Il-Kollettiv wants an end to public land concessions

Il-Kollettiv has called on the government to end the practice of granting public land to private developers through concession agreements, arguing that the model systematically undermines the public good.

Il-Kollettiv President Jeanette Borg denounced what she described as a decades-long pattern of public land being “pawned off” to developers at artificially low rates. 

“Through this practice, successive governments have given enormous power to developers by drastically reducing their costs and guaranteeing their profits, with absolutely no benefit to the public.”

In the case of Manoel Island, il-Kollettiv noted that MIDI’s failure to meet its contractual obligations could result in the return of the land to the state, a development the group welcomed. However, the group noted that the principle behind such deals is fundamentally wrong and must end.

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The organisation praised activists and community members who campaigned for the return of Manoel Island, expressing hope that the site could become a publicly accessible, safe space free from speculative development.

On possible government intervention to safeguard private investors, Il-Kollettiv stressed that government has no obligation to bail out MIDI, adding that any small investors in the project are also the company’s responsibility.

“Set the space free of speculators, leave it free from commercial pressures, and let us all enjoy Manoel Island in peace,” Borg concluded.