Roberta Metsola Hits Back At Environment Minister: ‘He’s Devoid Of Vision, Ambition And Inspiration’
Nationalist MEP Roberta Metsola has called out Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia for “lacking vision, ambition and inspiration” after he criticised her “green manifesto” in Parliament yesterday.
“Imagine being Environment Minister and to be so devoid of any vision, any ambition, any inspiration, that you stand up in Parliament to say that a green, circular, economy is a ‘fairy-tale’,” Metsola said.
“Our Minister shrugged and told us that it is useless to demand better, because the best he can do is perpetuate the undeniable mess that characterises the management of our natural and urban environment at the moment.”
“He is wrong. Utterly wrong. Malta is so much better. But more than anything it is sad. Sad that Aaron Farrugia cannot see the wood for the trees (not that he’s allowed very many to be left). Sad that he only thinks in terms of ‘what is’ rather than ‘what can be’.”
Yesterday, Farrugia criticised Metsola for presenting a seven-point environmental and planning vision without including any actual concrete proposals, such as whether the local plans and height limitation policies should be amended.
This, the minister said, was an example of “fairytale politics”, in contrast to “Realpolitik” grounded in practical realities.
However, Metsola retorted that Farrugia’s stance was not “Realpolitik” but “BadPolitik”.
She warned that the government is pouring asphalt on the streets, chopping down healthy trees, allowing haphazard construction, and filling up quarries with construction waste instead of creating a new economic niche for re-used materials.
Meanwhile, property prices have risen to the point that several youths have effectively been priced out of owning their own homes.
“They are so focused on shoving this small-minded, red vs blue tribal divide, down all our throats, that they have lost sight of what country our children will soon inherit,” she said.
“PN colleagues are working hard on preparing a series of forward-looking proposals to protect our environment and grow our economy. Watch this space.”
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