29 January 2006 Rating 5% No Comment  

I have the impression that the government is very adept at keeping the inhabitants of Gozo (I cannot vouch for Malta) totally in the dark as far as sensitive projects are concerned. After my brief TV exposure on the recent Lou Bond� programme on Ta' Cenc, I was horrified when several people approached me in Victoria and Gharb to tell me that they had seen me on TV and to ask me how I, as a foreigner, knew what was happening and they didn't! They had heard rumours about the golf course, but they were all unaware and appalled to discover that a couple of hotels and over 100 villas and bungalows were also planned and that the golf course was secondary. How is this possible? Do the local people of this island count for nothing? Are they regarded as second-class citizens? Does the government only take notice of them just before an election? I was privileged to be able to attend the residents' meeting held in a garage in Sannat on January 4 (after the residents were denied access to the public school buildings). The meeting may have been initially instigated by the foreign residents, but it was very heartening to hear so many Sannat residents get up and have their say - unfortunately the Minister for Gozo ignored the invitation to attend as did the developer and the main political parties. Shame on them. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could read in the papers that a compassionate citizen had donated the peninsula of Ta' Cenc to the people of Malta and Gozo to be used as the first national nature-reserve and bird sanctuary on the Maltese Islands? Just imagine what a fine inscription that would make on a magnificent statue at the entrance to the reserve!