The umbrella coalition against Zonqor Point seems to be growing by the day, with renegade government MP Marlene Farrugia seemingly joining the ranks of the opposition for their rally in Marsascala tomorrow.

It seems that the Prime Minister has dug his heels in and yesterday said that the bulk of the American University project had to be sited in Marsascala. He has also said that he is willing to find a compromise, but it is looking ever more unlikely as more time passes.

Out of the blue, on Thursday, Malta and Gozo learned that the designs for a cruise liner terminal in Gozo, coupled with luxury apartments and a yacht marina, were to be sited on the Easternmost point of Gozo, quite close to Hondoq ir-Rummien. The site will rehabilitate a disused quarry, and that would be positive. But that’s where it turns a bit sour. The site is within a marine protected environment and concerns are already being raised as to pollution from anti fouling paints, marine oils and the potential damage that can be done to a form of sea grass – posidonia meadows – which are protected under EU law.

The Prime Minister said he cannot understand what the fuss is about because a call for  expressions of interest was put out and it was being handled by the privatisation unit. The fuss is very clear. As a publishing house, we are always in favour of safeguarding the environment, and while we believe that the idea to heal an eyesore of an open wound quarry, it should not come at the expense of other factors. There is also the ‘small’ fact that this will turn into a massive luxury development.

But to move off at a tangent, we have to ask the question. Why was the Gozo project passed through the privatisation unit, and the proposal for Zonqor seemingly cherry-picked by the Prime Minister himself? How come one project has gone through all the necessary procedures befitting a transparent government, and the other one simply chosen on a whim?

We are not against investment, but we are also not prepared to see more virgin land swallowed up for any project and equally, we are not prepared to see a quarry rehabilitated if it comes at such a cost in Gozo.

The Prime Minister said that the offer has not yet been adjudicated and that it must now go through all the relative channels. This is all well and good, but we again have to ask the question, what about the Marsascala site for the American University of Malta? Will that be adjudicated too, or will it be fast tracked and rubber stamped because the government has decided that is what will happen, come what may?

This island nation of ours is one of the most densely populated countries in the world and we must look after the precious few open unspoilt places that we have left. Investing in our future through education is always positive, but we must also invest in our future through safeguarding our environment and protecting the little that is left for posterity and our future generations.