Editorial

Crass incompetence - that's what it was

The whole world came to a halt last week with the disaster at Mnajdra. Newspapers and editorials passed judgement and shed tears for an action that could not be understood. And then on Friday hundreds walked in Valletta Ö asking for what?

In this issue, we carry an opinion by columnist, David Pace, with the title: It finally happened. And today we carry Alternattiva Demokratika's call for Dr Galea's resignation.

We may borrow this, for it encompasses the truth about accountability.

Are we surprised that out there, there are Maltese who are capable of such actions?

Are we surprised that this happened?

What we are surprised at is that monies and grants were available and they were not utilised. And this, in our opinion, is crass incompetence.

Let us not mince our words, it is either the blame of the curator, Mr Tony Pace or the minister responsible: Dr Louis Galea.

And yes, we are pointing a finger.

And yes, we are saying that someone must be held responsible and if necessary resign.

Why should we be surprised when both governments, past and present, have sanctioned development that has obliterated our national heritage?

Do we need to give examples?

Malta and Gozo are peppered with archaeological, historical and ecological gems. Full protection for all these sites is near to impossible, but protection for some of these sites is and was possible.

Education and Culture minister Louis Galea and his curator of museums know this all too well.

They are, unfortunately, the responsible ones. It could have been the minister's predecessor, Labour spokesman Evarist Bartolo, who was lucky enough not to have faced the onslaught of some lunatics on the temples. But it did not happen under Mr Bartolo, so Mr Bartolo is out of the picture.

The Dr Galea excuse that a heritage bill was in the offing is pie in the sky and as David Pace states in his column, there were countless instances in the past when the authorities could and should have taken action.

The reactions to the Mnajdra disaster by both Dr Galea and Mr Pace are not to be taken seriously.

The actions at Mnajdra are actions that have been perpetrated before and believe it or not also under a Nationalist administration.

One need not look at the Mnajdra episode to see what constitutes a local uncultured and unscrupulous character.

Look at our surroundings, our valleys, our historical monuments, the little Nature around us and the general state of these Islands.

The vile acts against Mnajdra are a drop in the ocean compared to the rape of our national heritage over the past 15 - 20 years.

And what is the difference between dismantling a Neolithic structure or sanctioning the building of a hotel around it as at the New Dolmen hotel?

And what about the development that has been allowed over the last 20 years by consecutive governments leading to the eradication of so many unique sites?

The post Mnajdra saga needs to address one issue; that is the decision to ignore the need for security measures.

No specific budgeting was needed for this, no special commissions, no consultants - just a simple decision. And that, dear minister and curator, was lacking.

If the curator had suggested this but was refused because of a permanent secretary ruling or a ministerial decision, then the ball must fall flatly and squarely in ësomeone's' court.

The people in this country are sick and tired of charades.

They want action and some serious stuff too.

The Lino Spiteri interview

The Lino Spiteri interview with Lou Bondi was good television. Unfortunately for the TV audience, Mr Spiteri was far too polite and humble. He need not have been.

Mr Spiteri, as we all know, was one of Malta's brightest boys.

Let us face it, he was a success story. A young, successful politician, a Central Bank governor, charming, arrogant, intelligent, a writer, a columnist, a whiz kid and very affluent

Yet, (and he does not deny this), he was also a cabinet minister when Malta went through some very ugly incidents.

Yes, we agree with Mr Spiteri, not everything can be blamed on the Labourites, but then how much can be blamed on others?

Mr Lino Spiteri governed when it was a liability to talk against the state even if one were a Labourite and when it was close to a death sentence if one were politically active.

One issue we would have loved to tackle with Mr Spiteri was over accountability and ideology.

And on the latter: Is the MLP the party for the workers or of some underclass? Is it a socialist party? What does it stand for?

If so, then why are its representatives as Bohemian and bourgeoise (bobo's) as the PN, or perhaps more so?

And why, Mr Spiteri, should one continue to call himself a Labourite or a Nationalist, when there are more similitudes than differences?