With regards to this American university of Xghajra, one aspect that maybe has not been thoroughly investigated and researched, and brought to public attention, regards the concept better described by the Latin phrase ‘Cui prodet?’ – Who does it advantages?

For all the spin that has gone into the issue – attracting a foreign university with an attractive name, locating it in the South, attracting Foreign Direct Investment – have all started to wither once people looked closely into it and began to notice the flaws and the gaps. The American University is not really a university extension but a mix of various ventures; the agreement was signed with a developer not with the university, were among claims and doubts that started to be raised.

Then came the ODZ argument: the university would be located in an ODZ area and take up pristine land. The government rebutted: but so is the wastewater treatment plant (as if that could go elsewhere) and that after all the twin schools at Imselliet are in ODZ area as well.

That is true, of course. Ever since the acronym ODZ became common currency, people with land described as ODZ created all sorts of stratagems to get it to be developed.

First we had the derelict farmhouse it is a pity to leave like that syndrome. (Remember the Wiedtal-Bahrija case?) That was then tightened up, not before a whole crop of new-old farmhouses had cropped up.

Then we had the creation of another acronym – AOC – Area of Containment, which means a disturbed area between pristine ODZ and the development area. This led to an explosion of derelict areas all around the countryside most of which are being turned into rather good use. But meanwhile the real countryside is fast disappearing.

Then we had that wonderful invention: the Rationalisation Scheme. Some people noticed that with Malta’s geography being what it is, some parts of the development zone had gaps between them. So clever minds were set to work and the gaps were hey presto! filled up. And people who had despaired of ever making money from their property, promptly jumped for joy and thanked their benefactors. While others with land outside the zone who had expected to be included, gnashed their teeth and vowed revenge.

In short, almost everyone who owns land in ODZ harbours hopes and plans to get some kind of excuse – anything will do – to get his land requalified.

Some people may have rather limited dreams, but others have greater. Before the change of government in 1987 there existed concrete plans to cover the entire shoreline from Paceville to Bugibba with hotels, marinas and villas. That, miraculously, did not happen.So far.

Now with regards to this American university, it would seem that somewhere at the back there were or are people with great landholdings who have been sitting on them since the time of Lorry Sant. Being in a real ODZ area they had no hopes of ever seeing their holdings requalified – although Smart City next door (although that site was a derelict industrial area, not ODZ) until somehow their prayers were answered and this American university came to be. And their lands became even richer than if they had found oil in them.

The pointers were all there: as in many other cases with this government, the idea came ready and packaged, not just with the foreign university chosen, but also the location chosen specifically for it. It seems no one has ever heard of Calls for Expressions of Interest at Castille, at each and every stage of the concept.

There is also another angle worthy of investigation. It has been said this American university would offer competition to the University of Malta. One is always in favour of competition, of course, and there are already various parts of other foreign universities here – though none of them is that big-headed to say his offers competition to UOM. The most tghey say is that theirs complements UOM.

But ever since the university at Tal-Qroqq was termed the Old University and the one at Msida (today’s Junior College) became the New University, there have been forces that wanted to create not just competition but maybe also supplant the Tal-Qroqq one. Of course, this being Malta and the UOM having had such a run of success, no one would admit to anything like that.

But as in everything, the question to ask is Cui prodet?