Of gift horses and white elephants

We have heard, not least of all from the Piano-Gonzi camp, that it is impossible to even contemplate a theatre with all the modern facilities on the site of the old Royal Opera House. According to them the footprint is just not large enough to accommodate such a project. But the truth of the matter is that Piano has been constrained by a budget of €8 million and that is why all the people are getting is a stone circle. Something to rival Stonehenge in England or the Ġgantija Temples on Gozo. Rather than taking a cultural leap forward, Lawrence Gonzi and Renzoi Piano are determined to plunge Malta into the past against the wishes of the Maltese people.

However, there is an alternative and one which the Maltese people really need to look at seriously. Italian architect Giovanni Trevisan has proposed building a fully roofed 1,600-seat theatre on this site with all modern facilities. His design has strong neo-classical lines and incorporates an exhibition hall and a rooftop restaurant. Mr Trevisan is not some new kid on the block. This Venetian architect has offices in Venice, Miami and Cyprus and specialises in urban restoration projects.

So why should the Maltese people and indeed the Maltese government be taking this proposal into consideration?

Well to begin with, as has been shown in every newspaper in Malta, the people hate the Piano design as it is nothing more than a compromise. Dr Gonzi wants a new Parliament, which the country doesn't need, and is spending over €90 million of public money to get it. To appease the Maltese people and help them accept this idea he's allowing them the great privilege of spending a further €8 million of their money on a useless white elephant. He's all heart. Mr Trevisan is not only offering to give the people a beautiful new theatre and exhibition centre but has also put together a cultural consortium which would pay the entire cost of the project in return for the government granting them a 30-year lease of the site. So my question to the Maltese government is a very simple one.

This proposal, which has been on the table now for five years, is a win-win situation for the government and for the public, so why is it not being considered?

In 1946 German prisoners-of-war offered to rebuild the theatre for a nominal charge. The government at the time declined to accept the offer due to pressure from the unions. Are the present authorities going down in history as another government that stared another gift horse in the mouth and said no?