PN: Labour council’s objection to Xewkija airfield betrays inner party turmoil

Gozitans should not be made to suffer because of Labour’s internal conflicts, Nationalist Party Gozo spokesperson Alex Borg says on airfield project he calls a 'positive' development

Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)
Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)

The Nationalist Party is exploiting an apparent division inside Labour over the latest approval from the Planning Authority for the rural airfield in Xewkija.

Shadow minister for Gozo Alex Borg said Gozitans were taking the brunt of Labour’s internal conflicts, after the Xewkija mayor had registered an objection to the airfield, which enjoys the support of the Labour administration.

The Labour-led council’s mayor is Simona Refalo, daughter of former Gozo minister, and now agriculture minister Anton Refalo.

Borg, who himself described the airfield project as a “positive” development, suggested that the objection flew in the face of the Labour government’s, and Gozo minister Clint Camilleri’s support for the project.

“It appears that, once again, even in Gozo, the government’s leadership is more focused on internal disputes than on initiatives that improve accessibility and quality of life for Gozitans,” Borg said.

This comes after the Planning Authority approved a rural airfield in Xewkija, which will host planes arriving from the Malta International Airport between 6am and 1am, despite strong objections from Xewkija mayor Simona Refalo, who had called on the PA board to postpone its final decision to ensure that residents are properly consulted.

Borg said that while mayor of Xewkija is maintaining that Xewkija residents were not properly consulted, “in reality, the consultation was false.”

“It is clear that there is a disagreement between the Labour-led council in Xewkija and the Minister for Gozo on how the public consultation for this project was carried out,” he said, “This rivalry may lead to a positive project like this, which was also proposed by the PN, being tainted by poor decisions.”

The PN shadow minister stated that, “Gozo and the Gozitans deserve better. Gozo also needs a change in leadership so that, as a people, we can truly move forward.”