As we are approach the general election on March 26th, we are faced with two choices that will determine how our country will be governed for the next 5 years. We are either stuck with more of the same with Robert Abela as prime minister, or get the true change that our country needs with Dr. Bernard Grech at the helm of our government. The current brand of Labour politics has been far from innovative, stultified in the past, both in the way that it perceives our relationship as a country with the EU and the rest of the world, and also the way that our country is governed in general. The truly progressive party in Malta is the PN, with a track record that speaks for itself, and a electoral program that really caters for our country's needs. Amongst the many progressive pledges, one will find that there is a lot about repairing the environment in the PN's program, which also includes our international obligations with regards global warming.
A good quality of life is what every government needs to cater for, and it is reasonable to argue that the present government has a horrible record on this regard. The PL government has spent the last 9 years in a construction frenzy, senseless planning, and an unprecedented greed for land and money. The mantra is that whatever makes money is acceptable, which has brought our country to a situation in which it is overcrowded due to imported cheap labour, dirty, and with limited open spaces to enjoy. Although the prime minister promised more open spaces in this campaign, the government's track record is there for all of us to see. On the other hand the PN is serious about making our environment one that people could enjoy. Open spaces are a must in a country that is as densely populated as is ours. With this in mind, the PN is pledging an increase of 50,000 square meters of ODZ land. It is important to create urban open spaces. However, it is wrong to come up with a plan that solely creates man made open spaces, without ensuring the existence of our natural environment as PL does. Moreover, every attempt by the PL government to create open spaces has led to more concrete and bland spaces, as is the main square in Paola among many others. On the other hand ODZ under a PN government is better protected, as what is being pledged is that there is a need of two thirds of parliament for the development of ODZ land. The involvement of civil society on decisions having to do with the environment is also included in the PNs program, which is a step towards democratizing our environment.
Reaching a target 80% of our country's carbon emission target by 2030 is another ambitious but needed target that a PN government will achieve. This is a pledge by a prospective PN government that will decrease the number of respiratory diseases, as well as contribute towards the fight against global warming. The PN are committed to reach targets not only for our country, but also for the entire planet. The EU made a commitment under the Paris agreement to the Secretariat of the UN Convention on Climate change to reduce carbon emissions by 55%, the PN is committed to this, because unlike PL their politics is about Malta in a wider world.
