The solution is simple. Our parks and monuments need to be under surveillance through the installation of CCTV cameras.

Only a week after Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi inaugurated the beautifully done up Hastings Gardens, some ignorant and despicable vandal decided to graffiti spray obscene (and badly spelt) remarks on the funerary monument of British General Francis Rawdon, Marquis of Hastings, who served as governor of Malta for three years before his death in 1826. Rawdon was interred in Malta and his family built the monument in his name.

But this was not the only thing to be damaged – uplighters were destroyed while pavements were also covered in graffiti.

This newspaper has printed editorial after editorial in an attempt to urge the authorities to take more preventive action.

Of course, this newspaper cannot condemn the vandals enough. They are nothing but despicable little-minded people who have nothing better to do with life than simply going around damaging things.

Irrespective of how much it cost to do up the garden, one simply cannot understand the latent desire by some to destroy things that improve both their own, and other people’s standard of living.

Some might immediately point the finger at youths – and it may well be that it was youths with nothing better to do. But the remarks that were sprayed on the monument indicate that it seemed to be more that someone had an axe to grind with the former governor.

Whatever the case may be, Malta has seen far too many important national monuments vandalised.

There was the Mnajdra temple – sheer madness where people as yet still unknown displaced megaliths. There was the Porte des Bombes where, again, people unknown daubed it with tar. Luckily this came out, but it was a very close call. Other incidents include the setting on fire of tyres in the defunct Maghtab landfill and the dumping of building materials on newly built roads.

Are the Maltese people mad? All these monuments, or commodities that were damaged are of value to us all – it’s not like only few people benefit from enjoying them.

The Malta Independent has campaigned to have CCTV systems installed at monuments around Malta and one was in fact put up by Portes des Bombes and this has prevented any further attack. Also, cameras are to be put up around the temples once the new security perimeters are built.

But this is a mistake. Why, in this country, do we only take precautionary (sic) measures after such incidents take place? They key is to install such monitoring systems while revamps are taking place and incorporate them into the total cost. Surely, it is more cost effective to do that rather than to have to replace street furniture and waste man hours in scraping off graffiti paint.

There is also another element – much like when arson attacks take place – no one in this country seems to notice anything or ever see anything. Then we have the cheek to gossip about the Gozitans for not telling Maltese where people live if they are looking for a house – “I see nothing” is the usual riposte when people are asked for information and that is wrong.

There is an old adage, and it is one that is still very much relevant in today’s day and age. Prevention is better than cure.