How can you stand back when the very people elected to represent you turn their backs on you and bow down to developers?
This question drove my presence at the recent protest and shaped my placard depicting Robert Abela as a puppet being controlled, with the caption: “Min qed imexxi l-Gvern? Il-Kabinett jew tal-Franċiż?” (Who is running the government? The Cabinet or tal-Franċiż?)
This design wasn’t about partisanship but about frustration — frustration that the government seems willing to serve a citizen just like us, only with far more money. I was not only present at Moviment Graffitti’s protest as a St Julian’s councillor but as a youth, a youth desperate to see a better Malta.
The true colours of the government could be seen in their reaction to the cries of the protestors in the parliament during the budget, as they broke into laughter and filmed them. The NGO is fighting for a government that is fair, transparent and clean instead of a government that’s willing to change the law to please a developer over the common good of the residents.
The developer is planning to build three high-rise towers overshadowing the beach and all those who are trying to enjoy the break away from skyscrapers. The developer has dictated word for word the terms of reference of the public consultation for the project.
Even after an environmental impact assessment classifying the project as high impact on the environment and air pollution, they still want to pave the way for this development when the beach has already seen drainage overflows due to the government’s lack of vision.
What is the government’s excuse? They claim this development is aimed at attracting “quality tourism”.
Yet, in choosing to suffocate our beaches with high-rises, they undermine the very natural beauty that draws tourists here.
Out of all possible ways to foster tourism, the government opted for one that not only overshadows the beach but also darkens the lives of nearby residents.
This favouritism raises questions: just how far will the government go to accommodate developers, even at the cost of Maltese residents’ quality of life? And if the law can be so easily changed for them, who else stands to lose? The government is only ready to take action when it benefits it.
Where was this we-can-do-it attitude in the previous years? Where was it in the case of Daphne Caruana Galizia, when the government should have taken on board the recommendations made by the public inquiry finding the state at fault for her assassination? Where was this can-do attitude in the case of Jean-Paul Sofia? Why couldn’t it take just the one meeting with his grieving mother – as happened with Tal-Franċiż – to convince the government that a public inquiry was due?
Why did a case have to be filed by the Nationalist Party for the government to take back the three hospitals that were defrauding it and raking in millions year after year when it was clear that no refurbishment was being done? Why isn’t there a proactive approach in getting back the €400 million stolen by Vitals?
The government has broken any hope my generation had in living out its dreams within these shores- Gabriel Borg Ferrando
Why is there this stagnant attitude in the leadership of the country, whose finance minister accepts the failed economic model but retains it budget after budget?
This is the reason why young people are actively losing hope in the current situation. I say this as a councillor, as a citizen but, most importantly, as a youth myself.
Everywhere you look there is inequality, where you can build a successful future only if you are already successful, are a friend to the government or have money.
This government was successful in sidelining meritocracy and breaking any hope my generation had in living out its dreams within these shores. It was successful in using youth in campaign speeches and videos, but when it came down to what matters, they left our education untouched, to fend for itself on one leg.
Youth are desperate to see a space in which they can execute their talent and express their aspirations, a space where they are treated with dignity based on their hard work and not to a screensaver pushing government propaganda as they make use of school computers.
What was once the jewel of the Mediterranean has been broken down into shards and shared between the powerful. This is the disillusionment of youth.
At the end of the day, if you ever find yourself second-guessing the current situation, always resort to the question: Would the government ever bend over backwards for me as much as they do for developers?
If the answer feels unsatisfactory, perhaps it’s time to demand the change that reflects a Malta where all voices, not just those of the powerful, are heard.
Gabriel Borg Ferrando is a St Julian’s PN local councillor.