Political football and tribalism at Delimara

Abstract

Let me start off with a proviso: this article reflects solely my opinion and may not reflect the opinion of other members of the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) board or the ERA itself. The article is my own personal initiative and I have not been commissioned by any individual or entity to pen it. I would normally not comment on ERA board proceedings, but am making an exception for the Delimara power station permit, which is in the public domain. The drama that unfolded last Monday at the Delimara power station Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) permit public hearing at the ERA is tantamount to a tragic comedy, where an attempt was made to shout down or denigrate expert opinion. It also exposed the reality that, in the absence of the 'abstain' option, any objective professional sitting on any decision-taking board in this country will be ascribed political leanings depending on the way he/she votes. Tribalism is alive and kicking in Malta, with no space for a 'third way', namely that of the nonaligned, objective professional. I went to the hearing with an open mind and only paid heed to what the experts had to tell us board members. I went through a logical, rational mental process which excluded anything that was not uttered by experts or was superfluous fluff. I see no reason why the other board members did not do the same.