Monti hawkers have praised the controversial new stalls and said their move close to Valletta’s new parliament building would hide Renzo Piano’s “blasphemous ugliness”.
The market’s move from Merchants Street to Ordnance Street and the mediocre new stalls came under nationwide fire, but the hawkers believe it is not their stalls that are an aesthetic eyesore but it was “Renzo Piano who spoilt the environment”.
Hawker Twanny Zahra said that, thanks to the move, the relocated monti “will be hiding the great mistake of Valletta”.
“It’s a dawgħa kerha [a blasphemous ugliness],” Mr Zahra said referring to the project of internationally-acclaimed architect Renzo Piano.
The hawkers said the majority of the population had been against the City Gate project before it had even started.
“What happened now? Why are they taking it on us? Have they forgotten they did not like it?”
“Do people realise that here in Merchants Street we are next to the Parliament? Actually, it’s more than that, because this is a palace. So is it OK here?” hawker Julian Buhagiar asked.
It hurts me that people in comments on timesofmalta.com were saying we are ignorant: we are not. And we do not sell rubbish either
They told Times of Malta how since they had been moved a block down Merchants Street they had been “almost starving” and could “barely afford to maintain a family”.
They also took offence at the public’s reaction to the news.
“It hurts me that people in comments on timesofmalta.com were saying we are ignorant: we are not. And we do not sell rubbish either. Here, have a look at these items. I get them from the north of Italy. These are the same clothes you can find in shops,” Mr Buhagiar said.
“They called us ħamalli [chavs none of us swear. That was a thing of the past, he said, adding that his wife had cried when she read the comments.
Hawker Clive Busuttil described the stalls as “neat”. “You won’t like them from the photo, because they are empty, but when full of wares, they look very neat,” he said.
Most hawkers, in fact, praised the government for the structure – a mixture ofPVC, metal and wood, featuring eight-pointed crosses painted in red, against a white background.
The government has sent the designs back to the drawing board and a fresh call for expressions of interest.
“The tent even has a tilt so that the rainwater falls towards the back of the stall and not on customers,” hawker Christian Micallef said.
They are paying for the tent themselves, but “the government is forking out the rest of the structure.”
They also played down the controversy about the Maltese cross design on the stand.
“It’s all fuss for nothing because the cross is optional. It’s up to us – we can choose if we want to put one cross, or two or three or none at all,” Mr Buhagiar said.
None of the wares on sale are of Maltese origin. Each hawker has his own niche product, hanging on rails or displayed on racks. Tracksuits, suitcases, umbrellas, wallets, make-up, handbags, thermal mittens, scarves, hats, mobile phone pockets, socks, panties and bras are all on sale with prices ranging from €1to €20.
“We sell items which you can find in shops, only they will be cheaper here,” Mr Buhagiar said.
“We invest money here: it’s true shops have more expenses, but we have to fight the elements – when it rains, we don’t set up.”
Most of their customers, they said, were Maltese except for the cruise liner tourists in summer.
Asked if they would consider swapping their wares for something more artisan they were all very reluctant.
Joe Aquilina, who has been a monti hawker for 40 years, said: “For us the move is good news because over here I suffered a lot. But I mainly sell underwear and I would never consider selling any other artefact. This is my line of business.”
Clive Busuttil, who sells make-up products from the UK, added: “I won’t say I won’t consider any other job but I very much prefer to stick to what I know.”
For Christopher Micallef it was a no-go area. “People can go to Mdina Glass [for something more artisan]. Who do you think I am, a honey-maker?”