Former Prime Minister Alfred Sant made some interesting points in last Monday's column for this media house.

He said one should be investigating why there are media reports about how the Gozo Ministry has become too powerful, going on to write that it is "true that from the local Gozitan perspective, the person responsible for the ministry enjoys clear power of political patronage and control over the running of some ongoing infrastructural works".

Sant did not mention anyone by name, but he was obviously referring to the Minister for Gozo. What the former MEP was hinting at is that he believes that the minister, in this case Clint Camilleri, has too much power and control.

This is possibly the reason why, when he was elected Prime Minister in 1996, Sant opted not to have a minister specifically assigned for Gozo. The idea of a Minister for Gozo had been introduced by Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami in 1987. In 1996 Sant had "relegated" Gozo to a parliamentary secretariat, which in his time fell under the wing of the OPM. The Gozo Minister had returned in 1998 when the PN had gone back into power, and the concept has since been retained, even after Labour was re-elected to government in 2013, this time under Joseph Muscat.

Sant has remained consistent in his thoughts about Gozo. Apparently, he still believes that Gozo should not have its own minister. In his writing last Monday, he referred to the Gozo ministry as a "glorified local council", adding that it has been "less than effective" in setting Gozo's strategic objectives.

He then goes on to make other observations which should be highlighted, and which the Prime Minister and his government should not ignore. Strategic choices, he wrote, "were all either fudged or still pending".

He mentioned public transport, including that by air. It must be recalled that it was only last October that Sant attacked the idea of the airfield project, saying that it is clear that no lessons have been learnt from past mistakes. Air links to Gozo have already failed in the past, and Sant believes that in all likelihood the government will have to come to the rescue, again.

Last Monday, Sant listed other issues regarding Gozo. He mentioned the re-siting of the law courts, a decision which has been pending for decades. He spoke about the "confusion" about how to rationalise school buildings in Gozo.

He cited the Chambray debacle and, even here, it is not the first time Sant said he was against the area being passed on to the private sector. Last December, again in his column for this media house, he said the State should take over Fort Chambray and use it for national purposes, urging the government to stop the "damage" being caused.

In his writings last Monday, Sant also detailed the ever growing percentage of cultural land being abandoned, the almost total destruction of industry in Gozo, the failure to promote Gozo as a separate destination and the weak infrastructural spending "except for some bizarre cases". Just by using the word "bizarre" should be enough for Abela to look into what Sant is implying.

It is clear that Sant is not happy with what is happening in Gozo. And he is not happy with the Gozo Minister.

Neither are we.