Editorial

The official statement issued on Thursday announcing the government's decision to stop the talks with the Skanska consortium on estimated costs and completion of the new Mater Dei Hospital said a lot more than what was written in the 20 lines the communication contained. It seemed to be saying - and we all hope that is indeed the message - that the time for talk, planning, re-planning, building and re-building is over; it is now time to determine when the building will be fully completed and how much it will cost.

Details of what led the Prime Minister to order the negotiations halted are not known but the fact that the decision was taken soon after the consortium's latest proposals were communicated to him seem to indicate he had had enough of it and decided to put his foot down. If that is indeed the case then well done Dr Gonzi. Finally, somebody at the top decided to take the bull by the horns and stop the haemorrhage of taxpayers' funds.

Against this background, rather than speaking of "messes", nepotism and scandals, what Opposition Leader Alfred Sant should do this weekend is unequivocally declare he and his party are four square behind the Prime Minister in bringing Skanska to order. How the "mess" came about and who was responsible for it can - indeed, it should - be addressed later. But first things first and what the government and the opposition must do now is stand together to apply the sort of surgery that is now a must. They owe it to themselves but, more so, to taxpayers.

The government has let it be known that it has a number of options open to it and it will shortly decide on the one that would be in the best interest of the country. Here again, the Opposition must support such a decision if what Dr Sant has been saying over the past days is to make sense.

This is the only way to stop the "mess". Skanska has no alternative but to inform the people when it will deliver the much needed new hospital and how much it thinks the remaining work will cost. If it is unable - or, worse still, does not want - to do that, then the government would be justified in invoking the force of the law to either force Skanska to deliver or else get somebody else to do it. It ought to be clear to Skanska by now that the people want their hospital.

Skanska ought to bear in mind it owes an explanation to the public about what has been going on at Tal-Qroqq. Yet, when a journalist of The Times tried to obtain a comment from its office on site, a secretary explained that being a consortium Skanska could not say anything. The Times was then referred to the Foundation for Medical Services!

The Prime Minister's evident determination to tackle the matter head-on with Skanska can only be music to the Opposition's ears which has for years now been insisting that it was wrong for the government to allow the consortium to have responsibility for the design, building and supervision of the hospital project all at once. Dr Gonzi is proving beyond any doubt that the government, as the one paying for the work, should have the final word.

Dr Gonzi has now called not only Skanska's bluff but also the Opposition's and, in particular, Dr Sant's. Like Skanska they too are in a spot and they too must now deliver in the national interest.