Shame, shame, shame!

They've done it again - those so-called guardian-planners charged with a dual role of enhancing Malta's architectural product and protecting its environment! Recently, they shamefully sanctioned the odious destruction of Sliema's "oldest" house - a devouring act gorging the palate of that hungry monster, aka the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, as it voraciously gobbles up more and more of Malta's ever-dwindling historical and architectural heritage. A chunk of history worth preserving for posterity, possibly an ideal opportunity for showcasing Sliema's history within its walls, has gone the way of other precious buildings, thanks to the erosive action of a body set up to achieve precisely the opposite.

It is diabolical, to say the least, that the little that little Malta has that is worth preserving is gradually being chipped away by such self-destructing action and the spineless connivance of all those who bear a grave responsibility to prevent its happening - prominent citizens, politicians, local authorities, etc. It smacks very much of a conspiracy of officially appointed planners working hand in hand with building companies and property developers, hell-bent on the relentless destruction of all that is worth treasuring and nurturing.

Such despoliation, carried out in the name of modernisation and development, is a stark testimony to the prevailing short-sightedness. Are these people so blind that they are incapable of seeing that Malta, instead of capitalising on what is available and improving it as part of its tourist package, is gradually and almost deliberately killing off little gems that could so easily be marketed as local attractions? Our hard-earned Maltese identity, embedded in our architectural heritage, is being whittled away to satisfy the appetite of the insatiable multi-headed hydra that is the planning authority and its cronies.

What spectacles are tourists, visitors and foreign students witnessing when they come over? Scores of massive cranes, towering over our towns and villages, unsightly half-baked buildings, warlike ravaged roads and pedestrian-unfriendly pavements mauled by huge tractors and excavators - monumental witnesses to the folly and madness that has taken over. These are some of the most glaringly obvious of the unpleasant and disagreeable ways in which Malta is projecting itself to the world these days. It might explain in some measure (beside the obvious local penchant for making a fast buck at tourists' expense) why tourists, and potential tourists, may be liking less and less of what they see and giving Malta more and more of a miss.

What an utterly inane and senseless way of going about safeguarding the precious little that we have! Is it possible that it is beyond the imagination of certain people to comprehend the disservice they are doing to this country, their fellow citizens, their visitors and Malta's future generations? Such reckless behaviour will be the measure by which future generations will judge them. They stand condemned for their short-sightedness and greed. Those who really have the welfare of this country at heart will proudly stand up and be counted and offer the strongest possible resistance. They, on the other hand, can only hang their heads in shame for the ill-engineered way in which they are savaging and pulverising Malta's heritage in the name of progress!