Of broken promises, myths and golf
This letter's title finds justification in the
vast posse of broken promises made to farmers on site (by a former
Prime Minister that EU accession would only buoy their position further
and by Ninu Zammit that second class water from sewage treatment plants
would be made available to them) and the various myths being floated by
the pro-golfers.
The epitome of these myths is the much-clich?
30,000 additional golfers that would make it to the islands with
additional golf courses on the islands - I reiterate my challenge to
pro-golfers (including Conrad Vella, who again shied away from my
challenge/query in his contribution to The Sunday Times - August 28) to
publicise the way such a figure was conjured. To date, a very elusive
"from internal sources of the MTA" has only been forthcoming from
(Tourism Minister) Francis Zammit Dimech.
Mr Vella believes the new golf course will have a
positive windfall on the rest of the islands in general - a particular
question is de rigueur here: Will golfing be open only to those who are
members of the Golden Sands Hotel timeshare scheme? I am sure Islands
Hotel Group will want to answer this.
Each day brings new hilarious myths from the
pro-golfers which are repeatedly drawing derision upon themselves with
their hoary chestnuts. After the chef d'oeuvre by GRTU president Paul
Abela, we get yet another entrepreneur entering the scene. Joseph
Philip Farrugia (Golf Course: Choice Of Site - The Sunday Times,
September 4) states that "In a worst-case scenario, if a golf course is
unsuccessful the paths and the grass could easily be ripped up and the
land restored to its original use in a few days". This could not be
further from the truth and shows the crass misinformation the
pro-golfing side are trying to suffuse the country with.
You cannot convert turf into garigue overnight -
no way! It's not easy as planting a series of exotic-looking palm trees
on top of rubble and debris to gloss over it. Garigue is a biocenosis
that develops over time due to a process known as ecological
succession, a process that would have been compromised with the dumping
of truckloads of soil on sight and the smothering of garigue
vegetation.
Would Mr Farrugia have us believe that the golf
course operator would then meticulously clean any garigue plant remains
from the debris of all the material dumped on it and that the garigue
would regenerate on its own steam? Wishful thinking indeed!
Rather than erroneously labelling the site as a
wasteland, pro-golfers should realise that a veritable wasteland would
be left behind if the golf course venture does not succeed.
Mr Farrugia ends by saying that he has no vested
interest in any of the golf course proposals - at the same time, he
proudly displays "international property developer" under his name. So,
while Mr Abela was a hotelier now Mr Farrugia is a property developer
and they both claim to have no interest in any of the golf course
proposals! No direct interest/collusion they mean because they are
certainly some of the few to cash in from golf courses.
Civil society has finally decided to rear its
head - just scour the newspapers to get an inkling of the feeling out
there and letters are not coming from the usual fanatic "suspects" but
from family people, similar to those who were barred from visiting the
Ta' Cenc cliffs last August 13.
Those in power would do well to put their ears to
the ground and scuttle the project altogether. And, by the way, I am
proud to be labelled an "anti-capitalist", as an eminent partisan
newspaper branded all anti-golfers some weeks back! Thanks for the
moniker, especially when considering the perceived "progress" emanating
from capitalism.
• Up • Elephants • The Myth • Garigue in Malta • Not Viable • Golf Logic • The Debate • Med Flora • Sacrifice • Who Pays? • Broken Promises • Building Starts • Suspicious • Wide Angle Alternatives • Good for the syndicate • Constitutional right to enjoyment of environment • Talking Point • Asking the right questions • Golfcourse Blues • A sign of things to come • Protect our open spaces •
