Opposition says it rejected request to begin debating new planning laws Tuesday
The PN said delaying a vote on the proposals until after summer was 'another U-turn' by the Prime Minister
The Opposition has said it rejected a request from the government to begin debating two controversial new planning laws on Tuesday.
In a statement, the Nationalist Party said it was approached “in recent days” by the government through its parliamentary whip Naomi Cachia, “to request that the debate begin tomorrow [Tuesday]," a request it rejected.
The PN was responding to a media briefing earlier Monday when Planning Minister Clint Camilleri and Planning Authority CEO Johann Buttigieg fielded questions from journalists about the proposals slammed as a “developers’ wishlist”.
Referencing Camilleri saying there was no obligation to pass the new laws before parliament's summer break, the PN said this stood in contrast to a statement earlier this month.
“This is the same Minister who on July 8, during Parliamentary Question Time, declared the Government was finalising the bills and intended to bring them before Cabinet and subsequently to Parliament for debate before the summer recess”, the party said.
It described the delaying of the vote on the proposals until after the summer recess as “another U-turn" from Abela, who it said had “caved in” to pressure from the party and NGOs.
Turning to Buttigieg, the PN said it was “unacceptable” for consultation on the proposals not to take place “on the pretext of avoiding speculation”.
The PN called on the government to “ensure that a wide public consultation process takes place before these laws are approved”, noting that “even Labour exponents and activists” had requested revision of the proposals.
“The Partit Nazzjonalista urges the Government to launch a serious, open, and genuine consultation process in which everyone is given a fair opportunity to make their voice heard”, the party said.
“For its part, the PN will continue doing what the Labour Government failed to do: it will keep engaging with all stakeholders and with the public at large.”
The statement was signed by Shadow Planning Minister Stanley Zammit and Shadow Environment Minister Rebekah Borg.