“Is Gozo turning Red? In favour of the Labour Party? Are the ratings just published in the Malta Today Newspaper correct, that Labour has a percentage of 64.4% supporting it?

Even for me it is hard to digest especially when compared to only 11.2% in support for the Nationalist Party. A Nationalist percentage which I don’t agree with as it is so hard to believe, especially in a traditionally Nationalist Island.

The only three times that Labour enjoyed a majority in Gozo were in 1955 – 2013 and the last election. Previously the Nationalists always enjoyed an advantage over Labour especially after and due to the Interdict years imposed by the Church.

But reasons can be explained for this impressive movement in favour of Labour…..

Progress

Gozo has never ever seen so much progress till 2013 under the Labour administration. Only last Sunday, November 3rd, the massive influx of people, both local and foreign visiting Gozo broke all records.

At 7pm my doorbell rang and our visitors were a Maltese family, friends of ours, who stated that they had come to visit because the ferry queue was up as far as the Football ground. This, when all four ferries were working on a shuttle basis.

Hotels, Restaurants, Hostels – Farmhouses – Flats – and all sorts of accommodation were full. Restaurants and all kind of shops had good profits from this influx of people.

This is now happening all year round, not as previously when Gozo only enjoyed tourism during the summer months. The Gozo Ministry with Local Councils and others to compliment these extraordinary events, prepared several local activities and festivities for the occasion.

The last Budget was another surpassing the previous, with additional Social Benefits and no additional Taxes. The social aspects were endless and well received by the general public. So one can realise why the citizen is favouring the present administration.

Present Administration

The present administration in Gozo is being ably run and administered by the Hon Justyne Caruana. An efficient, honest, visionary person, whom no one can ever say isn’t one of the most honest politicians that Gozo has had the pleasure of having in charge. This also gives a clean aspect and name for the Gozo Ministry and Gozo in general.

She is also a good planner (as women usually are) who does things with well thought-out plans. This is being continuously shown with the ongoing and finished projections happening all over Gozo.

Road repairs carried out with the facilities being taken underground all across Gozo. Many future ones are also in the pipeline for all villages.

Villages like Nadur are quite right in lamenting that the major road leading from this village to Mgarr hasn’t yet started. The issue was that this road needed major works by dismantling the whole road and rebuilding it from scratch. Millions are going to be spent on it as announced in the Budget.

Numerous other roads are also projected in this Budget for renewal and resurfacing. What I do insist with the Ministry is that projects are started and completed in the agreed time frame.

Sannat

What I cannot understand though, is when several people from the village of Sannat approach me complaining that half of the tarmacking of the main road from Rabat to Sannat and the Village Square have been left undone. Also why the Main Square wasn’t renovated as well.

So I asked about this issue and found out the following:

On 18th January 2019, an agreement was made between the Gozo Ministry and the Sannat Council that these works had to be done by the Sannat Council upon which contract the Gozo Ministry passed the sum of €621,755.55 cents. These works were under the sole responsibility of the Sannat Council and no one else.

So people should take this up with their local Council as to why the works haven’t already been started and finished. Maybe there were problems, but these have to be made clear to the public.Projections

The Swimming Pool left undone but continuously promised for decades has been initiated. Tal-Hofra Complex and the Business Complexes at the former M.M.U. are finished and having the last touches.

The General Hospital has improved tremendously on previous care and practices. More attention is being given to patients overall than previously. For the first time ever Gozo has its own Medical University with students coming from overseas. One would have thought that this was impossible in the past, but the actual reality is that it is now happening in Gozo.

Who knows, maybe Gozitan Medical Students will have the opportunity to do their medical studies in Gozo. This may initiate a push forward for the Maltese University to also initiate classes where there are enough Gozitan Students on certain courses to be able to have their classes provided in the Gozo University Campus itself.

With all due respect to the M.U.M. spokesman, he doesn’t seem to understand what is happening at the Gozo General Hospital. He should have said that the General Hospital needs a M.R.I. Unit(s) instead of Gozitans having to be transported to Malta for such tests.

Conclusion

The Hon Chris Said is a good talker, even if putting a different version to actuality. I stay home glued to my television to hear the debate on Gozo.

He made several good points which the Hon Gozo Minister ably responded, not only to, but also explained the many projections that have and are occurring both at present, in the future and also past. In my view she had so many points to explain that one session wasn’t enough.

What put the cherry on the cake was her conclusion, which in my view shows her real self, when she praised all her staff, believing in what they wanted, and that all participated to the betterment of Gozo and Gozitans for a present and better future.”

Lino DeBono,

Gozo.

Photos supplied by the author

Permalink: Gozo political trust ratings – By Lino DeBono