A Gozitan environmentalist candidate standing on the Nationalist Party ticket has accused the PN of holding back in promoting him, saying the party’s reluctance to fully embrace environmental issues left him sidelined despite growing public concern over overdevelopment and the loss of open space. The candidate, who has campaigned for years on protecting Gozo’s countryside, safeguarding outside development zone land, and strengthening constitutional safeguards for the environment, said internal resistance within the PN made it difficult to get his message prioritized in party communications and district-level campaigns. He argued that while the PN now publicly supports proposals for new national parks and green belts between villages, the shift comes late after decades in which the party was instrumental in laying the foundations for much of the environmental damage Malta and Gozo face today.
The tension reflects a wider credibility challenge for the PN on environmental policy. Critics point to the 2006 rationalisation exercise, one of the largest extensions of development boundaries in Malta’s history, as a decision that continues to shape the urban and environmental problems seen today. For a candidate whose platform centers on reinforcing Article 9 of the Constitution and ensuring it can be effectively implemented to protect the environment, the party’s historical record and cautious messaging present a contradiction that voters notice. Deputy Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo of ADPD-The Green Party has stressed that constitutional reform must be backed by genuine conviction, not political opportunism, and noted that the Greens have long proposed strengthening existing environmental duties rather than simply adding new articles.
The Gozitan candidate said the lack of promotion undermined efforts to reach voters who want clear action on protecting Dwejra, Comino, and Gozo’s remaining undeveloped coast from commercial pressure and speculative development. He warned that unless the PN confronts its past decisions and gives environmental voices real space within its ranks, commitments to public parks and green areas risk being seen as symbolic rather than substantive. The issue, he added, is not only about slogans but about trust, consistency, and the willingness to answer for decisions that left a lasting mark on the islands. For voters in Gozo weighing infrastructure, health services, and connectivity against the loss of natural heritage, the credibility of any party’s environmental pledge now depends on whether its words can withstand the weight of its own record.
