“It’s a shame. I am crying.” Does it not seem to be too late to cry over the monti stalls project which has been in the making for months and advertised all over Malta?

The new stalls as seen on TV are really ugly.

The one I saw seems to be very flimsy and lightweight. What will happen when a mighty wind blows across the island?

Will all the stalls end up piled up under St John’s or under the new Parliament building – merchandise and all – harming property or even people?

Or, since they are supposed to be bolted down, will they all be broken and rendered unusable?

The stalls look to me like a school project done by a bunch of youngsters!

And a very bad one indeed.

When and by whom was the design vetted?

What guarantee do the stall holders have regarding their expected increased income? Their sales will go down not up.

Just consider a group of tourists entering Valletta and starting their tour of the city. Will they make a bee line to the open market? No, they will just ignore it.

Besides, many of the tourists enter Valletta through Castille and will be guided to the new City Gate, new Parliament and surroundings.

Also, the hawkers know quite well that their sales come from the locals, patrons who are either on their way to or from the market.

I think that, with this move, hawkers will see their sales drop.

Thank God that, as declared months ago, the stalls will not be allowed to spill over onto Republic Street. At least, that was what was promised to those who complained in the first place.