In one of his sonnets, the national poet, a Żebbuġi, lamented that another Żebbuġi, Dun Mikiel Xerri, had not been honoured for what he was due. Then, it was the British who, although outsiders, should have honoured the Maltese hero.

On parallel lines, we Żebbuġin now lament that, although in a few weeks’ time, it will be the second anniversary of the demise of literary magnate Frans Sammut, yet another Żebbuġi, the locality’s mayor, who boasts of being a Belti, has as yet not organised anything in honour of Sammut.

It was the Prime Minister, Joseph Muscat, then Leader of the Opposition, who, on May 4 last year, on the first anniversary of Sammut’s demise, promised us, Żebbuġin, that the mayor would erect a life-size monument in our town to honour Sammut. However, despite it coming from the Prime Minister himself, nothing seems to be forthcoming. The mayor laments that the local council has no money in its coffers.

The Żebbuġ council votes €45,000 a year for culture and, according to the June 2012 council magazine, page 24, it collected more than €74,000 in sponsorships. This amounts to more than €119,000, certainly not a joke.

It would be interesting should some government auditor let us know what has been done with this money that the local council raised on behalf of the Żebbuġin.