The Labour
Government is taking the easy route to economic growth: One that is based on
the sale of passports, importation of cheap labour and overdependence on
construction projects. These methods are
reflected in Malta’s high level of economic growth, but people’s quality of
life is being affected negatively in various other respects: From an increase
in the cost of living to a deterioration of the environment.
Indeed,
the situation on the ground in Malta confirms the paradox that while GDP
may be increasing, the quality of life may be deteriorating. The Sustainable Development Vision for
2050 published by the Church’s Environment Commission exemplifies this
hypothesis.
Official EU data shows us that Malta
tops European levels of built-up areas and pollution. In the meantime,
registration of cars keeps increasing, and Government’s main mitigation measure
is to widen roads. EU funding in this regard was obtained by the previous
Nationalist administration. Surely, it can be used in a more sustainable manner
than is currently the case by Labour. In the current scenario, it seems to be
the case that Labour’s policies are based on electoral cycles, thus postponing
today’s problems and irresponsibly handing them over to tomorrow’s administration
and society.
For example, the upgrading of the
Kappara junction ignored recommendations by stakeholders such as bicycle users,
rendering it unsafe for cyclists and pedestrians. Subsequent projects by
Infrastructure Malta are side-lining local councils, experts and civil society.
Here one asks whether it is wise to focus entirely on satisfying the appetite for
more cars and ignoring erstwhile modal shift methods such as an underground
rail system. The fact that government is not even
considering alternatives justifies the concerns of the Church Environment Commission.
The same Commission also rightly
points out that Malta is overdependent on construction projects. Again, these
may inflate economic growth figures, but society is paying the cost of its
negative impacts. People around Malta and Gozo are witnessing a deterioration
of quality of life courtesy of dust and noise pollution, shadowing,
uglification and crumbling infrastructure. Roads and pavements are being left
in a very bad state. Urban sprawl is eating up green areas, and permits are not
being subjected to proper analysis of their cumulative impacts.
In the meantime, Malta is crying out
for a more sustainable vision, and the Nationalist Party promises to implement
it. A vision that does not simply look at GDP growth rates but that also factors
in people’s quality of life. One that balances economic, social and environmental
considerations: Policy making based on evidence, impact assessments and economic
diversification rather than overdependence on quick fix methods.
