PN leader Bernard Grech has told the Malta Developers Association that there needs to be a better balance between development and the beautification of the country.
In a meeting with the MDA, Grech also said that land must not be developed and exploited but instead developed in a way that adds value to the country’s environment and resources.
Sandro Chetcuti, MDA president, said that his organization is willing to put forward proposals that aim to create a better quality of life.
Grech outlined his party’s belief that political decisions should be based on people’s needs, and that “the country’s aesthetic value needs to be attractive whilst also strengthening our personal environment.”
The PN leader also emphasized that the improvement of the environment around us is necessary to increase investment in the country.
Grech believes that investors and developers are entitled to their profits. However, the country’s resources must not be squandered in the process, and the environment around us needs to be prioritised.
Whilst congratulating the PN leader on his new role, Chetcuti said that the MDA “is determined to propose mitigation measures for discussion aimed at saving what’s left of Malta and to find the right balance between the needs of the industry and sustainability.”
The MDA has repeatedly come under fire for being an influential lobby within government circles, especially when Joseph Muscat was still prime minister.
Speaker of the house Anġlu Farrugia has previously claimed that Chetcuti was a regular fixture at the Labour party’s headquarters and even had an office there.
Chetcuti has vehemently denied that claim and said that he "never set foot into the fourth floor of the Labour Party headquarters" prior to 2013.
During a spate of house collapses over 2019, the MDA was the focus of activists’ anger, with many pointing their fingers at the lobby’s failure to rein in the industry they represent.
Chetcuti has been a staunch defender of his lobby, repeatedly pointing out that they have called for increased regulation and a transparency register for the financing of political parties and their campagins.