After the government’s surprise move on Wednesday, declaring that the planned underground extension of St John’s Co-Cathedral Museum should be scrapped, it is clear that MPs from both sides of the House are glad that commonsense prevailed, as Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando put it.

Dr Pullicino Orlando was one of the very few Nationalist MPs who had openly spoken against the project, particularly due to the risk that the excavation plans posed to the 432-year-old co-cathedral.

Labour’s main spokesperson for planning, Roderick Galdes, noted that had it not been for the PL’s motion condemning the proposed development, the project would probably not have been scrapped.

Reason reigned, and the public’s concerns were addressed thanks to the opposition’s motion, said Mr Galdes.

But Mgr Philip Calleja, the president of the St John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation, insisted that the project had been misunderstood.

“We were transparent throughout; but I am practical and now it’s time to move on, seeing how best the museum exhibits should be displayed.”

Asked if any alternative premises would be considered, Mgr Calleja replied in the negative, saying the foundation would see ways of making the best use of its premises.

Labour MP Leo Brincat spoke about the evident level of disagreement within the Nationalist Party on the proposed extension of the cathedral’s museum. He agreed with Labour leader Joseph Muscat in that this was more a matter of political expediency and convenience, rather than political conviction.

Regardless of what tactical ploys might have been engaged, the fact that the media release by the government came out only two hours before the parliamentary debate on the Labour Party’s motion was scheduled to start, showed that all was not well in the State of Denmark, said Mr Brincat, referring to the famous quotation from Shakespeare’s play Hamlet.

Mr Brincat went on to say that beyond that, the prime minister knew he was out on a limb, with the St John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation being the only firm supporter of the project.

He said that regardless of which way the vote would have gone, it is common knowledge that the PM had a high level of dissent within his ranks and parliamentary group on this burning issue.

“My personal opinion is that he (the PM) was far more interested in papering over the cracks within his parliamentary group rather than any potential geological cracks and fissures that could have been brought about by the inevitable excavation works connected with the co-cathedral project that had been sanctioned by his own office.”

Dr Pullicino Orlando, who, together with former ministers Jesmond Mugliett and Ninu Zammit, had openly spoken against the proposed project, said the issue was worrying him, and he believed a lot of people were concerned about it.

He denied that the government saved itself from embarrassment of some of its MPs voting in favour of the opposition’s motion, saying it was more a matter of commonsense prevailing.

Whatever the case may have been, the government could certainly not afford to stay mum. As Leo Brincat pointed out on Tuesday, the impressive list of signatories that expressed themselves against project in another section of the local press confirmed that the people are up in arms against this initiative cut right across the whole political spectrum.

Mr Mugliett said he was satisfied with the outcome. The government evaluated the situation and took a decision that reflected a sense of maturity, he said.

Nationalist MP Charlo’ Bonnici, who on Tuesday said St John Co-Cathedral Foundation is an independent entity and the government could not interfere in such a project, simply said yesterday that he supports the decision taken.