The Manoel Island saga dominated the month of May and the start of June, as a petition calling for it to be turned into a national park gathered thousands of supporters - enough to ultimately prompt Malta's politicians to change their stances and take action.

Both Prime Minister Robert Abela and soon-departing Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech set out on Manoel Island by speaking one way, and ended up in a place where they had changed their tack on certain aspects of the controversial concession.

The Malta Independent on Sunday traces what exactly Malta's two main politicians said - and how it changed.

Robert Abela: From defending 'highest quality' development to making petitioners' fight his own

Abela was first asked about the project way back in March 2024, when the Planning Authority was considering a development application for residential blocks on the island.

His first comment back then was to criticise the way in which the concession had been handed to MIDI in the first place, and labelled the deal itself as an "obscenity".

However, he struck a milder tone when it came to the contract itself, saying that the obligations "are what they are".

"Today there are contractual obligations. They are clear. A parliamentary resolution was passed in 2000 which if one tries to somehow breach those obligations, the financial consequences for the country will be what they are. It will be the people through their taxes who will have to shoulder the financial weight that there would be if one tries to withdraw or breach the contractual rights which that consortium has," Abela had said.

Beyond that though, at no point did Abela appear to consider the idea of a national park. Indeed, he described the project that was slated for Manoel Island as one of the "highest quality".

"If the project is done prudently, and the political direction that we gave is one that ensures that the project will be done prudently, I believe that there we can have an investment of the highest quality which also includes the preservation and restoration of cultural heritage," he had said.

"I believe that it can be a project of the highest quality for our country, that attracts touristic investment of the highest quality as well, and that's why I believe that the direction that the government has to take is not one to break development but to promote sustainable development - and I think we can incorporate those two principles in this project," he added.

Asked about the prospect of taking back Manoel Island should the project not be finished in time, Abela admitted at that point that he had not studied the concession in a while and could not remember the particular clauses well enough to comment.

"But the government has to ensure that there is an observance of the contractual conditions," he had said.

Fast forward to the present: on 11 May, Abela was asked about the situation at Manoel Island during a party event, as the petition for it to be taken back by the government gained steam.

At this point, Abela was quite unequivocal: taking the land back would not be feasible, and wouldn't make financial sense.

"The government can choose to take hundreds of millions of euro from tax funds and give them to the developers, as they have the rights that emerge from the concession," he said.

"Let's not try and say that there is another method through which a contract, approved by Parliament, is taken from the developers where you give them nothing for it."

"If we made that choice [to take the island back] it would mean giving hundreds of millions of euro to these individuals, and I don't think that would be the best road forward."

On 26 May, Abela criticised the ongoing narrative as "selective", noting that the revised master plan by MIDI focuses on heritage preservation and significantly reduces the development footprint.

"The last thing that is ever mentioned when it comes to Manoel Island is that 60% is open space for the public," Abela said, defending the MIDI project.

He was then asked about the project again during a party-held interview on 1 June, where he seemed to strike a more conciliatory tone to petitioners but also towards 5,000 bondholders who have invested in the project.

Abela remained critical of the granting of the original concession, saying that MIDI had done what it pleased at Tigne Point and that had a concession today been signed in the manner that this one was "you'd have protests in the street".

The Prime Minister again noted that 60% of the site will be dedicated to green public spaces, and that another 20% is made up of historic sites which the developer has the obligation to restore, with the cost coming up to the tune of around €150 million.

He was clear again that the government needs to work "to ensure that the terms of the concession are observed".

"That's why I think it's a question of sitting down for talks around a table. You can't depart from the position that a concession emerging from a parliamentary resolution is torn up, compensated, and finished. I think there we would be going down a road which realistically will offer more problems than solutions if we do that," he said.

"But I think that there is space where we can discuss and strike a balance which finds compromises which are good for everyone," he added.

At no point, however, did Abela mention the prospect of the project being shelved entirely to become a national park - quite the contrary in fact, he said that departing from the premise of scrapping the project would be a mistake.

"This project for me has to be a template for how development should be in our country, wherein we don't say no to development, but we say yes to quality development which is sustainable. This project we need to ensure that it respects all these principles," he said, again in line with MIDI's project.

Just two days later though, Abela harshened his tone: he once again excluded that the government would pay hundreds of millions in compensation, but gone also was the talk of a quality development which will keep everyone happy.

Instead, Abela attacked the PN administration which granted the concession, attacked the concessionaire MIDI saying that if one looks at Tigne Point they have "destroyed enough", and called the concession itself "laughable" in terms of its value for money for the Maltese general public.

"They've taken enough from this concession and I'm not going to be the one to give them what they probably want most - to offload the project at the taxpayers' expense. If we buy them out, it means that the people will shoulder it," Abela said, excluding compensating MIDI for the concession.

"We are going to analyse all of the concession clauses to ensure that the contractual obligations are being fulfilled both legally, and in terms of planning and timelines vis-a-vis development permits to see whether there is a breach of the concession. If there is a breach one needs to sit down around the table and if the talks don't reach an agreement I do not exclude any way forward - except to compensate these people who, if you look at Tigne Point, have destroyed enough," he said.

"There are terms which are not easy to get out of unless they have been breached and that is the analysis that is ongoing but I'm determined to find a balanced solution," he said.

Abela hinted that he was to meet the petitioners on Friday, 6 June - and the following Sunday, it seemed that the petitioners had swayed his attitude even further, to the point that he said on party media that "their fight is my fight".

It was the Prime Minister's first statement of outright support to the petition itself.

He also hinted that a judicial process on the concession may begin soon, and said that the government wants to do everything possible for the land to be given to the people.

"Not with populism, but with concrete action... I told the petitioners that their fight is my fight... This is a cause I greatly believe in," he said.

The day didn't even end until MIDI issued a company announcement saying it was ready to sit down with the government to reach a solution where the land would be given back to the state.

Last Monday, then, Abela said that the MIDI consortium must accept that it will not make any profit from Manoel Island, having already profited "over and above" from its project at Tigné Point.

Taking the step further, the government on Tuesday, 10 June filed a judicial letter against MIDI saying that the consortium was in breach of the concession it had been granted.

The fight is on.

Bernard Grech's 'beautiful dream'

Bernard Grech, the now on-the-way-out Nationalist Party leader, meanwhile was only asked for comment on the situation on 29 May, after the petition had closed and it became clear that there was a significant numerical backing to it.

He said that the PN had "taken note of the petition" and that the party will not ignore anyone.

"We are truly interested in everyone's opinion, but we also need to understand that we believe in the rule of law as well, so the government has the duty to look at what obligations the country has in this concession," he said.

The onus of much of his answer was placed on the government identifying what role and responsibility it has in the concession.

"It's the government which is in a position to examine and see what responsibilities it has obviously in the name of the Maltese people for what it promised and tied itself to years ago," he said.

Unlike Abela, he did directly mention the prospect of a national park - but his wording was such that it came across as if he was playing down the idea.

"A national park would be a beautiful dream, but we need to also pay attention to the obligations that there may be," he said.

He said that if there is a legal disagreement then there can be negotiations, but the party was of the belief that "insofar as there is a contract, it has to be honoured by both sides and so if the government in the name of the Maltese people has obligations, they have to honour them as well".

"I will keep insisting that the government should look at this contract and be transparent about it," he said.

But by 4 June, Grech's tone had markedly changed.

In a statement issued to the media through party channels, Grech said that "the public interest in the case of Manoel Island demands that, since we are still in time and no construction has started, we must do everything possible to transform the site into a national park".

"While we acknowledge that a concession exists, the government has both a responsibility and a duty, in the name of the Maltese people, to ensure that the terms of the contract are respected, and to verify whether any of the conditions have been breached," Grech said.

He tried to play it out that his counterpart Abela had "made a U-turn" and was now agreeing with the PN's call to "review the concession".

"It is important to remember that 25 years have now passed since this concession was granted. Malta has changed, and the realities we are facing today are not the same as those of a quarter-century ago," he said.

There was some political gamesmanship too: Grech noted that the concession had been unanimously approved in Parliament - something Abela has never mentioned in his answers - and said that it was the PL government which had failed to ensure that the developers stick to the contractual terms.

"Manoel Island deserves better. The Maltese people deserve better. We are determined, together with the people, to see this beautiful dream of a family-friendly national park become a reality," Grech said.

Tracking the U-turns

As far as their final stances go, both party leaders eventually changed their tack on Manoel Island - although both did remain consistent with certain aspects of their discourse.

Abela, for instance, has consistently criticised the concession itself and consistently said that the government would not pay out any compensation to MIDI in order to take back the land.

He had also noted the contractual obligations that exist - but in 2024 spoke of them with a sense of resignation: as if nothing could be done about them. When he was first asked about the petition he made things out in such a manner that the only way the concession could be rescinded is if the government were to pay MIDI for it.

Yet with each comment he made, Abela's tone grew harsher until he outright alleged that MIDI had not stuck to the contract.

Another aspect of a change in his tone and belief is on the project itself. Initially, Abela came across as actually defending what was to be built on Manoel Island, saying that 60% of the project was dedicated to public open space and an additional 20% was restored historical buildings.

On other occasions he was at pain to state that the Manoel Island development would be a high quality one and would serve as a blueprint for future sustainable development.

At no point did he mention the prospect of a national park - which is ultimately what activists petitioned for - but then only made reference to it after he met petitioners last week. At that point he said that "their fight is my fight" - implying that suddenly, the national park was very much what he wanted on the agenda.

Grech meanwhile commented less, was consistent in the sense that the government had the responsibility to review the concession, but changed his tack just as much as his political adversary.

His first statement on the project was almost three weeks after Abela was first asked about it - and in this first statement, the PN leader sat very much on the fence, giving away little as to what should actually happen.

However, his choice of wording was criticised. While he didn't shy away of directly mentioning the idea of a national park, he called it a "beautiful dream" something which came across as him saying that it was somewhat unachievable, particularly as he referenced the existing concession.

It was his word choice in referring to the concession as well that was a bit striking: as he spoke about it, he came across more as placing the onus on the government and the contractual obligations that it has rather than on both sides.

Grech's change in attitude was perhaps more abrupt than Abela's: it came just five days after his original statement and his tone had changed significantly.

Grech went from being on the fence to concluding that Malta's realities had changed since the concession had been granted - a sentiment he definitely did not express the first time - and the project was no longer in line with those realities.

Both Grech's and Abela's respective U-turns will have been motivated by several factors. The first is that 29,000 people signing a petition is no small amount. This is a significant chunk of the electorate which can make a difference.

But added onto that was the fact that the issue was causing internal friction for both leaders. Abela had to contend with a couple of MPs such as Edward Zammit Lewis and his party president Alex Sciberras backing the petition, while Grech had several of his own MPs who had been among the petition signatories themselves.

All in all though the end result was ultimately what the petition initially set out for: the concession is now on the chopping block.