Labour's plan for Cottonera

The fight to curb illiteracy and the economic revival of the Cottonera are two of the three main aims of a plan the Malta Labour Party will be putting into practice, party leader Alfred Sant said yesterday.

The third aim will be the organisation of recreational and sport activities. The Cottonera plan includes Senglea, Cospicua, Vittoriosa and Kalkara.

The initiative for this plan came from the mayors of the four localities who wanted to give a boost to this region which suffers from serious socio-economic problems.

The Labour Party was also doing this to boost its support among residents, Dr Sant added.

Discussions among the stakeholders in this activity include Joe Zammit, secretary to the former Labour Cabinet. A seminar was held towards this end, last Thursday, to set out a framework on which the plan will be based.

"Overall the plan is intended to provide Cottonera with a profile that will help attract more business and commercial ventures to the area, and also provide life-long learning and skills among the population," the Labour leader explained.

Cottonera had a rich cultural tradition and a chequered history, factors that could be put to good use in raising momentum for economic development.

A joint committee will be set up, chaired by Dr Sant, to put the plan into practice. It will include the president or secretary of the local MLP clubs; the mayors or deputy mayors of the four local councils in the region; Labour MPs representing these towns; the MLP secretary general and Joe Zammit as the secretary from the office of the leader of the Opposition.

The committee will be marketing Cottonera with the business community and other constituted bodies.