Editorial

There has lately been a string of acts of vandalism that epitomises so much what is wrong with our country. The attacks raise questions about security, political will and government organisation as well as about ourselves as a people.

What kind of people are we that can tolerate in our midst a cultural under-class that resorts to such acts of vandalism and thuggish criminality? There is the oft-trailed answer to this question but we seem unable to act upon it. It is to ensure that education about our cultural heritage and enforcement of the law reach those parts of our society which seem immune to their strictures. It may be that the only relevant form of education these people will understand is the punitive application of the rule of law. Is it credible that the police have not yet apprehended those who committed certain crimes of this nature, including the attack on the War Museum Association's premises at Fort St Elmo?

All the circumstantial evidence points to the latest mindless assault on the Museum Association being carried out by the same elements who had committed earlier such acts. This was a defiant statement of territorial intimidation, as well as an act of robbery.

Why does it have to be so easy to gain access to Fort St Elmo? It has long been acknowledged that the carnival interests should be no bar to future progress at Lower St Elmo. Those storing floats there should, by now, have been re-located, as has long been promised by the government.

What does this latest vile act tell us about the kind of security being exercised at Lower St Elmo? Despite the security arrangements employed by the government to safeguard the fort the perpetrators were still able to force open the iron gates, destroy a sturdy wooden door and remove, through the only entrance, a mahogany table, a writing desk and other items - presumably on some form of transport - without being observed or apprehended! It is evident that something here just did not work and it would not be amiss, for the sake of accountability, to give the public an explanation.

However, what this incident and the ones before it serve to highlight is the procrastination of those responsible for Fort St Elmo and the National War Museum. They beg the fundamental question: When is the long-awaited development brief for Fort St Elmo to see the light of day and action to restore this historic fort to be taken? It is now some months since the Minister for Urban Development promised such action and, indeed, took steps to clean the fort and improve security there. But, as so often happens, the action has been short lived. Alas, this is not the only "abandoned" historic site either.

The National War Museum attracts something like 60,000 visitors each year. Together with the Museum Association, it possesses a rare collection of wartime documents and equipment, much of it unseen for lack of space or inadequately presented through lack of resources. The museum should not be seen to appear as the Cinderella in Heritage Malta's guardianship.

The time has come for Heritage Malta to capitalise on the immense popularity of this museum - devoted as it is to a glorious chapter in Malta's history - by ensuring that the plans for the future of Fort St Elmo act as the catalyst to resolve positively the future well being of the National War Museum and the association that so loyally underpins it.