishy-washy way of answering parliamentary questions, not only did Minister Debono not deny the report’s existence but this time she committed herself to publishing it. With a twist. She merely said that she was informed that it would be published later in the year – almost implying that it was not entirely up to her to decide when the report had to be published.

Apart from the fact that it is common knowledge that anything to do with Gozo passes through her filter, so much so that entrepreneurs with ideas re projects – even in the environmental and energy sector – regarding Gozo are invariably passed to her by the Prime Minister, the official parliamentary reply was far from satisfactory.

The claim that the report will be published later in the year could mean anytime between tomorrow and New Year’s Eve! I found this totally unacceptable.

For this reason, when the Environment and Development Planning Committee of which I form part met last week – at the same time that the Palace was understandably hosting a state dinner next door for the Austrian president – I felt that as Environment Minister Mario de Marco had placed so much importance on Eco Gozo during his presentation on the national environment policy to the Committee, it was only fair that I should raise my frustrations about the manner in which the entire Parliament was being treated over the whole Eco-Gozo saga.

With this in mind, I more than welcomed committee chairman Jesmond Mugliett’s suggestion that, in the light of such a vacuous reply, it would be only fair for the committee to formally write to the Minister concerned to urge her to publish the Eco-Gozo report immediately, without any further procrastination and/or delay.

Common sense dictates that, once such a report is eventually published and scrutinised at our end, it should be discussed at length within this committee.

This way we hope to be able to tell the wheat from the chaff, go beyond the hype that has been spun around the whole concept and also benchmark the actual results on the ground that have been achieved so far.

A PL government will no doubt be committed to putting its money where its mouth is, and will ensure that Eco-Gozo will be promoted and implemented as it should be, rather than merely in terms of lip service.

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