Outgoing Infrastructure Malta CEO Fredrick Azzopardi says his only regret is not cutting down every single tree in Malta.
Azzopardi announced this morning he would be stepping down as head of the country’s road-building agency after four years in charge. The news comes after Transport and Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg was moved to the Foreign Affairs Ministry following the Labour Party’s re-election.
“We had some good times over the years, me and Ian. Destroying acres of farmland, covering it with tarmac and not compensating farmers brought me unbridled joy,” Azzopardi told Bis-Serjetà.
“As did all the trees we chopped down, of course. The mere sight of a tree being felled for no good reason was enough to send me into a fit of ecstasy. My only regret is that we didn’t manage to chop down every tree in the country. I think we would’ve managed had Joseph Muscat remained in charge. He had loved our plan to turn Buskett into an artificial lake and use construction waste to build islands for rich people to live on, like in Dubai. But Robert Abela is scared of looking bad, so we had to scrap that plan.”
Azzopardi said several of his and Borg’s plans were shot down over the past two years.
“We wanted to put landmines all along the Mgarr road cycle lane but had to settle for making it dangerously narrow. And before we floated the idea of the Marsascala marina, our initial pitch was a Russian submarine base,” he said.
Azzopardi dismissed the idea he was an arrogant person.
“I’m not arrogant. It’s just that other people are insignificant insects, mine to do with as I please.”
Asked what the next step in his career would be,” he said:
“These past few years have been very tiring, so I’m going to go travelling. I’m thinking Brazil or Indonesia, places where I can do a bit of casual holiday deforestation.”
