The PN “unreservedly condemns” a report by civil society NGO which showed officials from the Malta Tourism Authority telling a person to leave an area in Comino occupied by sunbeds, on the grounds that the area was “not public”.

“This is unacceptable and demands a clear explanation from the Government as to whether Comino still belongs to the Maltese and Gozitan people, or whether it has become someone’s monopoly because they are close to power,” the party said in a statement on Wednesday.

The party said that Comino, and particularly the Blue Lagoon, form part of the natural heritage of the Maltese and Gozitan people and that no commercial concession can give private operators, or any public authority, the right to treat a public beach as though it were private property, adding that the Government must provide a clear answer about what happened.

“This is not an isolated incident, and history is simply repeating itself year after year. It is a clear symptom of a model of governance where the commercial interests of a select few close to power are given priority over the public’s rights, over environmental protection, and over the basic principle that public spaces belong to everyone,” the PN asid.

It continued by saying that the Labour Government has spent years promising to bring order to Comino.  “Instead, year after year, we see the same chaos, the same concessions, the same pressure on a Natura 2000 site, and now even a situation where a person is asked to leave a public space so that room can be kept for sunbeds.”

This is precisely why the PN has long insisted that the Government publish without delay the study on Comino’s carrying capacity, the party said.

“The public has a right to know how many visitors Comino can sustain, what recommendations were made, what decisions were taken, and why these decisions continue to be kept hidden. Above all, the Maltese and Gozitan people have a right to enjoy Comino because it is public land,” the PN said

The PN demanded an immediate explanation from the Minister responsible and from the MTA as to who gave the instructions for a person to be removed from that area, on what basis it was claimed that the place was “not public”, and what steps will be taken to ensure that this does not happen again.

The PN reiterated that Comino must be protected, not taken over by those who want to profit from it.

The Government must stop defending a failed system and start defending what should belong to the people: their right to enjoy their country’s public spaces.

The PN said that as the Opposition, it has an obligation to defend the people’s interests, adding that this is exactly what it will do.