Need for inquiry into restoration centre

The latest contribution by Joseph Cannataci (December 18, 2003) confirms my arguments on the need for a public inquiry by an independent authority into the Malta Centre for Restoration.

I stand by my statement that "MCR rarely contributes to major restoration projects in this country" (December 11, 2003). An inquiry should investigate why Malta's national centre for restoration is not adequately serving the country, despite the Lm500,000 of taxpayers' money channelled into the centre annually.

Culture Minister Jesmond Mugliett has already expressed himself publicly on the issue when he stated that "institutions like MCR should carry out more direct conservation interventions" (November 30, 2003) and that he "would like to see the Malta Centre for Restoration carrying out more restoration work" (December 15, 2003).

These statements confirm that MCR is not sufficiently active in restoration projects. This concurs with the statement I had made. Regrettably, the culture minister has not acted on his own statements, nor has he initiated an inquiry into MCR's absence from most major restoration projects in this country.

The bad state in which our national artistic heritage lies cannot afford such lethargy. That is why I addressed the issue of an inquiry to Louis Galea who had been the minister responsible for MCR for only a few months and can claim to have gained considerable experience in initiating public inquiries. Dr Cannataci seems to object to my choice.

Dr Cannataci has not responded to my statement that the restoration of privately-owned artefacts is under-priced at MCR, something which is not advantageous to the state's finances.

Despite Dr Cannataci's claim to "searching to recruit the best staff available", he admits that following an international call for applications, he employed a French national whom he later promoted to director of the laboratories.

Twenty months ahead of the expiration of his work contract, Dr Cannataci fired him because, he said, he gave unsatisfactory results. So, taxpayers had to pay this foreigner's salary for the remaining part of the time because of Dr Cannataci's misjudgment.

I am not against the employment of foreigners when special expertise is required. They are workers like any others but I am not being "outdated" when I call these workers "foreigners", as Dr Cannataci claims, but realistic because we know that the salary they receive is much higher than that paid to equally qualified locals.

However, Dr Cannataci thinks that in this time of economic depression and unemployment, it is glorious for MCR to employ a full-time staff spanning no fewer than 10 nationalities. Our hard-pressed taxpayers want their money spent on real restoration projects rather than spent in this way.

Meanwhile, bad management and the chairman's actions have forced the premature departure of other professional personnel, including highly-qualified locals. An inquiry would reveal why such loss of qualified personnel was permitted.

I prefer to look at the facts since I am not easily impressed by institutions like MCR (and the government) that like to engage foreign consultants on projects to give us the impression that results will be superlative.

A case in point is the mural at Verdala Palace where outdated restoration methods were used under the direction of an Italian national. This raises many questions on the ability of some of the foreigners being employed. It also exposes lack of efficacy of the administrative superstructure created by this government for the protection of cultural heritage.

I would have expected the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage to have stopped this Italian from using aggressive cleaning agents (not used for cleaning paintings since the 1970s) on the mural or, at least, investigate the matter after I had raised the issue in The Times.

Dr Cannataci expects that I should forward my claims to the Superintendence. Equally useless are his invitations to me to visit MCR. What is really needed is a serious public inquiry by an independent authority into MCR's mismanagement.

Mr Mizzi is the Labour Party's main spokesman for infrastructural services.