Abela is repeating MIDI’s line on Manoel Island, coalition says

A coalition of 29 civil society groups has accused Robert Abela of blindly repeating MIDI’s defence of the Manoel Island concession in his “misinformed” response to a petition calling for the island to be turned into a national park.

On Monday, Abela pushed back against the petition signed by over 29,000 people, insisting that 60% of the island will remain public.

In a statement published by Moviment Graffitti on Tuesday on behalf of the coalition behind the campaign 'Post Għalina', the coalition described Abela's reply as “sadly misinformed while repeating MIDI’s arguments to the letter”.

“He has clearly been listening to MIDI’s views on their own development. We now ask that he hears the need of over 29,000 people,” the coalition said.

His reply “lacks the sense of public benefit and respect of legality that one would expect” from a person in his role, the coalition argued.

The campaign is led by Moviment Graffitti and Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar and has been endorsed by over 40 organisations and NGOs, including Din l-Art Ħelwa, Richmond Foundation, and Kamra tal-Periti. 

The petition calls for plans by the MIDI consortium to develop the island into a luxury residential and commercial zone to be scrapped. It received over 29,000 signatures.

Manoel Island: Post Għalina argued that Abela’s reply failed to present a full picture, omitting MIDI’s contractual obligation to substantially complete the project by March 2026, as well as failing to mention ongoing negotiations between MIDI and the government to extend the deadline by a further decade.

Abela’s insistence that the deal was first sanctioned by a PN government, albeit with the blessing of the then-PL opposition, shows that he is “trying to wash his hands of what will ultimately be his responsibility for the construction of hundreds of apartments and commercial buildings on Manoel Island,” the coalition said.

In reality, MIDI “can only proceed with its plans with the blessing and agreement of Prime Minister Robert Abela,” Moviment Graffitti said, adding that “any such extension will need to be gifted to it by the current administration”.

Post Għalina also referred to comments made by Environment Minister Miriam Dalli, who said on Monday that the government’s hands are tied when it comes to private land.

The coalition insisted that the concession agreement include the government's right to rescind the deal.

“We therefore stress that the government’s hands are not tied, and that the ‘private land’ in question is ultimately government-owned,” the coalition said.

“In Robert Abela’s words, it would be ‘difficult’ to get Manoel Island back. With that attitude, Malta would still be under the rule of feudal lord Gonsalvo Monroy, the statement added.

While applauding he government’s green efforts in some respects, such as the Birgu Glacis park, the coalition called on the government to renegotiate the contract with MIDI to find a solution that “benefits the people of Malta to the fullest extent”.

“Our collective effort and the 29,000+ signatories of the petition have now given him a mandate to use the obligations defined within the contract and enter these difficult, but not impossible, negotiations with the scope of giving the public what it needs to ensure health and quality of life,” the statement concluded.