Malta Smart City

Paul Gatt, one of the two sons of Austin Gatt, the minister holding the portfolio for Communications and National Projects, is expected to be nominated as Governor of Smart City, a campus sized collection of buildings that is being constructed in Malta’s otherwise derelict south. The other son of Austin Gatt, Gege, is also a lawyer and also one of the owners and directors of Icon Studios. Icon Studios has also made great contributions to the development of ICT in Malta, in part through its exalted and exclusive access to the policy makers and government contracts.

The Gatt family is not the only family in Malta that has dedicated itself to the greatness that is Malta today. Mario de Marco, son of President Emeritus Guido de Marco, is one of the new faces in the 2008 cabinet and is looking forward to continuing the good work of his predecessors. Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici, son of another President Emeritus, Ugo Mifsud Bonnici, was entrusted with the Ministry of Home Affairs and Justice in the new cabinet, after serving as parliamentary secretary in the same ministry in the previous legislature. One of the sons of Dr. Fenech Adami, the current president is also expected to play an active and important role in this new government. One must not forget the prime minister himself Dr. Lawrence Gonzo, nephew of the late Archbishop Gonzi, a person known for his militant defense of church privileges and the enshrining of Roman Catholic values in the country’s laws.

And smart city is not the only feather in the Malta’s hat. The new hospital is now finally finished, with a price tag of EUR600 million; no mean feat for a country with barely 400 thousand inhabitants. This hospital was originally budgeted for EUR110 Million.

While the current government was elected with a slight margin of 1,500 votes, foreigners often comment on how the people they talk too are generally staunch supporters of the ruling party. This may be in part due to the exclusion of those who are not loyal to the ruling government. In any case the lack of any serious voice of dissent makes Malta a tranquil and attractive place for foreign investment.

The two main newspapers Times of Malta and Independent are both staunch government supports as are other sources of media such as those controlled by the Roman Catholic Church; the only voice of discontent comes from Malta Today a small and marginalized newspaper. This paper still manages to punch above its weight though, such as the recent exclusive revelation that a family man had not voluntary jumped from the bastions walls to his death while trying to escape from the police head quarters, a story that had somehow escaped the media coverage in Malta.

So blessed with the wisdom of generations, the ruling elite now have a vision for Malta as becoming one of the main international centers for ICT. This small nation may yet one day become a serious challenge to Silicon Valley.