Thursday, 13th November 2008 - 12:46CET
Pullicino Orlando hits out at St John's Museum plans
Restoration of Fort St Elmo would cost a fraction of the costs for the extension of St John's Museum.
Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando has called on the government to divert EU funds allocated for the ‘extravagant’ underground extension of St John’s Co-Cathedral Museum to the urgent restoration of Forts St Elmo and St Angelo.
Speaking in Parliament this morning, Dr Pullicino Orlando said sections of these historic forts were in a shameful state. Architect Edward Said, who had inspected Fort St Elmo had found that parts could collapse with just a kick. Parliamentary Secretary Mario deMarco had also rightly drawn attention to the urgency of restoring this fort.
Dr Pullicino Orlando said he could not understand how the government had sought €14 million from EU structural and cohesion funds for the controversial St John’s project when the two forts could be restored with a third of that amount. The country, clearly, needed to recognise its priorities and he was appealing to the Planning and Priorities Division in the Office of the Prime Minister to reconsider.
Indeed, one had to wonder how the St John’s project was selected for EU funding in the first place. This would take more funds than the archaeological conservation project of Heritage Malta and the tourism zones upgrade of the MTA.
The proposed project at St John’s would cause major inconvenience while works were in progress and it was difficult to believe it would not damage the Co-Cathedral itself. The responsible architect himself was not giving guarantees.
And once the Cathedral foundation itself had stopped a neighbouring shop from digging a small hole for a safe, because of the risk of damage to the Cathedral, how could it then apply to dig a whole quarry outside St John’s?
Furthermore, was it true that there would also be tunnels under the Cathedral itself for access purposes? And did anyone believe these would not cause damage to the historic edifice? The development would probably also damage Valletta's historic tunnels.
Dr Pullicino Orlando said he also disagreed with changes proposed to the churchyard where the knights were buried.
The new museum would also have huge maintenance costs. Surely it made more sense to use such funds on restoration works? The environment impact assessment on its own would cost €50,000. And at the same time other historic jewels were in real danger of being lost for ever.
Dr Pullicino Orlando urged the foundation to seek cheaper and more viable alternatives, including exhibiting some of the museum items in a nearby palazzo.
"Should the government go ahead with this project, it would be acting like a father who lets his children run about in old, torn clothes, while he buys a BMW to impress his friends. Given its limited resources, this country clearly needs to set its priorities," Dr Pullicino Orlando said.
The Nationalist MP welcomed government plans to cover Hagar Qim and carry out works at Tarxien and Ggantija temples, St Paul Catacombs and sections of the ramparts at Cottonera, Mdina and Valletta.
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Comments
JPO has an opinion and I find nothing wrong with him expressing it in Parliament except I find the timing wrong..
For example, why let the Foundation spend thousands upon thousands in an Environmental Impact Assessment when there is a preconceived stand against the project?
If an expert and totally independent report is produced favouring the project, are we to turn the project down, anyway? Who are we supposed to believe? And, if we are not prepared to accept an independent report, why spend the money to obtain it?
If disturbing the very foundations of the Tower of Pisa and reinforcing it, was courageously undertaken and very successfully completed, why cannot the feasibility of the St. John project be at least explored and then judgment passed on the results of the findings?
You cannot start an argument by the words 'if it is true' because you would be undermining the argument which follows. In this case I ask, was this business using conventional methods (jackhammers) to dig the hole? I believe that the Foundation knows of much more modern and almost vibration-less methods though more expensive, to accomplish the same job while minimizing the danger.
I fully agree with the first part of your reasoning but not the second. I completley support the argument but i would never support the person . Sorry but he let everyone down...
Prosit JPO for speaking up......that is what I call party loyalty, speaking up when things are not as good as they should be, when certain decions go against the national interest. It is precisely this that makes JPO a Politician worth his salt, a politician who lost most of his popularity and admiration but failed to loose his ability to speak up and criticise his own Party when it errs....
If needs be JPO should push this to the national agenda and do what he did with the Siggiewi Cement Plant when he was quite adamant not to accept it!!! We will be behind you!!
However, the St. John's Cathedral project is unique in that the main purpose of its proposal is indeed to protect 'priceless' tapestries which are being restored at a tremendous cost even if some of these costs are being underwritten by other than local sources.
Why Dr. Pullicino Orlando chose to politicize this matter the way he did, without carrying meticulous research in the Foundation's correct procedures is beyond comprehension. The only thing I can think of is perhaps a haphazard way of redeeming himself being found quite short in his concern environmentally or otherwise, regarding the Mistra saga?
The St. John's Foundation is doing what it has been asked to do and has no guarantees that the project as presented will be approved.
So, why jump the gun Jeffrey?
respect
john.
Although I concur with the same thoughts as JPO, I still have doubts of his intentions. I think this is all a pre set theatrical PR to help us forget his not so distant past stories.
I also note the comments made by JPO related to the father whose children are in torn old clothes while he buys a BMW to impress friends, this sounds familiar, just like leaving our Islands crumbling and filthy while some drive around in gas gazzlers like the BMW's and other top marques to impress who ? ...........................
What a BRILLIANT idea ! - I agree that the Law Courts building would be an ideal location for the proposed museum, restoration lab etc. It is a large imposing building just across the road from St. John's .
The old theater site would be a good place to house the Law Courts and would definitely be more useful than the previously proposed shopping center.
Re: JPO
If there is one thing that JPO should be admired for, it is the fact that he is one of the few MP's who speaks his mind when he feels his own party in Government is making a mistake.
Sadly very few other MP's have ever had the guts to speak out against their own party's proposals. If it wasn't for JPO we would now have a massive , polluting cement plant in the beautiful countryside around Siggiewi.
Today the very same proposer of the cement plant project has converted the land in question into a vineyard producing decent wines. He has also incorporated an incredible cultural/conference center adjacent to the vineyard.
We should ALL back JPO on his latest campaign.
Brave criticism,which I happen to agree with,just so happens that the messenger,as far as I am concerned, lacks credibility. Pity that!
I very sincerely like to make a call to Dr Gonzi to scrap the St John's two proposals, and end this national scandal that has now been going on for far too long. Lobby hard for all the EU funds that can be possibly acquired, and apply a de novo approach. Embark upon a national plan that will address the needs of all these national assets that we as a people have inherited after many hundreds of years of history. They, together with the tourism industry, are the best hope we have for a viable Malta into the future.
All those who oppose both St John's projects please sign the Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar online petition at www.ambjentahjar.org
It is a real disgrace that we have not been able to restore this building in 60 years. Recently I was in Munich and I saw how all the streets which were flattened in WW2 have been rebuilt. Moreover the area where all the building material had been dumped was restored into an Olympic village (and mind you this was way back in 1972). Says a lot about the Germans.
Some times I wonder what Malta would look like if it wasn't for the Knights of St. John (who were not Maltese, despite us taking all the credit for their work) - very barren to say the least. In the last few decades we have built very few if any buildings for the sake of their beauty rather than sheer necessity. Just look at the ' war-damage' buildings which spoil the three cities.
Needless to say these things do not make me very proud of being Maltese.
The St.John's project can easily be put on the back burner - preferably for ever.
Grudgingly.... prosit JPO.
we tend to embark on hairbrained ideas and neglect our strengths. Culture and history are our only redeeming factors. We don't think twice to build five star hotels then we abandon those factors which are important to attract the tourists. Let's restore what's falling to pieces not endanger what we have not lost yet..
The argument being brought forward by JPO is reasonable and very sensible. He has managed to put forward very valid arguments on why government should reassess its priorities and re-distribute funding to certain projectsand not others, if the country's priorities have changed, or if we can better use of the limited funds at our disposal.
There is no doubt that the St. John's Foundation project is extravagant and risks damaging the very structure it is duty-bound to protect.
One also wonders how what is essentially an NGO (St. John's Foundation) managed to get Euro 14 million for its pet project, to the detriment of other (more important) projects. What track record does the Foundation have in project management? What criteria did the project proposal satisfy to qualify for these huge funds? What other projects were sacrificed because of this project and never made it for funding?
I call on government to immediately put a stop to this flagrant misuse of EU (read as public) funds, and re-allocate the funds into more worthy causes.
Now is certainly not the time to be capricious with the hard-earned EU funds.
the days when he was considered as a green politician and a heritage lover are over
BUT
Is this an attempt to revive yourself JPO?
That is news to me. last time I visited fort St. Angelo in September the place was still a mess even more so in fact. the ramp that leads from the main gate to the first level was covered in concrete spills obviously from trucks driven into the fort. tthe saluting battery on top of the cavallier is still a heap of broken concrete and twisted metal. The bastions are still decorated with weeds and caper bushes.Granted the rooms beneath the cavallier have been cleared of rubbish but that's about it. Forts St. Angelo and St. Elmo are jewels in our fortification system which are crying out to be rescued from the depredations of time and man. In the future our children will either bless us or curse us according to the action we take
May I ask JPO if he is refering to Dr Austin Gatt? Because that's what Dr Austin Gatt just did.
I would also question the need of an underground extention for St Johns Co-Cathedral after all these years, why the need now?
On the subject of Fort St Angelo, I was under the impression that renovation work was well in hand, at least is was when I last visited the place about 18months ago, has work stopped?
I would urge the authorities to start renovating St Elmo immediately otherwise the fort will collapse through neglect.
This country is drenched in culture, it's such a shame that the presentation is so pathetic.
Maybe JPO did what surprised you.
This project should be shelved moreso since there are alternatives. Leaving St Elmo in its present state is unbelievable....when immediate action could be taken so as to prevent further damage. JPO -keep up the pressure.
Perhaps all those know-alls will learn that those of us, myself included, who stamped our feet and cried FOUL about the proposed plans, will now have the decency and the fairness to say that they were wrong and we were right all along.
St John's Museum plans WILL be shelved.
But who on earth is choosing which priorities are to prevail over others in this Island?