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Louis Galea, World Monuments Fund cross swords

By Miriam Dunn
The mystery surrounding the non-appearance of a $50,000 grant awarded to Malta by the World Monuments Fund for the conservation of the Mnajdra Temples deepened yesterday, with the WMF strongly rebutting claims made by Culture minister Louis Galea that it was partly responsible for the delay.

The WMF also said that it has still not received the necessary paperwork from the Maltese authorities to proceed with the payment.

Last week, MaltaToday published a report in which Dr Galea claimed that the delay in the issuing of the grant payment was partly down to the WMF’s failure to answer correspondence sent by the Museums Department as to how the funds would be released.

The WMF, in contrast, had maintained that it had been unable to release the grant to help conserve the temples, which were extensively vandalised on Good Friday, because a project plan had not been submitted; a revelation that inevitably sparked outrage, due to the neglected state of the megalithic stones.

Yesterday, Norma Barbarcci, WMF Director of Programmes, vehemently denied Dr Galea’s claims and called for clarification from the government’s side, while also saying the organisation would be taking the matter further.

"We at the World Monuments Fund are extremely offended by these allegations which are completely inaccurate and unfair," she said.

Ms Barbarrci said that the authorities were fully aware that the WMF had been "trying for a very long time" to obtain an initial project report which is the pre-requisite for disbursing its grants.

"I have contacted Ambassador Bartolo in Geneva who has been witness of my attempts at obtaining a response and has been a great help in that regard, and he has promised to talk to the Minister of Culture to clarify this issue," she continued.

The news that the WMF had awarded the Maltese authorities a grant to help in the conservation of the Mnajdra Temples, but had not yet released the funds, further heightened the outrage that the public felt when the stones were vandalised.

Although the initial outcry centred on the damage itself, the focus soon shifted to the lack of security at Malta’s historic sites and the dilapidated state of the temples. The fact that funds could have been available to help in this respect, and might not have been released due to the Maltese authorities’ failure to put forward the necessary plans, twisted the knife in further and even led to calls for the Culture minister’s resignation.

There was also a certain amount of cynicism and talk to the effect that the authorities were locking the stable door after the horse had bolted when Dr Galea highlighted the restoration plan, which was immediately designed following the reports of the Good Friday damage.

"The plan envisages the re-location of displaced megaliths following a thorough documentation of damage, an examination of structural problems and an examination of stone conservation issues," he said. "These studies are at a very advanced stage already. It is envisaged that the actual restoration work will be carried out during the coming weeks as envisaged in the plan."