Popular perception of the Malta Developers Association has it leading politicians by the nose while dismantling Malta’s environmental heritage, one concrete brick at a time.
But according to its president Sandro Chetcuti, the organisation so many love to hate is grossly misunderstood.
“The MDA seeks the national interest before individual ones,” Mr Chetcuti tells #TimesTalk. “The government believes us and this is why we work so well together," he argues without a hint of irony.
His lobby is unique, he argues, "because we think outside the box".
Mr Chetcuti, who also advises the government in a private capacity on property affairs, sees no issue with acting as a sector lobbyist one day and paid-for consultant the next.
“I’m always wearing a consultant’s hat,” he says. “My advice is sustainable and my recommendations are aimed at the long-term, to guide the country in the right direction”.
The MDA chief – himself a developer - says assuming the lobbying hot seat came at a personal cost.
“I haven’t developed property in nine years. I stopped all my private work to focus on the MDA,” he says. "I've dedicated a good part of my life to it".
Not that he regrets it.
“I knew what I was in for,” he says with a smile. “I’m not going to feel sorry for myself”.
In this #TimesTalk interview, the development lobbyist also touches on several other topics.
On the government’s eagerness to build: "When a government is enthusiastic, it has the will to move things forward. I remember when the Fenech Adami government took power: there was a rush to build infrastructure. But enthusiasm can get the better of you”.
On plans to ‘trade’ airspace: “We want to try and save the look of some traditional villages while safeguarding property owners’ rights”.
On the fate of towns like Sliema: “Places like Sliema, St Julian’s and Paceville have already been earmarked for high-rises. We can’t expect to keep low buildings in towns like that”.
On Joseph Muscat: "He came at the right time. Like him or not, he’s very hard working and he has his finger on the pulse".
Watch the full #TimesTalk interview with Sandro Chetcuti in the above video.