Gozo should remain free from the construction of towers, Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Sunday.

During an interview on Sunday, he was asked for his thoughts on statements made by Nationalist Party Leader Alex Borg where he had indicated that areas in Gozo could be identified where towers could be constructed as per a skyline policy he would implement.

Abela remarked that he had to rewind and listen to Borg's statement back a couple of times when he first heard it, as the Prime Minister spoke of how Gozitans have regularly expressed how they value Gozo's identity as an island of villages.

The Prime Minister commented that Gozitans have said that they want to see Gozo's natural characteristics be preserved, and continued that Borg's statement indicates he wants to alter Gozo's identity and characteristics, "from the island of three hills to the island of eight hills".

"That statement shocked me," Abela said. He continued that from the early hours of Borg's time as PN Leader, fundamental distinctions are already emerging between the PL and the PN. "The government wants to push forward Gozo as an island of villages and with high-value-added sectors, meanwhile, others want to push the concept that there should be towers in Gozo... They want to ruin its beauty," Abela stated.

He said that this distinction is also reflected in the appointments of party officials, with the PL's choice as Chief Executive being that of a "social champion", and the PN's choice as Chief Executive being that of a "construction champion".

Abela remarked that the PL remains pro-market, and described the PL as the party which will "save Manoel Island", while he referred to the PN as the party which gave Manoel Island to developers that would have eventually led to a project which ruined it.

On the topic of Manoel Island, the Prime Minister said that a meeting had taken place recently with developers where it was reiterated that such a project would not be taking place, and that a national park would be established instead.

Abela said that he and Borg have a cordial relationship. He said that they both want to win the general election, but added that this does not mean one has to engage in personal attacks, "and I hope this remains true in practice".

When asked if he believes whether the PN could really win the upcoming election, as Borg had proclaimed, Abela remarked that "a dose of humility is always needed in politics".

He continued that it is ultimately about policy, and added that both party leaders have now made a categorical statement of policy with regard to development in Gozo. "That is what people should judge... I said that I do not want towers in Gozo, and he made a categorical statement that he wants towers in Gozo... Now the people shall judge."

Discussing the Fortina case, Abela said that the PN Leader has tried to mislead the people about the situation by saying that the labour government had sold public land to the private sector at a low price. "That is a lie," Abela remarked, as he added that the land had been sold by a nationalist government pre-2013.

Abela said that the land had a condition which required that the land be used for hospitality, such as restaurants, hotels, or other related facilities, but that Fortina eventually in 2018 requested that this condition be lifted so that the property could be sold.

He continued that following this request, a valuation was carried out by an audit firm, with the valuation being declared as €2.7 million. He said that another valuation of €8 million was given afterwards, and stated that the parliamentary vote was taken with these two valuations being available to parliament.

With that said, the Prime Minister continued that it was then discovered through the National Audit Office's report that there was another valuation conducted by another audit firm which surpassed the monetary value of the prior valuations.

Abela said that all the audit firms which provided a valuation will appear in front of the National Audit Office Accounts Committee and explain their methodologies and their findings to determine the differences in valuations. Abela stated that if there were any mistakes, then the funds will be recuperated.

The Prime Minister also spoke about mass transport plans, as he said that Arup, the company which had drafted plans for a metro, will be visiting Malta in the coming weeks and that talks with Arup are ongoing. He said that the model suggested by Arup would take around 20 years to complete, and added that this means support from the Opposition is expected in this project as it could need to be carried out by different administrations.

Abela spoke of how Malta will be recognising the State of Palestine in the coming hours during a United Nations General Assembly taking place in New York. He described this as "one of the most difficult decisions for as long as I have been Prime Minister". He said that he had given his word that he would be the Prime Minister to recognise the Palestinian State, and is now doing so after 40 years of discussion about the matter in Malta.

Robert Abela in panic mode, PN says

In reaction to the interview, the PN said that Prime Minister Robert Abela "was reactive and in a state of panic in the face of the serious proposals put forward by Opposition Leader Alex Borg."

"While for years his Government has continued to ignore the country's major problems, today, after Alex Borg spoke out, Abela suddenly started making one U-turn after another.

The PN said that on the mass transportation system, "after the Labour Government had for years stopped pushing the idea of a metro, Robert Abela today brought up the project again - and only did so after Alex Borg said that in the coming weeks the PN will be launching its proposals on this issue.

"On the issue of population and the economic model, after Alex Borg explained that change is needed, Abela said that 'something will be done' but at the same time insisted that his economic model should not change - a model built on the importation of thousands of foreign workers."

"On property, he attacked Alex Borg for standing on the side of Maltese and Gozitan youths and families who want to become homeowners, when Abela himself gave public land to the private sector at a third of its value. Instead of helping young people, he helped his inner circle."

"On the mental health hospital, after years of insisting that a new one would not be built, today he made a U-turn and said that precisely what the PN has long been saying will now be done - and not just a new ward, as his own Health Minister had claimed."

 "As always, Robert Abela remains cut off from people's realities - to the point that he even asked whether there are still people in our country living on the minimum wage," the PN said.

"The PN, led by Alex Borg, continues to show that it has a serious and concrete vision for the future of our country, while Robert Abela remains in panic mode and is simply reacting to Alex Borg's proposals," the PN said.

PL statement

The PL issued a statement saying that "the PN is panicing about how to explain the proposal of Opposition Leader Alex Borg, who wants to build the towers in Gozo. His words were clear and categorical."

It quoted the journalist as asking Borg: "Do you think that in Gozo there should be places that could have towers?" and it quoted Borg as saying: "You can't generalize.  That's what I'm saying. You can't say Gozo in general. There are places where there could be on the basis of this skyline policy."

"The next question comes naturally. Where are these areas in Gozo where Alex Borg wants these towers," the PL asked.