[WATCH] Solution ‘acceptable to all parties’ must be found in Magħtab farmers case - Robert Abela

Robert Abela has said that the government will persevere in its discussions with Magħtab farmers on the proposed Wasteserv expansion project until a solution “acceptable to all parties” is found.

The Prime Minister said that he understood the fear of farmers who were faced with a situation where they would lose a considerable tract of their land due to an extension of the Magħtab waste disposal plant.

“Farmers are facing this reality, within a context where their work is already difficult due to Malta’s size and competition from agricultural products coming from abroad,” Abela said.

He said that there was still no solution to the problem, but that he had gone on site to meet farmers who were protesting yesterday, and that they would next week be holding more formal discussions together.

“We will keep discussing things until we find a solution which is acceptable to all parties,” Abela said.

READ ALSO | No government will take our lands’ – Maghtab farmers stage sit-in

The Prime Minister was speaking during a Labour Party activity in Naxxar on Sunday.

His comments come after twenty-five farmers and their families whose livelihoods depend on fields in the Magħtab area staged a sit-in outside the Wasteserv waste disposal facility yesterday morning in protest at government plans to take over their lands. Abela intervened in the emotive rally, and was shown around the farmers’ fields.

Environment Minister Aaron Farugia, also addressing the party event today, said that the government had drawn up a long-term plan to avoid a situation of waste management by crisis. He said the European Commission had given its assurance that EU funds would be provided to help Malta reach the goals of a ten-year waste strategy plan, which will be finalised by the end of this year.

The plan will lead to state of the art facilities to implement environmental measures, reach the recycling thresholds and contribute to a better environment, he said.

"We can’t keep doing what we’ve done in the past 100 year for the next 100. We need a change in mentality of the people, developers, importers and those operating in other areas. We have to reduce, reuse and recycle - these mean difficult decisions for all of us,” Farrugia said.

Highlighting that there would inevitably be “collateral damage”, Farrugia said that he understood the worries of the farmers who had sounded their voices on Saturday.

He said that, for the road ahead, the government would not look at challenges as problems, but as resources. “We need a change in mentality, however, and have to move towards a circular economy.”

Farrugia invited environmental NGOs to keep levelling criticism at him and to continue holding him accountable. “Keep criticising us until we become the environmental movement we aspire to be,” he said.

Steward must honour all hospitals concession conditions

Amongst the topics Abela touched upon, he spoke about the decision the government had taken this week when it came to the Steward Health Care hospital concession, after having analysed all the contracts given to the US company and having taken stock of the situation.

He said that, while he was happy with many aspects of the contract to run the St Luke’s, Karin Grech and Gozo hospitals, there were also certain aspects which he wasn’t content with. In this regard, the government had made it clear the Steward must honour all their contractual obligations, and only from that point can further discussions take place.

“We are aware of the [Steward] issue,” Abela said, “[…] There is a lot of good in the contracts, including their direction, but there are also aspects which haven’t satisfied me.”

“This week, after the government underwent a stock-take of the entire situation, we now have a clear vision of where we want to go. And the first decision we have taken is that Steward have to abide by all conditions which tie them. And from then on, we can sit down and discuss. This is how a serious government operates.”

Abela warned against Opposition leader Adrian Delia’s “populist” suggestions to scrap the hospitals contract entirely. He said he could have easily taken the populist approach and decided to break off the deal with Steward, since he was never involved in the negotiation process.

“But things aren’t done this way. You have to understand that when you are leading a country, you have various responsibilities which you must consider holistically and then take all the needed decisions - not in a populist way, but in one which make sense for the best of our patient’s health, for the economy of the country, and in a way which does not cause an unneeded financial burden,” he said, “You don’t sweep problems under the carpet, but you admit there is a reality and have the courage to face it.”

General election still two and a half years away

On more than one occasion in his speech, Abela made reference to the fact that the general election was still two and a half years in the future.

He said that, despite the fact an election was still two and a half years away, the government was working as if it were in an election campaign, meeting with people and stakeholders and discussing things.

Amongst the meetings held were ones with stakeholders connected with the prostitution debate. Abela said the government would be bringing forward changes in order for prostitution to be decriminalised and for the creation of a programme to help those involved leave the sex work world.

“These are the duties of a government with a social conscience,” he said.

Abela again referred to the general election being two and a half years away when he spoke about the Labour Party being in the midst of a “regeneration and restructuring process.” “

If we don’t regenerate and change, we risk stagnating, and then we would move backwards,” he said, “We want to keep moving forward, and to do so you need change - subtle change, no earthquake and without hurting anyone.”

The Prime Minister said that nobody would be cast away, since everyone had a lot to offer.

Turning to Randolph Debattista, who was this week replaced as PL CEO by George Azzopardi, Abela said he “smiled” when reading reports in the media claiming Debattista had been sacked. Thanking him for his work, he said Debattista’s chapter within the party wasn’t closed.

“It is the start of a new adventure for him, even within the Labour Party,” Abela said,” He will have a central role in Labour’s work in the next election campaign.”