The undersigned organisations condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the destructive bill drafted by government under the pretence of “protecting” Dwejra. This law does not protect Dwejra. It vandalises it. It is a calculated assault on the last remaining dark site of the Maltese Islands, dressed up in green language to hoodwink the public.
The law will be allowing lighting to be legally introduced at Dwejra. Permitting lighting until midnight at Dwejra is utterly incompatible with the Gozo and Comino Local Plan, whose policy on Dark Sky Heritage Areas (GZ-DARK-1) states unambiguously that there should be no lighting in this site. Darkness is not an optional aesthetic feature to be negotiated away – it is the very essence of what makes Dwejra unique, scientifically valuable, and ecologically irreplaceable.
Yet government now proposes a regime where lighting is explicitly permitted, and where “new permanent external lighting fixtures” are supposedly prohibited unless permitted by the Authority. This is not protection. This is a loophole large enough to drive a floodlit truck through it! Its real intention is obvious: to legitimize existing and so-called “non-permanent” illegal lighting, allow it to remain, and pave the way for further degradation through exceptions.
Even worse, the bill openly allows for certain types of lighting. This is indefensible. Dwejra – on land just as much as on sea – must remain dark from sundown until sunrise, with no exceptions. Dwejra’s night sky draws people from all walks of life. Its darkness is essential for astronomical observation, for the education and training of students carrying out scientific work, and for the conservation of vulnerable species such as shearwater, which are fatally disoriented by artificial light. There is no “acceptable” lighting here. There never was.
This law should state one simple, honest sentence: no external lighting fixtures shall be permitted from sundown until sunrise – exactly as the Local Plan already demands. No exceptions, no discretionary permits, and no backdoors.
ERA and the minister responsible cannot plead ignorance. They were warned – clearly, forcefully, and repeatedly. The Dwejra Steering Committee, on which some of the undersigned NGOs served, was opposed to this atrocity. Instead of listening, government has chosen to plough over everyone. It is therefore no surprise that the same document will now reduce NGO representation on the committee to a single member and expels Malta’s delegate to UNESCO altogether. This is not streamlining; it is deliberate sidelining of independent voices and oversight.
Dwejra’s night sky has been fought for over many years, through research, consultation, and wide consensus. Government has now ridden roughshod over all of it, ploughing ahead with a proposal that shreds trust, ignores science, and mocks public duty.
Back in March 2025, a broad coalition of academic and environmental organisations stood united in calling for stronger, not weaker, protection of Dwejra’s night sky. That call has been contemptuously ignored.
This is a textbook case of environmental double-speak: a government pretending to care while doing the exact opposite; claiming protection while authorising destruction; invoking sustainability while rubbishing scientific advice and common sense. Dwejra does not need cosmetic laws and hollow slogans. It needs darkness, integrity, and the courage to say no. This bill fails on all counts.
We call on Hon. Miriam Dalli to urgently change course and put an end to hollow claims of protection while presiding over the systematic dismantling of one of Malta’s most precious natural assets. This shameful attempt to rebrand environmental damage as stewardship is intellectually dishonest and morally bankrupt.
We also make a direct appeal to Hon. Clint Camilleri, Minister for Gozo and Planning, and a Gozitan himself. Dwejra is not an abstract policy file – it is part of Gozo’s identity and heritage. If Camilleri truly cares for his home island, this is the moment for him to stand up and be counted. Silence now will be read as complicity in the destruction of what little remains unspoilt.
We are taking very clear note of the direction government is choosing. This document sends a loud and unmistakable signal about whose interests are being served, and at whose expense. History, the scientific community, and the public will judge accordingly.
We will be fighting back with all our might to defend Dwejra from this calculated and irreversible act of environmental vandalism.
The public is strongly urged to send their objections to era.policy@era.org.mt by the 3rd of March, 2026, keeping in copy savingdwejra@gmail.com. The email should include the text: “Lights at Dwejra must remain switched off between sunset and sunrise, and not allowed to remain switched on until midnight.”
Signatories:
- Birdlife Malta
- Din l-Art Ħelwa
- Din l-Art Ħelwa Għawdex
- Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar
- Friends of the Earth Malta
- Għawdix
- Moviment Graffitti
- Nature Trust Malta
- Ramblers Malta
- The Astronomical Society of Malta
- Wirt Għawdex
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Id-Dwejra se tinxtegħel bid-dawl: il-liġi ta’ “protezzjoni” tal-Gvern hija tradiment ċar tad-Dwejra u frodi fuq il-pubbliku
L-organizzazzjonijiet iffirmati hawn taħt jikkundannaw, bl-aktar mod qawwi possibbli, l-abbozz ta’ liġi distruttiva mfassla mill-Gvern taħt il-pretensjoni li qed “jipproteġi” d-Dwejra. Din il-liġi ma tipproteġix id-Dwejra. Qed tħarbatha. Hija attakk ikkalkulat fuq l-aħħar sit mudlam li fadal fil-Gżejjer Maltin, moħbi wara lingwaġġ li jqarraq bil-pubbliku.
Il-liġi se tippermetti l-introduzzjoni legali tad-dawl fid-Dwejra. Li tippermetti dawl sa nofsillejl fid-Dwejra huwa kompletament inkompatibbli mal-Pjan Lokali ta’ Għawdex u Kemmuna, li fil-politika tiegħu dwar Dark Sky Heritage Areas (GZ-DARK-1) jistipula b’mod ċar u bla ambigwità li m’għandu jkun hemm ebda dawl f’dan is-sit. Id-dlam mhuwiex karatteristika estetika li tista’ tiġi nnegozjata – huwa l-essenza ta’ dak li jagħmel id-Dwejra sit uniku, ta’ valur xjentifiku, u ekoloġikament insostitwibbli.
Madankollu, il-Gvern issa qed jipproponi sitwazzjoni fejn id-dawl huwa espliċitament permess, u fejn “kwalunkwe attrezzattura tad-dawl estern permanenti ġdida” suppost hija pprojbita sakemm ma tkunx permessa mill-Awtorità. Din mhijiex protezzjoni. Din hija lakuna kbira biżżejjed biex jgħaddi minnha trakk mixgħul bil-floodlights! L-intenzjoni vera hija ovvja: li jiġu leġittimizzati dwal illegali eżistenti u hekk imsejħa “mhux permanenti”, li dawn jibqgħu hemm, u li tinfetaħ it-triq għal aktar degradazzjoni permezz t’eċċezzjonijiet.
Agħar minn hekk, l-abbozz tal-liġi apertament jippermetti ċerti tipi ta’ dawl. Dan huwa indefensibbli. Id-Dwejra – fuq l-art daqskemm fuq il-baħar – għandha tibqa’ mudlama minn inżul ix-xemx sa tlugħ ix-xemx, mingħajr ebda eċċezzjoni. Is-sema ta’ billejl tad-Dwejra jiġbed nies minn kull qasam tal-ħajja. Id-dlam tagħha huwa essenzjali għall-osservazzjonijiet astronomiċi, għall-edukazzjoni u t-taħriġ ta’ studenti li jwettqu xogħol xjentifiku, u għall-konservazzjoni ta’ speċi vulnerabbli bħall-garnija, li tiġi fatalment diżorjentata mid-dawl artifiċjali. Hawnhekk m’hawnx dawl “aċċettabbli”. Qatt ma kien hemm.
Din il-liġi kellha tgħid sentenza waħda sempliċi u onesta: l-ebda dawl estern m’għandu jkun permess minn inżul ix-xemx sa tlugħ ix-xemx – eżatt kif diġà jitlob il-Pjan Lokali. Ebda eċċezzjoni, ebda permessi diskrezzjonali, u ebda lok li wieħed jgħaddi mit-tieqa.
L-ERA u l-ministru responsabbli ma jistgħux jippretendu li ma kinux jafu. Ġew imwissija – b’mod ċar, qawwi, u ripetutament. Id-Dwejra Steering Committee, li fuqu servew uħud mill-NGOs iffirmati, kien kontra din l-atroċità. Minflok ma sema’, il-Gvern għażel li jgħaddi minn fuq kulħadd. Għalhekk mhux ta’ b’xejn li l-istess dokument issa se jnaqqas ir-rappreżentanza tal-NGOs fuq il-kumitat għal membru wieħed biss u anke jneħħi lid-delegat ta’ Malta tal-UNESCO. Dan mhux qed jissimplifika; huwa twarrib deliberat ta’ vuċijiet indipendenti u ta’ skrutinju serju.
Is-sema ta’ billejl tad-Dwejra ġiet difiża għal bosta snin permezz ta’ riċerka, konsultazzjoni, u kunsens wiesa’. Il-Gvern issa għaffeġ dan kollu, u jrid jimxi ’l quddiem bi proposta li tħassar il-fiduċja, tinjora x-xjenza, u tiddieħaq bid-dmir pubbliku.
Sa minn Marzu tal-2025, koalizzjoni wiesgħa ta’ organizzazzjonijiet akkademiċi u ambjentali ħarġet b’vuċi waħda titlob protezzjoni aktar b’saħħitha, mhux aktar dgħajfa, tas-sema ta’ billejl ta’ Dwejra. B’mod arroganti, dik is-sejħa ġiet injorata.
Dan każ klassiku ta’ daħq fil-wiċċ fir-rigward tal-ambjent: Gvern li jippretendi li jimpurtah filwaqt li jagħmel eżattament l-oppost; li jitkellem dwar protezzjoni waqt li jawtorizza d-distruzzjoni; li jinvoka s-sostenibbiltà waqt li jarmi fiż-żibel pariri xjentifiċi u s-sens komun. Id-Dwejra m’għandhiex bżonn liġijiet kosmetiċi u slogans vojta. Għandha bżonn id-dlam, l-integrità, u l-kuraġġ li jingħad le. Dan l-abbozz ifalli fuq kull livell.
Insejħu lill-Onor. Miriam Dalli biex b’urġenza tbiddel id-direzzjoni u ttemm l-istqarrijiet vojta ta’ protezzjoni, filwaqt li tippresiedi fuq iż-żarmar sistematiku ta’ wieħed mill-aktar assi naturali prezzjużi ta’ Malta. Dan l-attentat tal-mistħija li l-ħsara ambjentali tiġi ppreżentata bħala tmexxija responsabbli huwa intellettwalment diżonest u moralment fallut.
Nappellaw ukoll direttament lill-Onor. Clint Camilleri, Ministru għal Għawdex u l-Ippjanar, u Għawdxi hu wkoll. Id-Dwejra mhijiex fajl astratt ta’ politika – hija parti mill-identità u l-wirt t’Għawdex. Jekk Camilleri tassew jimpurtah minn gżiritu, dan huwa l-mument li fih għandu jqum u jkun preżenti. Is-skiet f’dan l-istadju jinftiehem bħala kompliċità fil-qerda ta’ dak li ftit li xejn baqa’ mhux mittiefes.
Qed nieħdu nota ċara ħafna tad-direzzjoni li qed jagħżel il-Gvern. Dan id-dokument jibgħat sinjal qawwi u inekwivokabbli dwar l-interessi ta’ min qed jiġu moqdija, u għall-prezz ta’ min. L-Istorja, il-komunità xjentifika, u l-pubbliku se jiġġudikaw.
Aħna se niġġieldu b’saħħitna kollha biex niddefendu d-Dwejra minn dan l-att ikkalkulat u irreversibbli ta’ vandaliżmu ambjentali.
Il-pubbliku huwa mħeġġeġ bil-qawwa biex jibgħat l-oġġezzjonijiet tiegħu fuq era.policy@era.org.mt sal-3 ta’ Marzu, 2026 u jżomm ikkupjat lil savingdwejra@gmail.com. L-email għandu jinkludi l-kliem: “Id-dawl fid-Dwejra għandu jinżamm mitfi minn inżul ix-xemx sat-tlugħ tagħha, u mhux jitħalla mixgħul sa nofsillejl.”
Firmatarji:
- Birdlife Malta
- Din l-Art Ħelwa
- Din l-Art Ħelwa Għawdex
- Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar
- Friends of the Earth Malta
- Għawdix
- Moviment Graffitti
- Nature Trust Malta
- Ramblers Malta
- The Astronomical Society of Malta
- Wirt Għawdex
