Sant announces Gozo policy U-turn

The Labour Party will have a minister for Gozo to ensure that Gozo was represented in Cabinet, Alfred Sant said yesterday in a party policy U-turn.

The Labour manifesto does not refer to having either a minister or a parliamentary secretary specifically for Gozo. In 1996, the MLP had downgraded the position from minister to parliamentary secretary.

Dr Sant has been questioned on this over the past few weeks. On March 27, he would not answer a question on whether he would retain the Gozo ministry, saying only that the MLP would keep the administrative structures on the island.

Speaking at Ta' Cenc during a political activity yesterday, he said the minister would be backed up by a structure that respected Gozo's identity as a region, which would encompass all the social partners in Gozo.

He also outlined various plans the MLP had to promote Gozo as a tourist destination in its own right, which would create jobs in Gozo and avoid Gozitans having to commute to Malta to work. He stressed the importance of ensuring that tourists stayed in Gozo and did not only go there on day trips. He also said that transport to the sister island had to be improved so that tourists did not lose two days getting there and back. The destination would also improve through the development of attractions such as a yacht marina, a golf course and a casino.

Dr Sant was asked about his plans to close the Maghtab and Qortin rubbish dumps, responding that the main thing to do in the short term would be to ensure that construction waste was dumped in disused quarries. But he said that these quarries would be used up in four to five years, necessitating the creation of reclaimed areas, although no sites were identified. The dumps would eventually be rehabilitated and used for recreational or leisure purposes through a public-private partnership.

In response to another question, he guaranteed that Gozo Channel Co. would remain in the government's hands, and that a Labour government would not privatise it. The government would also ensure that it had no competitors on its regular service. Tariffs would not be touched and the government would look into ways of reducing tariffs for the elderly and for the relatives of the sick.

Dr Sant yesterday also visited the Oasi Foundation, and the Adult Training Centre in Ghajnsielem.