The chairman of Valletta 2018, Jason Micallef, is agitated about the flowers and candles placed beneath the Great Siege monument for Daphne Caruana Galizia. Some bright sparks have also questioned why this spot should be linked to freedom of expression.
These needless objections have little to do with protecting the monument, let alone the memory of the siege of 1565. For some people, any tribute to Daphne is objectionable, either for political or personal reasons or both.
But thousands of other people clearly appreciate the achievements of Daphne’s journalism, and are not willing to be complacent about her horrific, brutal murder. The flowers and candles are a spontaneous tribute from the public. Trying to stamp out people’s outrage, whether through insults, cynicism or force, is counterproductive. Put one candle out and another 10 will be lit. Put out 10 and there will be 100.
People want justice for Daphne, but also seek closure on the serious allegations of corruption she was investigating. That is why the candles are opposite the law courts, as a sign that many people in this country reject a culture of impunity.
The flowers at the base of the monument are not causing damage. Just let them be. People are upset. If Micallef is genuinely concerned about Malta’s cultural heritage, he should take a long, hard look at the destruction going on all over the island. The Planning Authority is enabling the elimination of our urban history, stone by stone, every day.
Last week this newspaper provided an analysis of PA board meetings. Some of its members attend only 31 per cent of meetings, which is inexcusable for such an important board. And several members evidently see eye-to-eye with developers and PA staff, approving up to 94 per cent of the applications that come before them. These range from the dismantling of historic buildings, to petrol stations, high-rise and other major projects.
The PA is not just a large, faceless monster. Its approach and decisions lie in the hands of a relatively small group of people at the helm. Their actions affect us all, as they always have, not only the individual developers requesting a permit.
Bashing academics, again
Another Capital of Culture V-18 luminary, Mario Philip Azzopardi, gave an interview in this newspaper after the opening night. In an unpleasant throwback to the 1980s, when the University of Malta’s Arts Faculty was shut down, he strongly censured ‘academics’ (as though they are all the same) and people he identifies as ‘the elite’. In this unwarranted rebuke, he claims that “academic meddling” has “closed the arts to an elitist attitude”.
If Jason Micallef is genuinely concerned about Malta’s cultural heritage, he should take a long, hard look at the destruction going on all over the island
For him, success in the arts translates simply into audience numbers. Implausibly, he uses Shakespeare to bolster this position, claiming he was not interested in the message of his plays but only in entertaining his audience. For the artistic director of V-18 to just brush aside the complex, rich, political and social resonances in Shakespeare’s work is astounding to say the least (no wonder he dislikes academics). Yes, Shakespeare attracted audiences, but drawing jaded distinctions between ‘elitist’ and ‘populist’ art is so redundant.
Azzopardi also “contests the idea of culture and diversity”, emphasising that every society should “defend” its own culture. For him, ‘people’ do not want “foreign experiences” (whatever that means) in the arts.
He might, however, also consider that cities well known for their thriving creative industries, such as London and New York, are actually very culturally diverse. Looking back in history, well-known scholars (whom Azzopardi might deride as academics) have described how cities which enjoyed ‘golden ages’ in the arts, such as classical Athens, or Renaissance Florence, were often markedly vibrant, socially mobile, cosmopolitan and diverse for their time. And so was late 16th-century London, when Shakespeare and his contemporaries took Elizabethan theatre to new artistic territory.
Azzopardi bashes ‘the elite’ as those “who think they can speak for the Maltese people”. He then goes on to do just that. Well, not in my name.
The VGH hospitals
A spokesman from the Prime Minister’s office was recently challenged on Xarabank on national television to reveal the owners of Vitals Global Healthcare. He shouted back that people are not interested in who owns VGH or Steward. All patients want is to be given a good service, and to get their pills and appointments. They just want hospitals to be in a good state, that’s all.
He may be right about Mater Dei Hospital, which provides a high level of care. But Mater Dei is not managed by VGH. The problem is the three hospitals they have, in fact, taken over – Karin Grech, St Luke’s and the Gozo Hospital. St Luke’s does not even have any patients yet. And are patients at Karin Grech really satisfied?
The government spokesman claimed that these companies are investing in these three hospitals – but what are the tangible results of this promised investment? Karin Grech Hospital has fallen into disrepair, minor works were done on the façade of St Luke’s, and some excavation was carried out at the Gozo Hospital. Over the last two years, the government has given VGH millions of euros of taxpayers’ money, with little to show for it.
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