It could be classified as 'tragicomedy' if it were not for the fact that it is all tragic and no comedy, the Coalition for Gozo said Monday, lamerting "petty politics while Gozo burns".

A few days ago, the new leader of the Opposition, Alex Borg, stated that he was not against the building of Towers in Gozo on the back of a new skyline policy. Needless to say, mayhem followed in the aftermath of this statement, especially on account of his "mistaken support" for the Fort Chambray demolition of the 1890s British Barracks and a new high-density housing estate inside the Knight's Fort, the coalition said.

Immediately, the Minister for Planning and Gozo, Clint Camilleri, rebutted the statement, "quite rightly" declaring that he would never support the building of towers in Gozo while "conveniently forgetting that under his watch and that of his predecessors in the PL, every town and village in Gozo has been under constant assault and the Island on the way to transformation from a dream island to a nightmare island."

To make the tragicomedy even worse, we then witnessed another simulated bout of 'shock horror' from the Prime Minister Robert Abela, the coalition said. The PM also appears to have conveniently forgotten that under his watch Malta has suffered an even worse fate than Gozo and also forgotten the legislation that he tried to surreptitiously force through, at the height of summer, threatening to dismantle every aspect of planning legislation that still works and makes some sense, and eliminating the role of the courts of law in planning decisions; this would have amounted to a complete government takeover of every aspect of planning.

The Coalition for Gozo is "sick and tired of all the petty politics being played out while Gozo burns".

"We would like to suggest to the new Leader of the Opposition that he clearly articulates where he stands," the statement said. The Coalition for Gozo is not against development when carried out thoughtfully. "We simply request that Dr Alex Borg makes clear that any new planning policy, skyline policy or decision building heights in Gozo is only formulated after a detailed and meaningful consultation process with all interested parties and the public".

"To the Prime Minister and the Minister for Planning and Gozo we would reiterate that the cards are presently in your hands, and if you want to really improve the lot of Gozo you just need to implement the recommendations repeatedly made by the Coalition over the last few years to stop the rot and the rape of Gozo, which is threatening to destroy the unique identity of the island that has attracted countless visitors and permanent residents over countless generations. Take positive action now because it is already too late," the statement concluded.