Where to, Malta?

Isn't it truly sad and a reflection of our inability to get our priorities right that we read, in the same edition of The Sunday Times (April 15), about the chairman of the Valletta Rehabilitation Committee justifiably lamenting the lack of a comprehensive management plan for Malta's greatest asset and, in an exclusive interview in the same paper, the chairman of the latest mega construction project at Fort Cambridge extolling the "benefits" of his brand of development?

The artist's impression of the view of Tignè from Valletta is enough to send shivers down the spine of anyone who values our country's heritage. Isn't one "monstrosity" at Tignè Point enough? How long must we put up with this? And all supposedly in the name of progress! What progress, might I ask?

The developer makes some truly astounding assertions in an attempt to justify high-rise development. His sign-off is probably the most remarkable: "... this is the kind of business that Malta needs". So, there, we have it. We should all be abandoning our jobs and businesses and rushing into turning Malta into a concrete jungle. What an exciting prospect we have in front of us.

Tignè is now beyond repair but we could, perhaps, be in time to halt development on Manoel island. Go on, Mr Prime Minister, buy back Manoel Island, if you must, from the developers and turn it into a park for the benefit of all of us. It could be like the proverbial breath of fresh air (who knows, it could even be called Fresh Air Park!) in the midst of the over development in Sliema and its environs.

Isn't it even more scandalous that, according to Ray Bondin, we are risking the loss of Valletta's status as a world heritage site? If ever there was a time for decisive action then surely it is now.

I think the Prime Minister should become involved in this matter. It is much too important a task to delegate. Just as Dr Gonzi assumed personal political responsibility for the opening of the Mater Dei Hospital later this year, he should do likewise for the rehabilitation and restoration of our capital city.

How shocking to read that there has not been a single significant site in Valletta that has been completely restored. If the Opera House site is anything to go by, then I fear that this situation will be with us for many more years!

In a previous Talking Point, I called for the restoration of Valletta's majestic bastions. If my memory serves me well, the Minister for Tourism replied that funds were to be made available by the EU in 2007. Are these the €30,000 Dr Bondin referred to or am I missing something here? A sum of €30,000 would barely cover the cost of restoring a two-bedroomed apartment let alone Valletta's fortifications!

The Maltese nation must act now to save what is left before it is too late. There are so many horrific examples one can quote. Near the top of my list ranks Xlendi, which, rather than being turned into a gem on the lines of the villages in the Cinque Terre region in Italy, has been irreparably destroyed. But more on that another time.

Malta has undoubtedly made a lot of social and economic progress over the last 50 years but did we have to destroy large swathes of our environment in the process?

To my way of thinking, this progress could have been better managed and controlled but, as we say, what is done cannot be undone. What we can do, perhaps, is halt further deterioration.