|
Kurt Sansone
Austin Gatt must have lost count of the number of times he mentioned the word change during his speech at the business breakfast held Friday with the theme ‘A Knowledge-based society and economy’.
But for businesspersons and investors present at the Vodafone Business Today breakfast seminar it was Gatt’s announcement on the way permits for the SmartCity project will be processed that represented possibly the biggest hallmark of change.
Government intends “short circuiting” the system to ensure that a mega-project like SmartCity will get off the ground within the stipulated timeframes. It could have been a word out of an Alfred Sant dictionary. The special multi-disciplinary unit government has set up to fast-track the SmartCity project has similar overtones to the Labour proposal to see major projects get approval within a six month timeframe.
Asked whether the fast-track mechanism would be a permanent structure that would also benefit other investors, Gatt said that what will be “tested” with SmartCity government would apply on an “ad hoc basis for other major projects.”
It is unclear yet what type of fast-track mechanism will be used and whether it will by-pass established procedures but Gatt was adamant: “Bureaucrats do not understand that major investors cannot wait for ever to get answers to their queries and permit requests.”
Government wants site-clearance at Ricasoli to start by the end of this year with the first complex built by the beginning of 2008, “hopefully before the election” Gatt said.
SmartCity should get parliamentary approval before the summer recess.
But it wasn’t just SmartCity that Gatt dwelt upon during the breakfast seminar. The minister drew a brief depiction of Malta’s historical transitions throughout the ages, insisting that it was a characteristic of this country to adapt to change as it unfolded.
“We have to stop moaning about not being able to do things. Over the years we have learnt to adapt, exploiting economic niches as they arose. We have to make choices, we cannot sit on the fence,” Gatt said.
Referring to politicians on both sides of the house, Gatt said Malta could not continue to believe that it would remain unaffected by changes happening around the world. He could not resist a dig at the Labour Party for giving “false hope” to people in certain manufacturing industries.
“It is a fact of life that certain manufacturing industries will close down. When we were a low cost destination back in the seventies we attracted the textiles industry. Today, we are no longer a low cost destination so we have to exploit other niche areas such as pharmaceuticals,” Gatt said.
“Information technology is a means to an end not an end in itself. The transformation into a knowledge-based society has already begun,” the minister said quoting a bevy of IT statistics to prove his point.
But it is a mentality change that is required, Gatt insisted, pointing his finger towards politicians, constituted bodies and bureaucrats.
Gatt rounded off his speech highlighting four major issues that make Malta an attractive destination for investors: good external links to other countries, a skilled workforce, an English-speaking country and a safe environment.
“We cannot lose either of these characteristics,” Gatt insisted.
In his intervention after the minister’s delivery, Labour spokesperson Evarist Bartolo praised Gatt for catapulting Malta into the 21 century as regards IT but also expressed his apprehension that the education system was not geared to meet the challenges.
“Information Communication Technology (ICT) should be one of the core competences in primary schools,” Bartolo said. “If it is a question of not having enough teachers in IT we should not fear employing teachers from overseas.”
Another intervention was that made by IT specialist Joe Woods. “Smart cities alone are dead wood. It is smart people that make it happen.”
Responding to Woods’ question about turning Malta into a centre of innovation and creativity, Gatt said he agreed that more money needed to go into research and development. But the minister stopped short of saying what steps government was taking to ensure Malta’s R&D budget increased.
Architect and Labour candidate Martin Debono asked the minister whether any tax concessions were being granted to Tecom Investments for the SmartCity project and how compatible were these with EU legislation.
Gatt said that tax concessions for the ICT industry were possible and also compatible with EU legislation.
ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt
|
