A group which has so far not revealed the names of the people behind it, has announced it will launch an 11th hour campaign to stop the Piano project for Valletta by seeking a referendum.
However timesofmalta.com has found that the Referanda Act may not appear to cover projects such as this since its purpose is the abrogation of certain acts of Parliament.
Decisions on whether a referendum should be held are taken following application to the Constitutional Court.
"The aim of the ‘Stop Project Piano’ Referendum campaign is to halt this insane project from being pursued against the people’s will," the group said.
It has already set up a website to promote its campaign and said it would seek the signatures of 10% of the population to hold a referedum in terms of Maltese law.
However the Referenda Act says that in a referendum, persons entitled to vote would be called upon to declare whether they approve proposals set out in a resolution or law passed by Parliament.
The Valletta project is not a consequence of a parliamentary resolution or a law.
"It is evident that a substantial majority is against it (the project). Forums, newspaper letters and articles, online polls, petitions, discussions, NGO activities, all testify to a strong opposition towards Renzo Piano’s ‘brainchild’. We have been waiting patiently for over 60 years for the Opera house to be rebuilt and now the project has been hijacked for shortsighted political objectives," the group said.·
It complained that the Opera house would not going to be rebuilt, the fortifications would be breached, and City Gate would be removed.
"Now that the MEPA permit has been issued only a Referendum can stop this madness. The Maltese Constitution gives the right to any individual to call on the government to hold a Referendum on any particular issue as long as at least 10% of the electorate calls for it. That is what we are going to do, what this campaign is all about. A non-political way of stopping a politicized national project with no national consent!" the group said.
It said its campaign was being endorsed by a number of NGOs, organisations and individuals from the realms of Culture and Art.
http://www.stopprojectpiano.com
DESIGNER EXPLAINS
Stefan De Battista in a note to timesofmalta.com said that he was in no way part of this initiative.
"I was only involved in the setting up of the website on a professional basis, after they requested my services. Furthermore, I condemn the fact that my personal details were posted, and left online. Domain details have nothing to do with the initiative, and the designer's opinion may not be the same as that of the persons behind the initiative," Mr De Battista said.