More than enough time has passed to do something about it, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said yesterday.

Speaking on Radio 101 in a radio talkshow yesterday morning, Dr Gonzi said the time has come to do something and to take decisions about this national eyesore.

Valletta does not deserve this, he said. Those who enter Malta’s capital city must know find they are entering a city where standards are high, and respect the city’s heritage, rather than be faced with a derelict ruin as at present.

Earlier last week it was announced at a breakfast meeting that the government is seriously thinking of building a new Parliament on the site instead of the proposed arts centre. The name of renowned architect Richard England was also mentioned.

The callers who spoke on this issue seemed to focus more on the name of Prof. England than on anything else. They complained that the same name crops up everywhere as if Malta does not have other architects.

To reply to their concerns, Dr Gonzi was forced to a short resumé of the recent progress.

Before the 1996 election, the PN government had started work on the whole project. It issued a local and international call for expressions of interest for a holistic plan for Valletta.

This competition was won by Prof. England. The renovation of St James Cavalier was the first step in the implementation of this holistic plan.

The next step is thus the construction of a massive building to replace the former Opera House at the entrance the city.

Many, Dr Gonzi said, wanted the building to be another theatre but he disagrees with this since Valletta already has the Manoel Theatre, the Mediterranean Conference Centre and St James Cavalier.

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Besides, government would then be forced to pay for the upkeep of the new theatre.

One of the alternative uses which are being mentioned, but abouyt which no decision has yet been reached, is to turn the proposed building into a building housing Parliament, thus freeing the Presidential Palace for the President and for cultural activities.

Dr Gonzi said that in his mind, the decision regarding the building on the Opera House site should be linked to the plans for City Gate drawn up almost 15 years ago, by famous architect Renzo Piano. Dr Gonzi said he is greatly in favour of this plan being considered.

It was Prof. England who won the international competition. He has an international reputation and the plans for the building on the opera house site are his.

Logic rules that Prof. England should be told to carry on with his plans, Dr Gonzi said: otherwise we will spend the next two years choosing another architect and will have to pay sums for professional fees. And Prof. England has only designed the facades, so these can be adapted to the Parliament building, if it is decided the building will be so assigned.

Naturally, Dr Gonzi referred to last week’s discussion in the Public Accounts Committee of the Dar Malta issue.

The Opposition’s bubble has been burst, he said. It has been proved the building is a good investment. It was not an easy decision, he said. Dr Sant had an opportunity to be one of the PAC members, but he did not take the opportunity. He just threw allegations around and then scampered away. Of all the 18 hours of PAC meetings, he only attended for 18 minutes.

Dr Sant systematically sows doubts in people’s minds but in doing so he is undermining the country’s trust in politicians just as he did in 1996. He (Dr Gonzi) however, will not reply in kind, even it would be easy to do so.

Dr Gonzi then paralleled the Dar Malta decision to Dr Sant’s decision to move the Labour headquarters from the Macina in Senglea to Hamrun. The Macina building was leased and the party had a lot of debts in 1992, when the decision was taken, but Dr Sant did not chose leasing over purchase, as he insists government should have done in Brussels. Instead, he went for purchase even at the cost of piling further debts on Labour, as Dom Mintoff told him.

“The more they attack my family,” Dr Gonzi added, ‘the more steadfast they make me.”

This shows the other side has lost the argument, just like the person who starts screaming in a fight has lost the fight.

Dr Gonzi also replied to Dr Sant’s invitation, last week, for a national conference on the illegal immigrant issue. But he (Dr Gonzi) will respond to this invitation only after having come to know what is the Labour Party proposing as regards this issue.

This is because while Gavin Gulia praised Tonio Borg’s policy on detention, Dr Sant has come out in recent days condemning government.

What does Labour think of detention centres, of open centres, on the access of people in detention centres, on their access to health and school services.

Dr Gonzi also invited Labour to state what does it think on such issues as port reform, health reforms and sustainability, and pensions.