A holistic infrastructure today for a better progressive Malta of tomorrow
Without any shadow of a doubt, an essential and fundamental component in keeping a society and a nation strong is infrastructure.
Wi thou t infrastructure there is no civilisation. It is as simple as that. It is infrastructure that gives identity and character, and without it all you have is an undressed and underdeveloped nation.
In Malta’s case, it may be argued that whilst the denotative meaning of infrastructure has remained the same, its connotative and perceptive meaning might be said to have taken a different turn. I might risk to say that for some, even the word itself, ‘infrastructure’, was somewhat of a new concept and firstly introduced to them in the last 8 years. The truth of the matter is infrastructure has been with us from the very beginning, yet for a number of years infrastructure in Malta had hit a wall, it became stagnant and a rarely mentioned subject.
As Prime Minister Robert Abela rightly said in a recent interview, the preceding government’s outlook on infrastructure was a narrow one and I almost dare to say that even the word itself, ‘infrastructure’ was heard once in a blue moon. Things took a different turn when there was a change of government and a fresh ideological frame of political mind was presented to the people.
Some started asking, some participating, some also criticising infrastructural work being implemented by a Labour government. This was a ripple effect for Malta. People felt a radical change in the country where an ideology, a vision of what infrastructure is, was unfolding and further ideas were turning from paper into reality.
A clear example is the Marsa Junction, officially inaugurated a few days ago, which the Prime Minister described as “a vision [and] a mirror that we are seeing for our country in the coming years”. From the perception of an isolated project, Marsa Junction is not only the key, but a breath of fresh air for thousands of people, especially those in the South of Malta. Undoubtedly, more can be said if we look at the Marsa Junction as a holistic project, which touches on all the aspects that define the progressive Malta of tomorrow. Not only will travel time and congestion be reduced by 79%, but above all emissions will be drastically cut.
Yet, our vision goes beyond that and we catered also for people who travel with alternative means of transport, namely public transport. The project is equipped with a 380 space park and ride as well as an underpass and pedestrian bridges for cyclists and pedestrians. 18,000 trees and shrubs have been planted as a tried and true initiative mirroring an ecofriendly government.
The continuation of works on these grand projects at the height of the pandemic is not something one can disregard and ultimately it can be argued that the completion of a project such as the Marsa Junction was not only a moral booster to the people, but a showcase of a persevering and resilient government working against all odds.
In terms of environment, a byproduct of a healthy and green infrastructure, a whole thesis can be written, yet to try and be concise and clear we can start by mentioning the ship to shore concept which will cut 90% of the air pollution that cruise liners and Ro-Ro ships produce when visiting the Grand Harbour. Consequently, as a result, respiratory diseases will be drastically reduced and a healthier lung will be one of the benefits that the public will experience. This all ties together and this holistic vision has an end goal, that of the least possible emissions in Malta, a goal in compliance with the European Green Deal’s short term plan for 2030 and the long term plan for 2050.
Recently, the largest package of electrical vehicle grants were announced, incentives to financially help people make the switch to less polluting vehicles and which will ultimately make the shift more natural and easy. We received tons of positive feedback and the grants were once again very positively received.
Sea transport remains an interesting subject of exploration and, considering our country’s high reputable stance in maritime, our job is to raise that bar higher. We are reaping the benefits as recently operators showed interest in working with us and providing their service for the planned Fast Ferry service, which as the Prime Minister described will be a game changer in terms of sea transport, planned to start from the 1st of June. I am pleased to say that we already have two operators that will provide a direct Fast Ferry service for passengers between Mġarr Gozo and Valletta in just 45 minutes in accordance to our last Government Electoral Manifesto.
As one can notice, infrastructure is just a piece of the puzzle yet it is an enmeshed web of ideas leading us to our end goal; that of having our future generations live in a better and progressive Malta and thus we remain committed to continue working much harder because we want mobility and infrastructure to be increasingly efficient and cleaner. That can be achieved with a clear vision and a clearer end goal, all traits of the present government.