Isn’t it ironic that the Finance Minister spends hours talking about creating jobs and investing in capital projects and at the same time, while these projects have still to take shape, many small businesses are dying a slow death due to bad planning and little impact assessments.

Following the tragedy that the Hastings area has been made to suffer after the “fall” of the Pope Pius V Road, we are now left with a ridiculous access route to South Street, no direct access from Castille Place and a city entrance turned into a construction site.

To add insult to injury, it was announced in the Budget that the Museum of Fine Arts is moving from South Street to the Auberge d’Italie. All of a sudden the business community of Merchants Street has become friends of friends and are getting all the attention.

When all these works are finished and confidence will start to be restored in Valletta, who is going to make good for the huge losses and bankruptcy incurred by the many businesses in the Hastings and South Street areas?

Don’t start me up with “Micro Invest” or “Jeremie” or “EU funds for the Malta Tourism Authority”. I tried them all and they are all designed to help SMEs that do not need help and are taking advantage of these schemes. Suffering businesses need a cure, not sell their house to pay back the bank. Thank you minister... enjoy the photo!