During my almost three months stay in Malta, I had the privilege to visit the model designed by Renzo Piano, and I find it to be unsuitable for the 500-year-old City of Valletta to incorporate a modern architecture. Yes, Mr Piano, designed the Opera House in Sydney, and it is a beautiful building, but Sydney does not have the architecture that goes back as far as Valletta's.

When I saw the two pillars at the City Gate to replace a gate, it reminded me of the twin towers in New York, before 9-11 disaster. To split the road above the City Gate is ridiculous. Valletta's gate must incorporate the bastions surrounding the city and maintain the look the knights have built and not an open sky view.

My second impression when I saw the open arena in place of the Opera House was that Mr Piano forgot to include the lion's den, unless he was thinking of placing the den under the new Parliament building in Freedom Square, to let the lions loose to attack the spectators. The Opera House should be built again to allow the people of Malta to enjoy the operas as once enjoyed.

Mr Piano suggested building the new Parliament House at Freedom Square, taking away one of the few squares in Valetta. The Parliament should be built across from the Opera House, by knocking down the interior of the buildings and saving the façade by dismantling and marking each stone and replacing it as part of the new Parliament building.

Renovate Freedom Square by erecting a fountain, small garden and benches for people to sit and relax. A large underground parking area should dug out under freedom square, Opera House and the new Parliament. This is something the people of Malta would be proud of.

I hope the Nationalists are not about to do another blunder. They made a blunder when they built the present City Gate. They did another when they approved the incorporation of the map of EU countries on the back of Malta Euro notes and not showing Malta as part of EU. Now they are about to make another blunder if they approve Mr Piano's design and go ahead with it.

It seems to me the government has no respect for the Maltese architects, to seek outside of Malta a foreigner to design the needs for the Capital City of Malta. I am sure there are capable architects in Malta who could come up with better design suitable for Valletta.

Democracy should allow the people of Malta to decide whether the Opera House should be built or not and not a few politicians.