In ethics, as in governance, accountability stands for answerability, responsibility and, ultimately, liability. Could I, therefore, respectfully ask the Prime Minister to let us know who took the decision not to repossess the Cafe Premier in Valletta at zero cost (as any private landlord would have done on grounds that the tenant had failed to pay rent) but instead opted to use nearly €4.5 million of taxpayers’ money to achieve exactly the same result, namely regain vacant possession of government-owned property?

As a business person, I just cannot see the logic or the business case behind this initiative.

Even if we accept that the premises were taken back to protect the National Library, the fact remains that it could still have been achieved at no cost to the taxpayer.

I cannot get my head around the thought process to ‘amicably’ bail out the operating company by writing off all its debts of unpaid tax and VAT as well as a bank loan to the tune of €2.5 million.

To further stir the already murky waters, it is now being reported that one of the owners was also paid €210,000. Is it any wonder that in the absence of an official explanation allegations are being bandied about that this sum represented some form of commission or reward?

The whole episode is starting to sound rather ‘fishy’, to put it mildly, and I am confident that Joseph Muscat will intervene to explain the true story.

Perhaps the Prime Minister needs to exercise more control on what is going on around him

If the decision was taken without his knowledge, then whoever was the decision-maker should assume political responsibility; a rarity, of course, in this blessed country of ours.

If it was taken by Cabinet, then the government assumes collective responsibility.

In that case, it should first acknowledge that a mistake has been made, then offer an apology and, finally, promise that nothing similar will happen again.

With all due respect, perhaps the Prime Minister needs to exercise more control on what is going on around him. To quote just one example, it is apparent that a sector of the business community seems to think that, in an attempt to settle old scores, they have the ‘right’ to take the law into their hands and extend their business by ‘expropriating’ public land. This must be stopped.

Before the last election, the Labour Party set the bar at a high level and swept into power on the strength of change, the promise of meritocracy and generally a pledge to govern in a way that the country had not witnessed before.

We are also faced with the unstoppable and uncontrollable urge to build and build, which is inevitably causing irreparable damage to our environment in several instances. At the current rate, I doubt whether Malta will have much open space in 20 years’ time.

Even one of our few jewels that is Comino is under threat as I understand that a group of entrepreneurs are proposing to develop a ‘luxury resort’ and we all know what that means.

This beautiful island should be left in its pristine state, although I suppose the hotel must remain, but the pig farm can and needs to be demolished immediately.

May I also suggest to Education Minister Evarist Bartolo to have our schools organise outings/picnics there for groups of children to expose them at an early age to the beauty of an ‘unspoilt’ environment and instil in them how important it is to preserve the precious little that we have.

Such visits should take place during the winter or spring months to avoid the circus that takes place daily at the Blue Lagoon during summer.

In conclusion, I was always rather critical of the Piano project for Valletta City Gate, primarily due to financial largesse but also due to the golden opportunity we missed to build a very large car park under Freedom Square, which could have virtually turned Valletta into a car-free city.

I never dared question the man’s genius, but I must admit that I am now having second thoughts. I cannot believe that Renzo Piano woke up one morning and decided to decorate the entrance to our capital city with two giant flag poles or are they swords or perhaps some phallic symbol?

My knee-jerk reaction was to make a comparison with the twin swords of The Arc of Triumph (The Swords of Qadisiyah) in Baghdad in the days of Saddam Hussein.