Gzira residents have a right to access Manoel Island foreshore – Muscat

The Gzira residents protesting for public access to the Manoel Island foreshore are right and it is untrue that Midi, the development consortium, have a right to close off access, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said.

Speaking during a brief interview on One Radio, Muscat said the government will remain pro-business, but will not rest on its laurels when it comes to protecting the environment.

“The government is pro-business but we do not agree with the expansion of the Freeport footprint. Likewise we addressed the illegalities carried out by the fish farms operators, and now, the government has taken the Manoel Island developers to court,” he said.

Muscat’s remarks come in the wake of a judicial protest filed by the government which called on the Tigne and Manoel Island developers, Midi, to grant access to the foreshore. The row over access to the foreshore also saw the Planning Authority issue an enforcement order against the company, demanding that the gates, which are not covered by a permit, be removed.

And Muscat, whose government’s environmental credentials have been repeatedly criticized by environmentalists, weighed on the Manoel Island debate on Sunday, backing up activists and the Gzira local council in protest for public access to the foreshore.

“I pledge my support to the Gzira residents’ fight to regain public access to the foreshore, and I express my full support and solidarity with the residents and the Gzira mayor [Conrad Borg Manché] … The government is pro-business, pro-common sense, pro-citizen, and pro-Malta.”

Midi has insisted that the concession agreement it signed with the government does not oblige it to grant access to the foreshore. The Gzira local council, however, has reiterated that the contract makes it clear that the company has a contractual obligation to grant access – a stand now backed up by the government and the Prime Minister.

“This week I asked Justice Minister Owen Bonnici to examine the concession agreement, and it turned out that the Gzira residents are right, and that the access to the foreshore should not have been closed,” he said.

Muscat also explained that despite Malta registering strong economic growth and record-low unemployment rates, it was no secret that many families were living in poverty. The government, Muscat said, would continue working to ensure better redistribution of income.

“Poverty is no perception, it is a reality which we are fighting to eradicate. We are fighting it through education and work, and we will continue to ensure that the welfare state is there for those who cannot work and struggle to make ends meet,” he pledged.

The prime minister said this week, the government made a huge stride towards its fight against poverty after the European Investment Bank granted Malta a €50 million loan for a social housing project.

Earlier, Muscat also hailed the investment by US company Crane currency, which will see the opening of a $100 million facility and the creation of up to 300 job

“Even though this government oversaw a strong economic performance over the past three years, we did not rest on our laurels and continued to attract investment,” he said.

Muscat also said this was part of the government’s policy of seeking to attract investment from outside of Europe, arguing that the government has already secured investment from China, Azerbaijan, UAE, and Jordan,

The prime minister also expressed his wish that the jobs created by Crane be filled by the Maltese.