Robert Abela is the 14th prime minister of Malta. According to our democratic system, our prime minister is head of government, the highest official of the country. Not only does the prime minister represent the will of the people but is also responsible for the well-being of the entire nation. Thus, the prime minister’s role is that of a custodian and enabler of the common good.
In short, in our democratic framework, the prime minister is the mover and shaker of our nation, in which the buck stops at him. However, is Abela truly in the driver’s seat? Is it he who calls the shots?
While these may be provocative queries for some, for a growing number of discerning citizens these are pertinent questions, more so in the light of everlasting episodes of sleaze and corruption. Citizens are probing to discern whether there is a hidden power behind Abela, a sinister and baleful group of people pulling the strings to appease themselves while governing the country by proxy.
Although lobby groups have been around since the dawn of democracy and lobbying for their corner is what they know best, never before have we experienced a systematic attitude of the government going out of its way, bending itself backwards to accommodate and willingly shifting goalposts/policies to appease the very few at the expense of the many.
Sadly, after years in opposition, the Labour Party signed a Faustian pact. It agreed to scratch backs in return for power. It was a road map, well defined. In the process, not only has it lost its political soul but its agenda was also hijacked.
Sadly, the current Labour Party is anything but labour, resembling more a massage parlour rubbing inflated egos. Clearly, its modus operandi is not sustainable, as the latest polls indicate.
During these years of Labour administration, we witnessed a long queue of chickens crawling Castille’s steps, demanding to be served. Is Villa Rosa’s owner next in line, one may query? The ongoing saga points in that direction.
It is pertinent to highlight that, in 2018, the owner had secured a permit to construct a mixed-use development, although the Planning Authority had admitted during an appeals process that it disregarded key limitations set by the area’s local plan. Now, to ‘better the project’, he is seeking to concentrate the development into high-rise towers of 35 and 27 storeys, while creating an open space at ground level.
PL resembles a massage parlour rubbing inflated egos- Albert Buttigieg
The only snag is that this breaches the current local plans for the Villa Rosa area and compromises the setting of the historical villa itself. Furthermore, according to an environment impact assessment report, the project will come at an environmental price. Pembroke’s residents and St George’s Bay will experience shadowing. But who cares, as long as the developer is gratified!
In a servitude attitude towards the developer, the Labour government decided to move from policy to a project-driven approach. Instead of overseeing a holistic overhaul of all local plans, as the Nationalist Party has been requesting, the government opted to grant preferential treatment by shifting goalposts only to Villa Rosa.
To add insult to injury, the consultation brief issued by the Planning Authority seemed to be a copy and paste exercise from the developer’s architect’s report.
This government’s acquiesced attitude towards the developer is not a first. On the eve of the 2022 elections, the Lands Authority issued a tender for the sale of a public alley that lies between two properties owned by the developer.
Only with such acquisition was the current mega proposal feasible. The authority valued the alley at a measly €134,000. Ironically, not even a one-bedroomed apartment can be purchased at that price in Paceville. It is for this reason that I and others have requested the auditor general to investigate this deal.
The Villa Rosa debacle is only one example of many. It is symptomatic of how Malta is currently being governed by proxy. Instead of having citizens abiding by and following policies/procedures, these are changing to accommodate the gratification of the few.
It is this systematic accommodating servitude many find revolting and question who the true prime minister is. We do not want to be governed by proxy. Can the real prime minister stand up?
Albert Buttigieg is PN spokesperson for family affairs and social solidarity. He is also former mayor of St Julian’s.