I refer to the article entitled “Bubble, bubble, is the Akkademja tal-Malti in trouble?” (TMIS, 18 September). I followed the crisis which afflicted the Akkademja a year ago with great attention: unlike you, I feel I have to thank Prof. Manwel Mifsud for uncovering the irregularities in the administration of our society. It was he who put the Council of the time under great pressure so it would not continue riding roughshod over the members as if nothing was happening. Prof. Mifsud reminded everybody that the Statute was there to regulate the Akkademja’s activities, and not to suppress its members’ will, during a general meeting.

Following Prof. Mifsud’s intervention and the dissolution of the Council of the time, President Emeritus Ugo Mifsud Bonnici nominated an interim committee, which was approved by the members at an Extraordinary General Meeting.

The interim committee was ably led by Dr Bernard Micallef, and it was under its direction that the members agreed to bind themselves to a new Statute that would ensure a transparent administration. Furthermore, instead of one annual journal (not published in recent years even though members continued to pay for it), the interim committee actually managed to publish two numbers and the quality of the publication is decidedly superior to previous ones.

The circulars sent to the members every few months by the interim committee engendered a sense of participation. And today we have a professional website worthy of a venerable society that still has a message to pass on.

These results would not have been possible without the timely intervention of Prof. Mifsud and without the enthusiastic work of professional people who gave their share in the interim committee.

Olvin Vella

BALZAN