The polemic between educational development and environmental protection has touched the raw nerve of conflict.

Its outcome will depend on the Prime Minister’s common sense.

I am an environmentalist, a founder member of the Ramblers Association and an ardent defender of the environment.

I have also been involved in all levels of education for 48 years. A new university is a progressive educational choice for students. It is also a means of competition among tertiary institutions.

A range of new subjects will inflate the national ethos. Above all, it will be an economic and social advantage for upcoming generations in the South.

The annals of history may dictate a solution.

Malta has suffered the harsh dictatorship of foreign nations and independence, that was achieved in 1964 gave it the freedom to make wise decisions.

The Order of the Knights had ruled with an iron hand. However, they left a legacy of monumental fortifications. This was balanced in urban conurbations with pleasant gardens and vast open spaces.

Floriana is the epitome of a fortified garden city.

Colonial Britain concentrated on military strategies. The cities around the Grand Harbour bore the brunt of every strategic change. In Floriana, none of the six gates still stands, except for a redesigned Portes des Bombes. Vantage points on bastions were turned into gun emplacements as in San Maison Garden.

The proliferation of Lintorn barracks snuffed out the previously unhindered panoramic views of Marsamxett harbour in the north.

In short, nothing was sacred to Colonial Britain.

The Church and successive Maltese governments cannot be exonerated from blame. The building of the Catholic Institute, the Nato headquarters and the extension of arcaded St Anne Street obliterated the panorama to the south.

Therefore, may the Prime Minister heed two warnings:

1. Vox popoli, vox dei.

2 The evil that men do lives after them – Shakespeare.