St Lawrence kept his sense of humour till his horrible end. According to legend, as he was being burned on a gridiron he cried out: "This side's done. Turn me over and have a bite!"

His namesake, Renzo Piano, is also coming in for a grilling from some quarters in Malta. Something about the interviews Mr Piano has given tells me that he too has a good, quiet sense of humour, which is probably serving him well as the public objections to his proposals for Valletta fly past.

The Piano plans are of deep interest to anyone. To a social democrat like myself, these plans have an interest, which is not just architectural and cultural but also social.

This social interest colours my take on what the critics are saying about the choice of architect, the choice of projects and about popular wishes. Let me take each of those points, one at a time.

First, the choice of Mr Piano, a foreign architect, has been criticised by some as a national affront. Others have seen it as a recipe for having designs that jar with the rest of Valletta.

The simplicity of his city gate has been attacked. The seemingly minimalist additions to the opera house ruins have been criticised as a kind of confidence trick.

However, in most human endeavours, simplicity is the mark of a master. Here, in my opinion, it is no exception. Mr Piano is proposing simple but subtle interventions, whose understatement keeps the focus on the city's identity not the architect's.

I particularly like the idea of keeping the opera house's ruins within the design of the new theatre. To me it would have been "blasphemous" to remove them. I hate the fact that the site is still ruined but I like the ruins themselves. It is a complicated feeling that many of us share, I suspect, and Mr Piano has understood it.

If that were not enough to address the criticism that Mr Piano is too detached from national feeling, another consideration should settle it. Some critics have said that only a Maltese architect could do Valletta justice. However, the Chamber of Architects has declared its approval of Mr Piano's plans. Those who have declared that only Maltese architects can be trusted should also trust Maltese architects when they praise Mr Piano.

It is not elitist to choose a master to do a job. No one can question the socialist credentials of François Mitterand. During his tenure as President of France, from 1981-1995, he oversaw many grandiose building projects. What made them part of his socialist vision was the fact that these buildings were intended to designate a progressive way of living and building the future.

The test of whether Mr Piano's designs are close to the people's concerns is the choice of projects and the purpose they will serve.

One issue is the decision not to build an arts centre. Mr Piano said that there was simply not enough space. What he should have said, of course, is that he was not given enough space. There would have been plenty of space if a new Parliament was not being built right beside it.

Another issue has been mentioned by many people. The lack of a roof on the theatre will limit when it can be used. Events held there will be piled up in the summer, during the season of maximum competition from other outdoor events. Again, I suspect the underlying reason for the absent roof is the brief (and the budget allocated).

Of course, we should make these criticisms heard but we should not allow them to distract us from the real choice before us. The choice is not between Mr Piano's plans and someone else's. It is between Mr Piano's plans and nothing.

If Mr Piano's plans are rejected, no new plans will be commissioned before the next legislature and a new government. There will be no time for new plans to be commissioned, designed, selected and implemented before 2018, when Valletta becomes Europe's capital of culture.

We can criticise the government for giving us a Hobson's choice. I would rather use my energies differently.

I care about the society that is going to be enjoying and using the new, regenerated Valletta. Reaching 2018 with Valletta's architecture gleaming is not enough.

If it is still dead at night, it will be no capital of culture.

If it is still not serving its daytime residents and workers well, and firms keep muttering about moving off somewhere else, then the city will be in danger of becoming Disneyworld for cruise-liner tourists during the day.

It will take the best part of 10 years to build up a vibrant culture for Valletta. As an MEP, I am prepared to do my part to see what European projects and funds are relevant. However, the government must begin, from now, to see what a genuinely popular Valletta needs.

Now, a widespread public consultation is certainly needed. It is on this that we should "grill" the other Lawrence (neither Mr Renzo nor the saint). He has a sense of humour too.

Dr Attard Montalto is a Labour member of the European Parliament