“Read my lips. I don’t want to see towers in Gozo.”

With that line, newly-elected Nationalist Party Leader Alex Borg sought to extinguish a storm of criticism sparked by an interview he gave to WhosWho.mt last week, in which he appeared open to high-rise development on Malta’s smaller island.

Pressed on whether he could ever support towers in Gozo, Dr Borg had said:

“You can’t generalise. There are places where there could be, on the basis of this skyline policy. Where you already have committed land, where there already are towers, you can continue building towers. That is the entire basis of our need for a skyline policy.”

The comments quickly set off alarms. Independent politician Arnold Cassola was the first to pounce, warning that areas like Xlendi or Marsalforn – already under intense development pressure – could yet be earmarked for skyscrapers.

From the Government’s side, Gozo and Planning Minister Clint Camilleri said he “couldn’t believe” the remarks until he watched the interview himself.

He stressed that the Labour Government has banned towers in Gozo “without exception.”

Prime Minister Robert Abela joined in on Sunday, saying he had to “rewind” Borg’s words to ensure he had heard correctly. “That statement shocked me,” Abela said, citing the recently introduced Gozo: Island of Villages policy, designed to safeguard the island’s character.

NGO Moviment Graffitti also weighed in, branding Borg’s comments “disappointing” but blasting Labour’s “hypocrisy” in turn.

The activist group – which is planning a protest next month against sweeping planning reforms – accused the Government of dismantling environmental protections even as it trumpets its ban on towers.

Initially, Borg doubled down. Addressing a PN rally on the eve of Independence Day, he accused Labour ministers of launching “vicious attacks” over his remarks. He insisted he was merely calling for updated Local Plans and a long-overdue skyline policy: “Today we are building towers, but the Government has not introduced a skyline policy. They made it look like I have some great desire to build towers in Gozo.”

He pledged to defend Gozo’s “identity and character” – but again stopped short of ruling out towers altogether.

It took a video message, released on Monday (today), for Borg to state his position unequivocally.

This time he declared flatly that he does not want towers in Gozo, even inviting the Prime Minister to visit Marsalforn and Xlendi to see the scale of existing developments for himself.