Manoel Island should become an open public space for Maltese and Gozitan families, the Nationalist Party said Wednesday, emphasising that this is a matter of justice, quality of life, and a serious vision for the country.

The PN was reacting to the announcement that Manoel Island and Fort Tigne will be returned to the public after a €43 million agreement reached by the government and MIDI, which had been granted a concession to develop the island 25 years ago.

Residents in this area have long suffered the consequences of excessive density, overdevelopment and a serious lack of planning by the Government. Therefore, the creation of a public space on Manoel Island is not a whim or a luxury, but a national necessity, the PN said.

The PN saluted and thanks environmental organisations, residents, civil society and all those who, with conviction, seriousness and commitment, raised national awareness in favour of this just cause. If today this possibility is on the table, it is thanks to public pressure and their work, as well as the insistence of the PN. The Labour Government can never claim this merit, and it is certainly not thanks to it that we have reached this point, the PN said.

The truth is that Robert Abela's government did not act with conviction from the start, but was merely reactive. "It only took action when it found itself under strong public pressure, and after the PN declared its clear and public support for this demand".

Nevertheless, the PN said it also understands the legitimate concerns of all shareholders of MIDI plc, and the fact that thousands of people who invested their money in this company are concerned about their investments. The PN believes that this process must proceed with seriousness, with respect towards all those involved, but above all with full transparency and full protection of the public interest.

The PN noted notes that although the Prime Minister rushed in front of cameras to announce that an agreement had been reached, to date no one has seen the draft agreement proposed or the valuation of the amount the Government is proposing to pay MIDI plc.

Robert Abela hurried to try to make political gain from this issue before the agreement was presented to Parliament and before it was properly discussed with members of the relevant Parliamentary Committee, the PN said.

At the time of publication of this statement, Members of Parliament sitting on the Public Accounts Committee of the National Audit Office have still not received the draft contract or the valuation, nor has a date been proposed for the Committee to meet.

This means one thing: Robert Abela has once again put the cart before the horse. Once again, he chose PR over process, the PN said. Once again, he chose political points over institutional seriousness. And once again, he attempted to turn a matter of national interest into an exercise in personal promotion.

The PN said it will continue to support anything that is in the best interest of the Maltese and Gozitan people, but it will not accept that an agreement of this magnitude passes without scrutiny, without transparency and without respect towards Parliament and the people.

"Manoel Island should be returned to the people. But the public also has the right to know the full truth, to see the entire agreement, and to understand exactly what is being done in its name and with its money," the PN said.

In reply, the Labour Party described the PN's reaction as "surreal".

It was the Nationalist Party, when in government, that was responsible for Manoel Island's concession, a significant part of which has now been revoked so that the lands that a Nationalist Government had given to developers are returned to families.

Less than a year ago, the Nationalist Opposition said that this was just a beautiful dream and that there were contractual obligations. Prime Minister Robert Abela did not stop at the dream but wanted to turn it into reality so that the people would benefit, the PL said.