Both government and opposition representatives yesterday agreed that safeguarding Malta’s cultural heritage is of utmost priority, and much more attention needs to be given to monuments and buildings which are currently in a degrading position.

Nationalist MP Charlo Bonnici opened the parliamentary session yesterday, praising parliamentary secretary for Revenues and Land Jason Azzopardi who during last week’s parliamentary seating, presented a reading on the amendments to the Land Acquisitions (Public Purposes) Ordinance.

During his introduction last week, Mr Azzopardi explained that the state has to have a legal mechanism that enables it to acquire historical buildings, which will then be accessible to the public. While it may not be popular, he said, it is a much-needed law. Dr Azzopardi stated that the law as it stands today features in detail the procedure to be adopted by government when expropriating private property, and also explains the rights of compensation available to the citizen.

Mr Bonnici said that the government last year paid around e10 million in compensation to former property owners who are still waiting to be reimbursed after their property was expropriated, with around e7.8 million still needed to be given. Such payments were needed for they make away with bureaucracies and cases of injustices, which have dominated property matters in the past.

Mr Bonnici added that in previous years, the Maltese public was not as sensitive as it is today when it comes to preserving cultural heritage, saying that as the country has undergone major transformation in its legislation over the past half century, culminating in Independence and the country becoming a Republic, the safeguarding of national monuments and buildings has often played second fiddle to that particular government’s short term plans.

However, according to Mr Bonnici, the current government is putting its heart and soul in preserving cultural heritage, citing the renovation of St George’s Square outside the president’s palace as evidence. Nevertheless, the fortifications of St Angelo and St Elmo leave much to be desired, and are next on the list to undergo major restoration. Furthermore, added Mr Bonnici, the government has recently spent over e650,000 in the restoration of the Aqueducts, as well as the restoration on the Mdina bastions.

Labour MP Stefan Buontempo praised Jason Azzopardi’s incentive in protecting cultural heritage, saying that a number of buildings have been left abandoned and neglected because private land owners were not identified when it came to the expropriation of buildings.

Mr Buontempo said that it is irrelevant to talk about Malta’s potentialities if the government fails to do something about the situation. There are hundreds of properties within Valletta and other localities which are in such a sad stage of degradation that it is almost difficult to believe.

He also said that the University of Malta and MCAST should offer more courses for students interested in restoration work, and also increase its specialised courses which deal with renovation and restoration.

Mr Buontempo also added that Malta’s historical monuments and buildings show what it has been through over the course of history. Malta is endowed with a rich cultural history, and no matter what happens in the outside world, protection of such sights should always be a priority.

Mr Buontempo cited the Jerma Palace Hotel as evidence of what happens when something is left abandoned. He said that the hotel was built on a large scale of land, but since the hotel closed down, it has been neglected completely. Not only that, but Mepa added insult to injury by giving the go ahead for the potential construction of apartments on the land when the land has huge potentialities.

Labour party spokesperson for tourism Marie Louise Coleiro Preca said that the armoury next to the police station in Qormi has been almost completely destroyed because of a lack of awareness, and called for protection to be given before similar buildings, which are of historical importance but are not that well known, will be destroyed.

Mepa is partly to blame for the destruction of the armoury, (which was built as a defence unit and then served as a base for the island’s regiment unit), because it first issued an emergency conservation order, which was later revoked into a demolition order.

Such inconsistencies have plagued Malta’s history, which is why some of the country’s most important buildings almost verge on the point of destruction. Ms Preca called on the importance of strict regulations and laws to be implemented to protect cultural heritage, adding that the Kalkara bastions and St Francis Square in Bormla need immediate attention.