After years of heated debate, protests and disagreement over the fate of Manoel Island, the situation now seems to be moving in the direction of turning the island into a national park.

MIDI, the company that holds the emphyteusis for Manoel Island and planned to develop part of it, issued a statement saying that it "recognises that Government has underscored its desire to convert Manoel Island into a national park. In light of this shift in Government's policy direction, the Company is open to reaching an agreement that reflects current national priorities which are clearly different from those prevailing when the concession was granted. MIDI is committed to continue to act in good faith to find a solution in order to implement Government's stated objective for Manoel Island to revert to Government."

Now it is up to the government to find a way to make this dream of so many a reality, while keeping the interests of the public at heart. What this agreement would look like remains to be seen.

This change came about after a petition was signed by 29,000 people, calling for a national park to be created, resulting in politicians taking notice. It shows the power people have to bring about change. 29,000 people stood up to be counted for what they strongly believed in, and there were many others who agreed with their position. NGOs like Moviment Graffitti and FAA showed great organisation and a strong will as they organised protests and put together the petition.

The saga has also seen both major political party political leaders change tone on the situation. It comes as no surprise given the massive public support their has been for the site to be completely turned into a national park.

Prime Minister Robert Abela, for instance, began by pushing back on the petition, saying that 60% of the island will still remain accessible to the public through the current plans, and that the narrative around the development as "selective," saying that the revised masterplan focuses on heritage preservation and reduces the development footprint. But then on Sunday Abela said the dream is to give the land back to the people.

Opposition Leader Bernard Grech originally called having a national park there a beautiful dream and said that government must acknowledge and respect the obligations it has as a result of this contract. Later, he said that while there is still time and no development has as yet taken place on Manoel Island, "let us do everything we can to turn" it into a national park.

The question will now be whether agreement can be reached over Manoel Island, and what that agreement will look like.

Prime Minister Abela has already said that the situation needs to be treated with sensitivity and seriousness, also mentioning the bondholders involved in the project, which he said many of whom are pensioners. One thing Abela has made clear, is that it should not be the case that hundreds of millions in the people's taxes are paid.

This saga shows that when people come together and unite for some form of action to be taken, it can bring about monumental change. This kind of grass roots action has brought about change in the past, such as in the case of Zonqor point, and there will undoubtedly be other such instances in the future. When people stand up to be counted for what they believe in, change follows.