Gozo’s electoral tunnel: survey-driven or feasible?

The PN is riding high on popular support to build a permanent link between Malta and Gozo - 65% of Gozitans favour a tunnel, a MaltaToday survey has found.

But the PN's electoral commitment is limited to the outcome of studies on the feasibility of the project, the impression being that this is a concrete proposal but voters are in the dark as to whether the capital costs of the tunnel would be factored in the toll paid by motorists.

Preliminary studies tag the price of the tunnel at anything between €156 million to €492 million, over a construction period of five to seven years.

With the PN raising expectations of EU funds for the tunnel, this remains uncertain as Malta's funding allocation could decrease over present levels in the next EU financial framework. Even if the funds are approved, the project would absorb a substantial part of those funds, depriving funding for other projects.

And while the project eliminates Gozo's "double insularity" disadvantage, this would also mean that the main justification for regional funding would also go.

So far, deputy leader Simon Busuttil has described the PN as being "open-minded" on the options available, and that it will act on the basis of the outcome of a final report being commissioned - suggesting the PN is banking on a popular issue even at the risk that studies could show that the project cannot be sustained, especially in the current economic climate.

On its part, Labour has in the past committed itself to back all studies to improve connections between the islands, including a possible tunnel. It also has not excluded the development of an airstrip that was previously shelved by government, and expressed a preference for a renewed helicopter service.

Alternattiva Demokratika has so far been the only party to question the financial feasibility of a tunnel, saying the major parties are ignoring the financial situation of the country. But this may put the greens out of synch with popular Gozitan opinion, which largely favours the project, even though it may underline the party's reputation for straight talking.

While in its electoral manifesto AD does not exclude the tunnel option completely, calling for proper studies on costs and traffic impact on Gozo, the party says a tunnel should not replace job-creation efforts in Gozo "by discussing pies in the sky".

The greens also favour the re-introduction of the regular ferry service from Sa Maison to Mgarr.

Jobs for Gozitans

Both the PN and PL are in synch with Gozo's main concern: job creation. Joseph Muscat's drive in his bid to win this Nationalist district is underpinned by his thrust on jobs. But despite organising its first mass meeting in Gozo, Labour has been short on details on how it will exactly increase jobs in Gozo.  

Probably further details will emerge as the campaign progresses or when the party issues its electoral manifesto.

The most notable proposal in this regard is tax credits of up to €200,000 over three years to any new business that opens in Gozo employing a minimum of two people. But the proposal fails to channel investment into any particular direction, with no restriction on the type of business that would benefit from the scheme, as long as it creates jobs in Gozo.

It could well encourage some businesses to simply hire two people for the three-year period, simply to avoid paying tax.

The PN also vaguely promises to slash administrative fees of all Gozo businesses down to just 10 per cent of their total.

High on the PN's agenda is tourism. It promises to stimulate further investment in five-star hotels with schemes to upgrade lower-star hotels and Gozo farmhouses. It is unclear how investment will be "stimulated", or whether this will include further development of five-stars, something which would have an impact on the environment.

Absent from the PN's proposals is any reference to agro- and eco-tourism, previously given great importance in the national tourism policy. But a more concrete proposal is to have people spending at least one night in Gozo to pay the same ferry rate as Gozo residents.

It is not clear what impact such a measure will have on Gozo Channel itself.

On their part, the Greens are committed to promoting niche tourism in Gozo like eco-tourism and agro-tourism, as well as health and wellness tourism, using as far as possible the present rural infrastructure and by encouraging Gozitan entrepreneurs to create green jobs and future ventures.

MEPA discontents

Joseph Muscat has also warmed up to Gozitan businesses irked by red tape and bureaucracy, although this raises questions on whether he would relax planning rules limiting development in his bid to kick-start the economy.

This was the impression Muscat gave at the Ta' Cenc hotel in October 2011 when he declared that he would be prepared to take "tough, possibly controversial decisions" in the interests of job creation. "The status quo is not good enough. Gozo's environment had to be protected because that was an attraction in itself, but nonetheless, decisions for sustainable job creation needed to be taken in the interests of the people of Gozo," Muscat had said.

But when asked by MaltaToday, he made it clear that he had no project in mind and he was simply referring to the need of eliminating red tape.

AD remain firmly committed against what they describe as unsustainable projects like the building of villas at Ta' Cenc, apartments at Ramla l-Hamra and yacht marinas and apartments in pristine localities like Hondoq ir-Rummien.

Instead it favours investments through public-private partnerships in the Gozo cultural, historic and natural features.

Devolution

Taking a leaf out of Alfred Sant's book, the PN is proposing a regional council for Gozo, proposing devolution for the sister island through an ad hoc law that will formally establish Gozo as an island region in Malta. It was an idea proposed by Sant in 1994, which then became the subject of a White Paper launched between 1996 and 1998.

But would such a council render the Ministry for Gozo redundant?  For the Council's task is very similar to that of the present ministry, by way of supervising the implementation of government policy on Gozo.

Surely the council will cut the powerful Gozo minister to size, having the power to issue by-laws for the sister island, and composed of the five Gozo MPs along with the island's mayors and five elected representatives from civil society organisations.

AD also favours setting up the regional council, but insists that this should be democratically elected.

The Greens also propose that the long-term non-Maltese residents should have the right to vote in elections for this regional council.