Civil society organisation Il-Kollettiv has welcomed the statements made recently by Gozo and Planning Minister Clint Camilleri, “particularly with regards to the commitment to withdraw a number of clauses in the proposed planning reform bills.”

“It is clear that the government is now recognising the error of its ways in both the content of the laws, and the way in which they were rushed through, the organisation said.

Il-Kollettiv went on to say that, “we take Camilleri’s statements as sign of openness, and we hope the government committee will meet us in the same spirit. We agree with the principle of construction works being suspended under appeal, as promised by the Prime Minister over the last two years, but equal and fair access to environmental justice for objectors must to be guaranteed and not curtailed.”

Article 143, which Minister Camilleri defined as ‘unexpected,’ “should be scrapped in its entirety. While the Minister stated that the reforms are well-intentioned, careful readings of these two drafts clearly contradict this notion,” said Wayne Flask, secretary of Il-Kollettiv.

The organisation noted that Minister Camilleri confirmed that the NGOs “were right on a number of considerations in their feedback,” also “dismissing the narrative about frivolous appeals and the NGOs’ alleged attempts to object to selected developments.”

“The real problem lies with those advising the government and its Ministers, and also the quality of those engaged to write these laws,” said Flask. “The government may have had all the best intentions, but the drafts penned by Robert Musumeci, the architect of choice for many developers, are biased if not outright malicious, vaguely written, and display an ignorance of the basic concepts of justice in a democracy.”

Flask stressed that “serious reforms require the involvement of serious, competent personnel; Musumeci’s track record is the result of his evident conflict of interest, including the series of ineffective laws which he has drafted in the planning and construction sectors. All these have led to controversies and failed to protect lives on building sites. Musumeci cannot be trusted with any amendments or rewrites of these laws.”

Il-Kollettiv emphasised the importance of resident groups in the consultation process, since residents across Malta and Gozo will be the ones to bear the bigger brunt of political decisions such as these reforms.

The NGO concluded by saying that it will be representing the interests of these groups during the upcoming talks with the government committee, adding that citizens should be included in a debate which affects them directly.

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