The government's decision to apply for funds to restore Fort St Elmo proved it was wrong to prioritise projects such as the "extravagant" underground extension of St John's Co-Cathedral's museum, Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando insisted yesterday.
While he welcomed the recently-announced decision to restore Fort St Elmo, he strongly opposed spending "at least €14 million on a big hole in the centre of our capital city".
Standing by the criticism he had levelled at the extension of St John's Co-Cathedral's museum earlier this month, Dr Pullicino Orlando slammed the reaction of the foundation behind the project as "verbal manoeuvres" against him while speaking during the adjournment of Parliament last night.
The co-cathedral foundation had reacted strongly to Dr Pullicino Orlando's equally strong rubbishing of their project, saying that, rather than "deciding for Mepa" the MP should make sure the decision-making process runs as it should.
On referring to the reaction of Mgr Philip Calleja, president of the St John's Co-Cathedral Foundation, he said he felt the monsignor had allowed third parties to use him as "a mouthpiece".
The criticism of the project crosses swords with key Nationalist Party strategist Richard Cachia Caruana who is on the foundation and actively lobbying for the project.
In his first comments in Parliament about the matter, Dr Pullicino Orlando had called on the government to divert funds allocated for the underground extension of the museum to the urgent restoration of forts St Elmo and St Angelo.
Yesterday, he stressed that as an MP elected by the people he had the right to make such comments without being accused of trying to interfere with Mepa, he said.
He called on the government not to allow millions of euros to be spent on a project that was "manifestly exaggerated". In its reply to this point, the co-cathedral foundation had explained that it was independent from the government and had tapped into EU funds after a public call, in which state departments responsible for other heritage sites could have also applied.