Crossing that bridge

Just before entering the Regional Road tunnel on the way to St Julians (or exiting the other way) one comes across a giant billboard on the side of the road proudly announcing the "Reconstruction of the Manwel Dimech Bridge". The writing states that works commenced in November 2006 and will be completed by September 2007.

This must surely qualify for the joke of the year award. Not even one half of the bridge will be ready by next month let alone the whole project. By my calculations - and I am no architect - the part of the bridge started nine months ago should be completed before the end of the year, at the earliest. After this completion, work will start on the other side of Manwel Dimech bridge, which judging by the time it took to complete the first phase, should be ready by the end of 2008. That's well over one year after the promised date.

And what about the cost of this project? Could we please be informed of the new estimate? Originally it was priced at Lm6 million (€13.98 million), three quarters of which would be taken out of EU funds. And now? The people have a right to know.

One last thing about this project, which has become every motorist's nightmare: Once it is completed, will works commence on the bridge at the other end of the tunnel? Or is this still considered to be safe? An answer would be very much appreciated. Minister Jesmond Mugliett please note.

Congratulations are in order for hotelier Michael Zammit Tabona, for having his five-star Fortina Spa Resort Hotel in Sliema chosen by the directors of the Sahara Health Project. This UK-based company will soon start sending patients for medical treatment and recuperation in Malta. Mr Zammit Tabona's state-of-the-art Fortina is equipped to provide all kinds of dental treatment together with minor cosmetic surgery. The St James Capua Hospital has been chosen to carry out major cosmetic surgery operations with patients later recovering at the Fortina Spa Resort. This breakthrough sees the start of a new kind of tourism in Malta - medical tourism. This offer is currently being heavily advertised daily on the British satellite stations Living TV 1 and 2 during the very popular Extreme Makeover programme. Enterprising people like Mr Zammit Tabona are a great asset for the continuing growth of tourism in Malta.

I was disturbed to read the Malta Today (August 7) story of our Prime Minister's humiliation in Perth, Australia. It is absolutely unheard of to have security guards at Perth International Airport subject our PM to a frisking even after having been informed amid strong protests by the accompanying delegation that Lawrence Gonzi was the leader of a European nation and not a common tourist or a suspected terrorist. Our Prime Minister - or for that matter any other civilised country's leader - should never have been submitted to a security check. This bit of news has angered me, irrespective of my political beliefs. What also annoyed me is the fact that there seems to have been a silent pact between the PM's accompanying Maltese journalists to hush up this whole affair. Do they realise their participation is made possible thanks to money paid in taxes by us ordinary Maltese and Gozitans? We have a sacrosanct right to know the whole truth about what is happening.

I hope that a very strongly worded formal protest has been lodged with the airport security authorities. I wonder what the Aussie government's reaction would have been had the same treatment been meted out to their Prime Minister by Maltese security guards? The least our government should expect and accept from the Perth airport security company is a profuse and humble apology to our Prime Minister. Well done Paul Calleja who wrote in the "West Australian Newspaper" about this shameful incident as otherwise all of us would have been none the wiser.

This week marks the apex of the local festa season with various Sta Marijas being celebrated in numerous towns and villages all over Malta and Gozo. Thousands of Maltese will have crossed over for a few days to the idyllic isle of Calypso to join in the festa celebrations - band marches, processions, fireworks - or simply to get away from the usual routine.

A few enjoy attending and participating in the feast's indoor activities led by the charismatic Bishop of Gozo, Mgr Mario Grech, celebrated at the Gozo Cathedral; others - and these would pertain to the younger set - will leave Malta for Gozo today and tomorrow to attend the Gozo Music Festival being held at Il-Maxtura fields featuring the inevitable but ever so popular Winter Moods and Ira Losco together with a host of other local and foreign entertainers. Whatever your reason for celebrating don't drink too much and above all don't - and I emphasis the don't - drink and drive. When behind the wheel of your car or the handle bars of your motor bike, be sure to drive to arrive alive.

norman.hamilton@hotmail.com