Gozitan PN candidate Luke Said argued that the Prime Minister’s and Planning Minister’s opposition to overdevelopment in Gozo following a statement by Alex Borg “rings hollow.”

“The same government facilitated it through loopholes in DC15, the infamous ‘4+1’ rule, and ‘pencil developments’ that have scarred our skylines,” Said told Lovin Malta.

“To now pose as defenders of the island is not only inconsistent, but profoundly hypocritical.”

“Worse still, they are advancing two bills (143 and 144) that would further weaken our communities’ right to decide what is built in their midst.”

“Meanwhile, Minister Clint Camilleri has for over a year ignored reports from the Gozo Regional Development Authority calling for government estate houses to be protected from pencil developments.”

Said, a former environmental activist with the NGO Għawdix, spoke to Lovin Malta amid the debate over Borg’s statements on towers in Gozo.

While Borg initially refused to rule out the possibility of towers in Gozo as part of a national skyline policy, he later clarified that he was completely against the development of high-rises on the island.

“Talk of towers in Gozo is absurd. Whether floated as policy, speculation, or just noise, the very idea clashes with the island’s essence,” Said said.

“Gozo’s villages are valued for their calm and identity, not for high-rises. As a Gozitan youth who has long campaigned against rampant construction – through NGOs, activism, and now within the Nationalist Party, my conviction is clear: Gozo can flourish, but never at the expense of destroying its own beauty.”

He said that Gozo stands at a crossroads between “repeating Malta’s mistakes” and building a sustainable future rooted in heritage and identity.

“This requires strict adherence to planning guidelines, especially those safeguarding village skylines and visual integrity, which are central to Gozo’s character,” he said.

“Empty promises are no longer enough. If leaders fail us, it falls on us  citizens to defend our island.”