The proverb says that if you want to go fast you should go alone but if you would rather go far, then you should seek to go forward with others. It’s time that, for matters impacting the future of our country, we go forward together, aiming high.

It doesn’t take the most astute political analyst to realise how Labour’s strategy in government was to go fast. Possibly because, from the get-go, it was meant to be a chase against time. Joseph Muscat had made it clear: 10 years in government (of which he only managed less than seven).

This short-term sprint enabling a quick grab was packaged in an economic vision based on three pillars: a sleazy scheme that turns passports into a commodity for the richest and the shadiest; the corrupt sell-off of what is most basic for a country –  its energy and healthcare services; and a focus on an obvious low-hanging fruit: construction. Labour handled the national construction policy as if, instead of a country measuring 14 by seven kilometres, we were standing on the Russian steppes.

The results of eight years of Labour are there for all to see: a ruined reputation for our country around the world, an administration mired in corruption and sleaze, institutionalised clientelism and a country that is crying out to the keep whatever is left of the charm that once made it so unique. With bulldozers pushing the limits across Malta, the government’s misguided policy has now set its eyes firmly on Gozo. It’s time for us, as one people, to say enough is enough.

It has become abundantly clear that the government has no plan for the future of Gozo- Chris Said

Now let’s be clear: the construction industry is a pivotal one for the country. But it has to fall neatly into a much wider strategy. It’s an industry that needs to be in a symbiotic relationship with what underpins the rest of the economy and not pointing its guns at it. It’s part of an ecosystem the relies on a fine balance to survive and to flourish. But, having lived through these past eight years, striking a balance is not something that we are going to start to expect from Labour.

In the last few days, I have endorsed a joint initiative by all mayors of Gozo calling for the drawing up of clear policies as a matter of urgency to stop greed and lack of political vision from ruining the island. It’s a call for the authorities to see the obvious: once Gozo loses the elements that make it unique, there’s no turning back. Because what makes Gozo unique is the way it managed to keep a fine balance between progress and charm. It saw what happened to regions in neighbouring countries that got that balance wrong and vowed not to go there.

That vow now needs an urgent revisit. And that’s what the mayors of Gozo are calling for, supported by Gozo’s main civil society organisations, including the Gozo Business Chamber, the Gozo Tourism Association and the Gozo University Group. We are appealing for what is essentially a dose of common sense, for the government to realise that what is happening in Gozo cannot be undone and the quick gains will not be worth the price in the long- term. It’s time for the government to realise that the planning policies it irresponsibly toyed with in the last eight years – creating loopholes for development to happen where and how it should not – are simply unsustainable.

Enough with permits outside of areas earmarked for development. Enough with development at the heart of our towns and villages that is ruining their character. Enough with development where it makes no sense: in our valleys and in the middle of our countryside. We’re asking the government to get back to the drawing board  and not to do it alone. What was tagħna lkoll eight years ago remains tagħna lkoll today. Forget going fast; try instead to go far.

It has become abundantly clear that the government has no plan for the future of Gozo. Resurfacing roads and building rubble walls is well and good but we need to go beyond the cosmetic to focus instead on how we can make Gozo an example of a modern island that cherishes its unique character, a sustainable island providing its residents with a top quality of life while regaling visitors with a product that you cannot find elsewhere.

What are the industries that Gozo would need to be attracting to maintain a dynamic community of entrepreneurs in the next five, 10, 20 years? What are the technologies we need to be embracing and investing in? What are the niche markets we should be targeting? And what do we do to get there?

These are the questions the Nationalist Party will be answering as we present our vision for Gozo. A vision based on quality of life in all its forms. A strategy leveraging cutting-edge green technology. A plan to nurture sustainable industries that contribute to a versatile economy that truly leaves no one behind. A vision that is built around Gozo’s unique identity and not one that is meant to transform that identity into something we would have to learn to live with.

This is what is keeping those with Gozo at heart awake at night: a sense of urgency that the direction we’re heading in is not the right one and a conviction that there is a future for Gozo that goes beyond the government’s short-term construction gains.

Above all, a sense of eagerness to undo the damage that is being done to our island and to chart a way for a future that Gozitans truly deserve.

Chris Said is Nationalist Party spokesperson on Gozo.