Gozitan businessman Joseph Borg took advantage of the Prime Minister’s visit to his factory yesterday and called for the building of a “permanent road” between the two islands.

“It is time to connect the two islands with a permanent road,” Mr Borg, former chairman of Gozo Channel, said towards the end of his speech, saying it would be good for everyone, especially Gozitan enterprise.

Mr Borg said later his idea was not to have a bridge, which would have a negative visual impact, but an underwater tunnel.

“I think the most feasible solution, having the least environmental impact, would be a subsea tunnel,” Mr Borg said, adding he and others had been looking at this option in detail.

His surprise statement during Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi’s visit to FXB’s Xewkija furniture factory, was meant to ignite a national debate on the matter.

Dr Gonzi said the government was committed to increasing accessibility between the two islands but did not commit to take up the proposal.

Even though some may find the ferry crossing between Malta and Gozo quaint and charming, many Gozitan residents feel the commute stands in the way of the islands’ development.

“There are times where I have to travel to Malta three, four times a week and it always eats up two to four hours of my time, that’s up to 16 hours a week, which I’m sure you’ll agree is not good,” Mr Borg said.

“Time is money. Wherever in the world there was increased accessibility, there was a positive impact on the other side. If you look at the bridge connecting Copenhagen and (Swedish city) Malmö, business in Malmö doubled. In summary, any improved connection will be beneficial for both sides,” Mr Borg said.