‘People Told Me I Was Obsessed With Ħondoq – Now, They Know I Was Right’: Qala Mayor Recounts Fight For Gozitan Bay
A Gozitan mayor has opened about about the decades-long fight he’s undertaken to protect Ħondoq ir-Rummien, a picturesque bay in Gozo.
PL mayor Paul Buttigieg addressed a Labour Party event in Gozo this evening, speaking on the struggles he faced to protect the bay in the face of proposed yacht marinas and touristic villages.
“I went from being known as Paul Buttigieg to Paul tal-Ħondoq,” Buttigieg said, as the crowd listened before breaking into applause.
“And I’m proud of that my friends, I’m happy with that.”
“People told me I was obsessed with Ħondoq – but today, they have realised how right I was and how important it is to have a lung to enjoy,” he said. “Twenty yers ago, I believed that Ħondoq should belong to everyone – and that’s still what I believe today.”
Buttigieg appears around the 17.40 mark in the video below
“Thank you to everyone who helped me and suffered with me for this.”
Activists’ efforts to protect the bay ramped up in recent months amid new development challenges – however, the Labour Party has now promised the bay would “not be touched in any way”, seemingly putting any developments in the area on hold.
Buttigieg welcomed the new approach, saying: “Let’s make sure this zone is not developed while we see proper upkeep of the bay to make sure those who visit enjoy it more.”
What do you make of the mayor’s decades-long fight?
READ NEXT: 'They Are Heroes': Herculean Athlete Neil Agius Shouts Out Tugboat Workers Safeguarding Malta
