Shifting positions on Hondoq
Published on The Times of Malta on 21st September, 2007 by Charles Sammut.
During the last presidential election here in the US, the Republicans ran a campaign ad showing John Kerry windsurfing and described his positions on issues as shifting depending on which direction the wind was blowing. And he also got the label of a flip-flopper: Which unfortunately for him stuck and I am sure helped contribute to his narrow defeat.
Guessing from his latest policy shift on the Qala Creek project it does seem to me that Alfred Sant does not value much the voters' perception of his candidature and certainly does not mind giving ammunition to his detractors.. I am referring to Dr Sant's constant shifting on the proposed Hondoq project. He is on record as first being for it; then against it just before the council elections were held in March and now he came out for the project again.
Unfortunately, as far as I and many others are concerned, he is now on the wrong side of the Hondoq issue. Hondoq is absolutely beautiful the way it is and any alterations that change its character would be the death knell of Hondoq as we all know it. Destroying what everyone can enjoy for the benefit of a few is not a sound judgement.
I guess Dr Sant must have forgotten about the fate of Mgarr and Andar hotels. Both closed down recently and are being converted into apartments. And I can deduce with a reasonable amount of certainty that he does not subscribe to the theory that the more new projects take place on Gozo that disrupt its natural beauty the less of a tourist attraction it will become.
May I humbly impart a little advice to Dr Sant. Do not change your mind on issues for political expediency because voters do not particularly take kindly to flip-floppers.
During the last presidential election here in the US, the Republicans ran a campaign ad showing John Kerry windsurfing and described his positions on issues as shifting depending on which direction the wind was blowing. And he also got the label of a flip-flopper: Which unfortunately for him stuck and I am sure helped contribute to his narrow defeat.
Guessing from his latest policy shift on the Qala Creek project it does seem to me that Alfred Sant does not value much the voters' perception of his candidature and certainly does not mind giving ammunition to his detractors.. I am referring to Dr Sant's constant shifting on the proposed Hondoq project. He is on record as first being for it; then against it just before the council elections were held in March and now he came out for the project again.
Unfortunately, as far as I and many others are concerned, he is now on the wrong side of the Hondoq issue. Hondoq is absolutely beautiful the way it is and any alterations that change its character would be the death knell of Hondoq as we all know it. Destroying what everyone can enjoy for the benefit of a few is not a sound judgement.
I guess Dr Sant must have forgotten about the fate of Mgarr and Andar hotels. Both closed down recently and are being converted into apartments. And I can deduce with a reasonable amount of certainty that he does not subscribe to the theory that the more new projects take place on Gozo that disrupt its natural beauty the less of a tourist attraction it will become.
May I humbly impart a little advice to Dr Sant. Do not change your mind on issues for political expediency because voters do not particularly take kindly to flip-floppers.
posted by Hondoq at
12:56 PM
