Din L-Art Helwa and Flimkien Ghal Ambjent Ahjar yesterday criticised Malta Developers Association president Sandro Chetcuti’s statement to developers, to “make hay while the sun shines”.

“Mr Chetcuti’s admission that developers never had it so good, certainly rings as an alarm bell to all who hold Malta’s built heritage and natural environment to heart. It is the sad confirmation that making a quick buck is still the mind-set of “developers”, with little concern for the consequences and effects on present and future generations,” Din L-Art Helwa said.

The Malta Developers Association president, during an event which saw the 55 founding members of the MDA given a memento in appreciation of their contribution in the association’s establishment, said “Make hay while the sun shines” because “there is once again a boom in the property industry for whoever is working properly, developing sustainably and for whoever follows the rules and directives that are being imposed on us by the European Union.”

Mr Chetcuti also had a word of warning for his fellow developers: “Don’t take things for granted. Let us continue to keep our feet on the ground. Damage is repaired slowly and it can be suffered very quickly. Our association today enjoys the respect of both the main large political parties in the country that are instrumental in delivering the policy that directs the economy ahead. If our industry slows down, everything follows.” 

He went on to say that –“It is a marvellous thing when you are giving a contribution on a national scale. We have learned how to lobby and negotiate with the government. Without being partisan, I must admit that this administration understood clearly the need and the importance of the building industry”.

The MDA president has said that many of the MDA’s proposals were taken on board in Budget after Budget, “so that today thankfully business is healthy and we believe that in the next five years it is going to continue to be positive”.

FAA coordinator Astrid Vella, had some strong comments to make on the speech by the MDA President.

“The MDA chairman’s advice to his members to ‘make hay while the sun shines’ is a cheap and undignified comment coming from a person in a position of responsibility, betraying the same short-sighted and self-interested mentality shared by the politicians who support the MDA,” Astrid Vella said.

“The myth that Malta’s economy depends on development was discarded decades ago, in favour of investment in high-tech, high value-adding employment which requires limited space, low energy consumption and does not cause the air pollution that construction generates.  

“Employing only some 11,000 persons, the construction industry lags far behind tourism which employs some 55,000 and is the real pillar of Malta’s economy which is being threatened by development as tourists fail to return to Malta, put off by the dirt, noise and lack of urban greenery and open spaces created by over-development”.

“Sandro Chetcuti talks of sustainability, however this is only lip-service, as our tiny island already has three times the rate of built up areas compared to the EU average, and with over 70,000 empty units, it does not need more expansion outwards or upwards, but redevelopment, which Mr Chetcuti proudly dismisses along with the need for diversification. Talk of respecting rules and EU directives comes cheap as the MDA knows that the rules are being drafted by their own consultant who is the chief consultant to MEPA, a blatant case of conflict of interest”.  

She explained that the Central Bank of Malta, the EU and the IMF have all warned that Malta’s over-reliance on the construction industry is a threat to the stability of its banks. “Indeed, the rise in defaulting bank loans from 5 to 8% in just a few years is directly attributable to the property market glut”.  

“Over-development also costs the Maltese citizen dearly in terms of health, as it generates air pollution which contributes to pulmonary problems, cancer, coronary deaths and dementia.  The rate of mental health problems is highest in over-developed areas.  No wonder development is fast becoming a dirty word in the mind-set of most”.

“As for Malta’s environment, we have gone from the frying pan, into Etna”.