Once again a city for gentlemen

Like many Maltese citizens, especially those who, like me, hail from the capital city, I was thrilled to hear the news that, finally, Grand Master de Valette will be honoured with a statue that will immortalise the man who wanted a city built by gentlemen for gentlemen. I know for a fact that many Valletta residents have been waiting for a long time to have the statue of this hero in the heart of the city. All the credit has to be given to those who have not only supported the initiative but pushed to ensure the work is carried out.

Valletta has undergone tremendous changes throughout the past years and we have seen our capital city transform itself from a neglected and dirty town to a living cultural gem that is truly one of the most striking cities of Europe. What Valletta lacks in size is surely made up for by the multitude of places of interest that literally pack every street. It is not only tourists who appreciate Valletta. Since the regeneration started, Maltese people and, indeed, Valletta citizens have been able to enjoy buildings they never took any notice of before.

Many must have raised an eyebrow when the works started; many complained that too much was being done at once but now that everything is shaping up one must commend the decisions taken by the authorities to proceed in the way they did as all projects will be finished in pretty much the same time and the end result will be a vibrant, clean and welcoming capital. The open spaces that were created, such as St George’s Square, have already given the term city centre a new dimension. With the creation of a new open space in St Catherine’s Square we shall be adding yet another place where young and old can meet, chat and interact. I have no doubts that, like St George’s Square, it will also be fitted with the latest amenities such as Wi-Fi to make the place even more user-friendly.

We can rightly say that Valletta is indeed coming alive again thanks to these projects but it would be incorrect to stop there. Events organised by the private business and organisations also play a huge part in giving our capital city its soul back and such activities should have the backing and cooperation of the authorities, including the cutting down on bureaucracy and being more practical. I am fully in favour of setting up a one-stop shop via the local council for permits and other logistical problems that come with event organising. The thousands who attended events such as Notte Bianca and others similar to it have shown us that people want to entertain themselves in Valletta. So, with this in mind, we should cater to make our city more accessible to those who want to visit and want to organise events.

What’s so positive in all this regeneration is the fact that even though we have redone squares, public spaces and gardens, restored façades and 100 other things, the needs of the Valletta residents have remained high on the agenda and should remain this way. The rebuilding of St Paul Street has maybe caused quite a stir over these last few days but residents have been rightly complaining for years on the sorry state the road and sidesteps are in. We must remember that the population of Valletta is an aging one and one must cater for their demands and needs in every possible way.

I have said this before but I think it’s never enough to stress the fact that a lot of Valletta people are forced to leave the city once they become adults due to the lack of dwelling space. I am sure that if a serious drive were made, tens if not hundreds of places would be made available. In this manner we will not only be regenerating Valletta’s historic value but we will be giving it a living soul to restore the vibrancy that was once present. We must be careful of not creating another Mdina and the only way to do so is to make apartments and houses (many of which have been closed for decades) available to those Valletta people who want to live there.

We have a city to be proud of. Millions of euros have been invested for this transformation. I only hope we all do our part in keeping the city clean and clear of vandalism.

The author is a Nationalist member of the European Parliament.