Prime Minister Robert Abela has publicly criticized the 2000 concession of Manoel Island and Tigné Point to the MIDI consortium, claiming it favored Nationalist Party benefactors at the detriment of the Maltese population. He said that the arrangement made under the administration of former Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami was badly organized and did not serve the national interest.
Speaking to media on Wednesday, Abela said the transfer of land had been carried out for a minor sum and that the developments, especially at Tigné Point, produced no practical advantage for the people of Malta and Gozo.
He declared that Labour MP Edward Zammit Lewis and Labour Party President Alex Sciberras had been charged with looking over the concession for possible legal violations. Both figures have previously opposed the agreement—Sciberras is a signatory to a petition requesting Manoel Island be restored to the public as a green space, whereas Zammit Lewis has often criticized the concession.
Abela recalled his previous position as legal counselor to the Planning Authority and asserted he was the only person to confront MIDI’s actions under both the Lawrence Gonzi and Joseph Muscat governments. He chastised the consortium for changing the master plan without adequate supervision and said that under his direction such irresponsible behavior would not go on.
With me, they won’t behave as they want, Abela said. Representatives of the public petition will be greeted this Friday, and then MIDI’s bondholders and minority shareholders will be talked with.
He cautioned that the consortium would suffer repercussions if any contract violations were discovered.
Reflecting increasing public support for turning Manoel Island into a national green park instead of a luxury project, the public petition led by Moviment Graffitti and Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar has collected more than 29,000 signatures.
