In full support of Kenneth Zammit Tabona’s article Damascene U-Turns (March 6), I would like to bring to public attention Renzo Piano’s fairly elegant Auditorium Niccolo Paganini in Parma.

Similar in size, it’s the sort of alternative Mr Zammit Tabona has proposed, on more than one occasion, to the poor, by comparison, open theatre in Valletta. Mr Zammit Tabona makes reference to Bernard Plattner who, on behalf of Renzo Piano’s, office spoke on BondÌplus. I too remember Mr Plattner saying that a similar building would have been very possible but that our government never gave them a brief. Which I find rather shocking.

So as to appear cultural, our politicians often speak of “the importance of art” but instead of a proper modern art gallery we are about to have a new Parliament smack first thing as one walks into Valletta, dwarfing what was once the Royal Opera House. To me this will always be a symbol of how the importance our politicians pretend to give art is all but a lot of talk. In this area, it is far too late for the Prime Minister to express his intention, yet again, of listening to the people.

Now I happen to be speaking of politics and contemporary culture as two seperate subjects but, unfortunately, politics in Malta is our culture and this Prime Minister either wants to make sure it stays that way or else he too just does not know any better.

Therefore, in that regard, this country stays behind.