If there is one thing that should be clear by now is the fact that developers control this country. These past two weeks the Planning Authority has demonstrated beyond any reasonable doubt that they are not a credible public institution. It goes beyond the overwhelming public opposition to the ITS project. There are obvious institutional failings. Jacqueline Gili was flown in to the hearing on a private jet, although she had missed 29 out of 75 board hearings. PA board member Matthew Pace was revealed a franchise owner of RE/MAX Alliance Group, which was selling the as yet unbuilt ITS project luxury apartments, displaying a conflict of interest. Yes, property salesmen in general should be conflicts of interest, too.
What makes the private jet affair far more comical and ridiculous is the fact that the Chairman of the PA board, Vince Cassar, said that using a private jet for such an affair is unprecedented, and that it is not the end of the world if a board member cannot attend a hearing. He said this before PA CEO Johann Buttigieg revealed that he was responsible for the private jet episode, which means that the Chairman of the Board is now at odds with the CEO of the Planning Authority! Taking this one step further, it is being challenged and questioned why the PA Executive, through Johann Buttigieg, is meddling in the affairs of Chairman Cassar's board. Let us remember that CEO Johann Buttigieg was taken to court by Din l-Art Helwa for his failure to protect Villa St Ignatius from illegal demolition.
Moving away from this particular tragic comedy of errors, let us acknowledge once again the fact that developers control Malta. The Nationalist Party hesitated until the very last minute, under immense public pressure, to oppose the project. As Marthese Portelli would have voted against it either way, Adrian Delia could not risk revealing a divided party once again, in any case. Yet the Nationalist Party recently supported the Villa Rosa development, which has already doomed St George's Bay, and it has supported the Mercury Tower development in Paceville. The infrastructure does not really exist for either of these projects. Even without the ITS development, we are in for some trouble.
The Nationalist Party will keep making use of db Group's services and will keep accepting its donations, as will the Labour Party. Therefore, the only long-term solution to this crisis is the reform of party financing laws. I do not imagine that neither the Labour Party nor the Nationalist Party are particularly happy that they have to dance to the developers’ tune, and that they keep attracting the ire of the general public. The problem is that if the Labour Party stands up to the developers, they will work to bring the Nationalists back into power, and vice versa.
In this climate, the dissent against the party line shown by certain politicians is particularly admirable. Examples include the local councillors of Pembroke, Swieqi and St Julian’s, as well as particular local councillors such as Desiree Attard, Lawrence Ciantar and Daniel Spiteri in Marsascala. It was also clear that Marthese Portelli, Simon Busuttil and Karol Aquilina were ready to oppose ITS even if it went against the party line. Mayor Conrad Borg Manche of Gzira also proved himself in this regard during the Manoel Island debacle.
What Malta needs is that all political parties agree to party financing reform. It is crucial especially with other projects on the horizon such as Jerma and White Rocks. Businessmen must no longer be allowed to buy the loyalty of politicians, as per the American lobbyist model. A possible alternative is state financing of political parties. This could even be accompanied by a punitive tax on certain business sectors. The donations would be replaced by a legal obligation for businessmen to contribute to the public good, without having the ability to bend the rules and break policy. This party financing reform is urgent and an opportunity for everyone to meet around the table together.