Old funeral carriages

I am writing on behalf of Mary Mifsud as a representative of her brother-in-law Guy Mifsud who resides in Australia, with reference to the letter entitled Old Funeral Carriages For State Funerals by George R. Gusman (April 28).

My client would like to clarify the following points:

a) Mr Mifsud does not want to export to Australia the three horse-drawn carriages that were presented to the Director of Museums in the early 1980s. Rather, he would like the Maltese government to utilise to the full the beauty of these carriages. He in fact filed an official letter in the First Hall of the Civil Court to hold the relevant authorities liable for all damages according to law due to the state of neglect these valuable carriages are in.

My client can confirm that these carriages were until the day of the filing of the official letter in an atrocious state. One of the carriages, for instance, has been left lying in the tool room of the Addolorata Cemetery covered in dust!

b) In the second part of the official letter Mr Mifsud requested the relevant authorities to give him a reply upon whether they are prepared to allow him to export to Australia three other carriages which are distinct and different from the three carriages which were delivered to the Director of Museums years ago. These "three other carriages" form part of a set of seven carriages, four pieces of which are already in Australia. Up till today, the relevant authorities decided to ignore altogether Mr Mifsud's claim for the last two years and a half;

c) My client was also prepared, as a gesture of good faith, to donate to the Maltese government an ancient priest-carriage (karozzella tal-qassis) which is over 200 years old. However, how can my client donate such an important piece of valuable history when the authorities are keeping the three carriages which were donated in the 1980s in a state of neglect? How can my client give such a gift when the authorities are not even prepared to send him a reply as to whether they are prepared to allow Mr Mifsud to export to Australia the missing three pieces of a set of seven pieces?

Apart from this my client appreciates Mr Gusman's appeal to deploy these carriages for ceremonial use in state funerals and joins him in this call.