The story about Charlon Gouder having a share in the concession for the Rialto building is back again in the news. So far I have learnt that this concession was given out by the Labour Party when Randolph Debattista was its CEO, under a competitive process. As already stated in the press, the concession was awarded to GP Group of Conrad Borg and Charlon Gouder has a 10% of the company with Conrad Borg that won the concession.
The historical art-deco building was in dire need of refurbishment and the concessionaires will be required to restore it and make some alterations to turn it into a restaurant and a hotel. The existing theatre will be restored and the Labour Party will still have access to it to organise its events but the rest of the building will be commercialised into a typical boutique hotel and restaurant.
There was a time when Alfred Sant wanted to transform social clubs into party centers that hosted a variety of activities, including cultural, social, and educational events, while still retaining their bars and entertainment features. Alfred Sant’s idea was to fully exploit the potential of the clubs in both political and commercial terms, but nowadays Labour is so hell-bent at commercialising properties that it is failing to consider other more vital aspects which should be a priority for a political priority.
In addition the building is also a national and cultural heritage asset. Commercialising the Rialto is a different story from commercialising the Saint Julian’s club. The Labour Party could have capitalised politically by sharing its national asset with the general public, instead of commercialising in a way that it will turn it an 0utlet exclusively for the kind of people who visit the catering outlet at the Maฤina.
Conrad Borg, featured in the photo, is also a Labour Party member: it is one of the conditions for bidders to apply for concession from the Labour Party. Apparently the concession was awarded after a competitive process, so most probably, Charlon Gouder didn’t get his 10% share for striking the deal, but for actually being successful in winning a competitive bidding process.
This is the Labour Party we are talking about and it is well in its right to award its concessions to anyone of its choosing, irrespective of any competitive process. Randolph Debattista could have flagged and stopped the process seeing that Charlon Gouder was getting involved. So, this is another case where the Labour Party is appeasing Joseph Msucat’s faction. A small share in a concession for a catering and hospitality outlet in a Labour Party property. Anyone giving money to the establishment would be indirectly paying Charlon Gouder.
Knowing the Labour Party well, however, and the way it handles its finances, the Labour Party is not going to take any financial risks so if the business goes down, the Labour Party will surely would have already recovered any payments it is due – this most probably involves a significant investment in the restoration of the building.
Personally, I remember the building well since I was a delegate from the Senglea committee. It would be amazing to enjoy the building in a truly cultural and political setting as a political and entertainment centre, but this is not going to happen anytime soon, especially under a boutique-hotel-type concession.
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