In a country where good agricultural land is precious indeed, the Structure Plan, logically enough, prohibits the development of golf courses on agricultural land. And yet, the area where Mr. Angelo Xuereb wants to plant his 18-hole golf course in Tal-Virtu', Rabat, is prime agricultural land. 

 

In other words, what the country, through its Structure Plan, is telling Mr. Xuereb, is that he shouldn't even have thought of dumping his golf course onto prime agricultural land; that we shouldn't even be talking about it; and that you shouldn't even be reading this. Mr. Xuereb expects us all to sit on the rubble wall and applaud while he plays golf with one of the most beautiful and fertile stretches of land on the island.

 

His latest joy is to lecture us on the benefits of condemning the fields in Tal-Virtu' to golf. Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna share his joy; many NGOs, too many to mention, have publicly disagreed. And it's not going to be easy for Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna to explain how our cultural or environmental heritage (excluding Anglu Xuereb, of course), can benefit from this hotel golf course. Perhaps they are just being nice to their sponsor. Or perhaps they want tourists to visit the dumping ground of millions of litres of water on their way to the silent city.

 

Anglu Xuereb's latest lecture verges dangerously on the ridiculous: now he wants us to think (that funny verb again) that farmers need golf balls screeching through the air to grow vines. There are better things to do with 78 000 cubic metres of rainwater than sink them into a golf course; besides it doesn't take much to realize that the size and the climate of Malta and Gozo are not ideal for golf courses. A golf course on the slopes of Tal-Virtu' may suit Anglu Xuereb's hotel and apartments fine, but this isn't our business and this isn't our game either.

 

Mr. Anglu Xuereb's credentials as a business and as an environmentalist are there for all to admire; in his adverts he has already promised his prospective clients a golf course that does not exist and cannot be approved. And his Verdala project has already attracted a good number of enforcement notices. Perhaps this is all just a game of golf for him and a joy for his caddies spread out, like 18 holes, over a precious stretch of land. It's a good thing that so many farmers and non-governmental organisations prefer precious prime agricultural land to Mr. Xuereb's golf and caddies.

 

Mr. Xuereb wants us all to become his caddies. We all have much better things to do. And so should Mr. Xuereb.

 

 

Inizjamed

June 2002