Environment under Labour just like ‘Austin’s bridge to nowhere’ – Marlene Farrugia

Labour MP Marlene Farrugia once again takes her government to task over its environmental credentials

Labour MP Marlene Farrugia
Labour MP Marlene Farrugia

Labour MP Marlene Farrugia has consolidated her reputation for her uncompromising views by turning the tables on her own party and criticising Labour’s environment record as “Austin Gatt’s bridge to nowhere” – the much-maligned breakwater bridge Labour took so much glee in denigrating during their time in Opposition.

“Remember Austin Gatt’s bridge leading to nowhere? Well, this government’s environmental plan reminds me about that bridge … we don’t know where we’re going,” Farrugia told her fellow MPs in parliament.

Taking part in the environment debate, Farrugia said the government was focusing most of its energy on the demerger of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority while allowing abuse to take place. This, she said, was down to lack of clarity from inside the authority on who should shoulder responsibility for what.

Farrugia made a hard-hitting speech in urging government to stop allowing development in ODZ areas, expressing concern that “green open spaces will become just a memory”.

“Let’s be clear: the Nationalist government did expand ODZ policies, eating away untouched land. But now we have a proposal from the privatisation unit suggesting the construction of hotels across the coastline in Marsascala.”

She also said that, while the government was placing much emphasise on a cleaner environment as a result of the power plant conversion to gas, the new deadlines were postponed twice.

“We are tying cleaner air to an investment which we don’t know when it’s going to take place. Even the deadline of when the minister should be announcing the new timeline was postponed twice,” she said, referring to the original statement that the new timeframe would be announced at end November and a subsequent statement that the new timeframe would be announced during the Energy Minister’s budget speech.

Farrugia questioned whether the government was also prepared “to sell the little clean air we have for an energy hub” or to “sell shorelines to cater for mass tourism”.

She accused the government of also failing in the agricultural sector having failed to implement a national water plan and an agricultural policy. She accused both Nationalist and Labour administrations of failing to take the sector with the significance required.

“We have to show a certain element of seriousness, and not simply by issuing policies as if they were hotcakes,” she said.

The Labour MP urged government to seriously consider the possibility of an underground system to ease traffic congestion. “The proposal had been floated when Labour was in opposition and I think that the government should seriously consider this possibility.

“Every developed country and city in Europe has such a system. Considering that we will be spending millions to subsidise public transport, the government should make use of EU funds to study this possibility.”