The NGOs Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar, Friends of the Earth, Ramblers and Youth for Environment, in a joint statement today said that they are increasingly concerned that uncontrolled development is seriously impacting the quality of life, economy and environment in Malta.

“The Malta Environment Protection Authority was set up to regulate development, however through appointments of its top positions according to politics rather than merit, MEPA has been reduced to nothing but a screen to mask politicians’ efforts to promote the interests of their developer backers,” the NGOs said.

The NGOs went on to say that the present MEPA CEO, Johann Buttigieg, “should never have been appointed to the post due to his track record.”

They said that in 2012 the MEPA Auditor had “censored Johann Buttigieg severely” and called for legal action to be taken against him, stating that the information in Buttigieg’s report on the application for a wedding hall below Rabat: “is false and misleading… the case officer’s report constituted flagrant abuse with the intention of misleading the DCC and approving the permit.”

This Government, the NGOs said, “has been using the CEO of MEPA as its private consultant, rather the ultimate arbiter of what can be permitted within planning regulations. So much so that when the highest authorities met with the NGOs, the MEPA CEO sat with the Government, arguing in favour using Zonqor for the American University.”

According to the NGOs “The Zonqor preliminary site selection presented by Johann Buttigieg was prepared in confidence at the request of the OPM, without any consultation with any of MEPA’s directorates and experts. Mr Buttigieg also gave misleading and incorrect information to the Parliamentary Committee for Environmental matters, which constitutes contempt of Parliament. All in all he has fatally undermined MEPA’s already-poor integrity as an independent and impartial regulator.”

They said that, these acts, as well as the SPED and several new policies which will allow further destruction of Malta’s environment, ignore MEPA’s remit “to ensure that land use and the protection of the environment meet the needs of today’s society and future communities”.

“This shows that the Government is using MEPA to facilitate pet projects, rather than to regulate development in the interests of the nation, and that Johann Buttigieg is unsuited to lead MEPA or indeed to hold any senior post in any part of the up-coming (post-MEPA) Environment- Planning set ups,” the NGOs stated.

“The fact that Johann Buttigieg was following the Prime Minister’s orders is no excuse but reflect badly on those who appointed him,” said the NGOs. “The Government has now put Mr Buttigieg in an untenable position, leaving him no option but to resign. Should he refuse to resign, the onus of his unethical handling of the Zonqor case falls directly on the Prime Minister.”

The NGOs concluded by saying that, “until client-politics are eliminated from MEPA and its future successor bodies, there can be no holistic planning, no environmental justice, and no long-term economic benefit.”

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