The swift unanimous support and passage through Parliament of the motion by Gozitan MP Chris Said to set up a parliamentary committee on Gozo bodes well to enhance decision-making for the island.
Gozo has distinct development needs that have yet to be addressed in a holistic, studied manner. Having a minister in Gozo has only partially addressed these needs and the current minister’s push for a regional authority seems destined to merely add another layer of lip service. In national politics, the sister island remains mostly an afterthought, with its development often lagging behind. This can be seen, for example, in the 2020 Budget’s funds for roads in Gozo which fall short of its proportional share of the national budgeting.
The Gozo Ministry is partly to blame. Road upgrades are spotty and limited administrative and construction capacities often lead to ridiculously lengthy works for short stretches of road. It may be time for responsibility for roads to be absorbed by Infrastructure Malta if it leads to more professional delivery.
After all, the provision of education and health in Gozo has improved since these were incorporated within national ministries or agencies.
The parliamentary committee should not shy away from such debates. But it must also raise them above binaries, the either-for-or-against tunnel controversy being a case in point. That debate needs to be widened into other possibilities that would address connectivity in lateral ways – having more Gozitans work from home, for example.
As Dr Said pointed out, Gozo’s economic development has remained significantly lopsided. The disparity between salaries and disposable household incomes in the two islands has widened in recent years because Malta’s average salaries have risen at a comparatively steeper rate. On the other hand, the prices of dwellings as well as rents are cheaper in Gozo, and so is eating and drinking out.
Demographic changes and current development trajectories in Gozo also require holistic discussion. Gozo’s population has been aging because of young people moving to Malta due to a dearth of suitable jobs or in pursuit of careers and social vibrancy, and also because of foreign retirees moving to Gozo. At the same time Gozo plays host to an increasing number of Maltese people with second homes. This has spurred property development that’s usurping landscapes and ruining the traditional fabric of Gozitan villages. It also leads to congestion on weekends.
This is not sustainable development – and a far cry from the notions of an eco-island. It would be more in line with any ecological cause to provide incentives for weekend visitors to rent lodgings among households than to build up large numbers of second homes that are only intermittently occupied.
Gozo has in recent years started attracting another two types of residents. These are tenants pushed across the water by Malta’s rising rents and urbane types attracted to Gozo for its quieter and more rural way of life.
The former hail from lower strata of society, including migrants, and they pose social challenges – Gozo has no capacity to tackle these challenges given the thin presence of Agenzija Appoġġ’s on the ground. The latter take cultural finesse to Gozo where they could be incentivised to set up shop.
It is up to the committee to now hold these over-arching debates and inquiries, and to address Gozo’s distinct development needs in a holistic manner.