Friday, 9th January 2009
Parliament at Med. Conference Centre
Further to recent letters on the subject of the rebuilding of the Opera House, while Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar welcomes the announcement that the site of the Royal Opera House is to be rebuilt, we are concerned by security issues related to having Parliament relocated to Freedom Square.
The project is thought to be completed around 2017 when Malta will take over the European Presidency. The security measures that will have to be taken due to ceremonies related to this event are mind-boggling, similarly in the case of any security threat to Parliament which is not a far-fetched scenario in the present international political climate. If Parliament were at the Opera House, these security measures would partially close off the upper entrances to Valletta, crippling activity in the commercial centre.
A Parliament down by St Elmo, say at the Auberge de Baviere, or better still, at the Mediterranean Conference Centre would not only benefit from a grandiose building that does not have to be built from scratch at taxpayers' cost, but would serve to regenerate lower Valletta which has been neglected for over a century, creating employment in this depressed area and tying in with a cultural centre at St Elmo and a prestige hotel at Evan's Laboratories. The St John's tapestries could also be accommodated in the Sacra Infermeria's (MCC) great hall, the only structure other than St John's Co-Cathedral that can exhibit them all together as has been called for, a move that would spare Valletta from the digging of a quarry in its centre, save millions of euros and further add to the prestige of the Sacra Infermeria as a Parliament House.
The MCC's theatrical activities could move up to a National Theatre on the site of the old Opera House, which would again save money in being rebuilt with the help of EU funds, pay for its own running costs, give our young performers a future and boost tourism all over Malta, none of which can be achieved by Parliament at City Gate.
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Comments
How about people collecting signatures for a referendum?
This would show whatever government what the people really want
Although we do not have abrogative referenda but consultative ones, this should be kept in mind by the MP to change the law to enable abrogative referenda.
Go on Astrid Vella and others.
Start collecting signatures.
Unicameral works too well but for politicians not for the people. Unicameral is about dividing the people, and rendering them helpless.
Look at the situation Malta is in now. The PM makes an announcement. The leader of the opposition is not even aware. He never questions anything, let alone criticise the announcement.
What if Dr Gonzi was to have his way? Valletta is "saturated" with theaters, he claimed. Just like that. He will now go ahead and build this monstrous thing. Who is there to stop him?
If Dr Gonzi went ahead and built the Parliament House of his dreams on the Opera House site, then the Maltese people may deserve it. They just sat there and did nothing, or they simply felt too helpless to do anything.
Malta needs a bicameral political system, with the upper chamber answerable to the head of state. The head of state would be a person who never had any political affiliations. This person can be nominated by both chambers, and elected by the people for one term of, say, three years.
As it is, it's by politicians for politicians. Malta needs to balance things out.
Prosit Astrid for your letter! The idea of our Members of Parliament dominating the space reserved for the Opera house near the entrance of Valletta just proves what an act they are trying to perform – and what a bunch of primadonnas they are. Ridi, Maschera...ridi, Pagliaccio!
I think the Maltese people ought to vote you for President!!!
Can you elaborate on what funds Malta received after the war?
It was not even given Marshall Aid because we were a colony while Germany who started the war received untold amounts to restructure.
Germany destroyed the Opera House and Germany must rebuild it if it wants to keep its face and not always be remembered as having destroyed it without paying compensation.
Raymond Sammut
We don't need a Parliament at all. All they do is just put into effect whatever the eu petty dictators have decided.
Bicameral? No way. See history as to what happened when Malta had a bicameral system.
As I said, we do not even need one, let alone a bicameral system.
A proper cultural space surrounding Valletta should create employment and put our taxes to fruitful use by providing for the attention of the young an educational space which they can grow in!
Brilliant, Astrid - I'm 100% behind you, Down with the bombast which seeks only to impress.
Many of us have been suggesting that this 67 year old bomb site should be used as Malta's new 'national theatre' - a place to showcase performing arts, music and popular entertainment at a venue everyone will be proud of and will want to come again and again.
This will be a setting that will lift the status of Valletta and enhance the cultural credibility of Malta within Malta and well beyond.
I agree we live in dangerous times and heightened security is now a permanent feature of all our lives. Which is yet another reason that placing Parliament on this site is simply not logical.
I just hope that the decision-makers take note and act on the genuine well-considered views of thousands across every divide who feel so strongly about this matter.
No one is saying that Parliament shouldn't be relocated to a better venue. All we are saying is that the development of Valletta should go beyond winning the next elections. Ms Vella here has provided solid and logical solutions and proposals.
Of course there is a strong demand for the Arts, with so many visitors at all levels coming to Malta via air and sea liners each year. And that's not counting the Maltese community itself.
But Malta's political establishment has only been interested in milking the tourism industry to keep over-funding the political content in Malta at the expense of everything else, especially of the Arts.
And BTW, the place we see in this picture is too good for Maltese politicians. Don't let them put their bums in there.
There is a very strong demand for such events, as even the present more limited versions are attracting repeat visits from tourists, let alone larger-scale productions. Med Conf Centre events pay for themselves without any Government funding and would be even more profitable if taken up to the Opera House site next to public transport.
It must also be said that Med Conf Centre has a multi-level back wing which already offers far more office space than the Palace. This would also save on buying up the Bank of Valletta building in South Street to accommodate parliamentary staff as was suggested on TV by one minister.
This plan would fulfil Government's priorities of:
-Vacating the Palace and making fuller use of under-utilised state properties
-Rehabilitating Valletta
-Social regeneration and job creation
-Wise management of public funds
Government's priorities are the people's priorities,please lets see them happen.
With this move, we will be addressing various issues, without detracting from, or compromising on any of each.
1. Security issues vis-a'-vis Malta's European Presidency in 2017 will not impinge on commercial activity right inside the City entrance.
2. A Parliament down by St. Elmo or in MCC won't have to be built from scratch.
3. Lower Valletta will be regenerated.
4. A National Opera House will be rebuilt on the old Opera House site using EU funds.
5. Tourism will be boosted since visitors to any cultural City are looking for culture, not for parliament, and where there's tourism, there's commerce.
6. All our young performers and musicians graduating from the various ballet schools, theatre workshops and music institutes, will finally witness the reversal of a substantial void created by the destruction of the old Opera House. A sense of continuity will immediately be re-established with the past glory in maltese operatic and theatrical life.
I have not understood why a new parliament is needed anyway, but the Sagra Infermeria would seem to be a perfect solution. I was personally involved in CHOGM and can confirm that security was much easier to enforce there than at the entrance to Valletta.
And we certainly do not want a quarry in the middle of Valletta, more dust, dirt, and noise, disrupting all the new paving, disrupting all life and commerce for an unknown length of time. If there is room for the tapestries in the Knight's Hall, why are they not there already? The Vatican has a completely separate building for its museum, where its tapestries are beautifully hung.
Please let us stop all this nonsense and give the people what they want and what they are entitled to, the Royal Opera House inall its splendour.
The crux of the matter here lies upon two factors that continue to be ignored. One is, Malta's parliament is too large. The Maltese people do not need 69 MPs to enact laws on their behalf. Two, Malta's Parliament need not be necessarily located in Valletta.
I would propose that the number of MPs be reduced to 50 or less. Malta should also have a bicameral system. This would translate to a much smaller building over a much smaller area needed to house Malta's parliamentarians. A reasonably sized two-storey building (upper chamber, lower chamber) located at some suitable location, not necessarily inside Valletta, would be most suitable.
Too many politicians continues to result in too much unnecessary politics in Malta. The last thing Malta needs is some grotesque large building to house 69 MPs of whom Malta does not require more than half, 50 at the most.
Cannot see any down-sides to this suggestion.
This would certainly hurry along the regeneration of the lower part of Valletta, (St. Elmo, Evans building, etc)...
Great views too !
St Elmo could then complement Parliament as a cultural/arts centre, breathing life into this part of Valletta.
The Opera House could then be rebuilt on the original plans-the majority of people want this as it was, surely they should be listened to!The theatre props and sound systems would be made 'state of the art' but all would welcome the rebuilding of this fine structure.
So come on,let's get on with it and do things as they should be done without making mistakes we'll regret later.
Can anyone imagine the parking problem that moving the Parliament House to the Old Opera House site will have on the entrance to the city, especially if the Ministers and some Members of the House keep insisting in parking their cars on the front entrance for easy (lazy) access!
The much heralded New City Entrance will be turned into chaos...............