What a sensitive flower is Robert Arrigo MP. In the space of four paragraphs (opinion, July 14), he complains three times that his feelings have been “hurt”.

Perhaps, if he so easily takes offence at criticism from (mainly British) tourists and from Opposition MPs he is in the wrong job.

He asks whether The (London) Times would carry such criticism of Britain. He should try looking at it, and any other national newspaper.

They are all packed with letters of complaints, from all nationalities and from all corners of the world. One big difference is that in London the MPs read the papers, take note of criticism, and react to it. They are actually required to do that.

Tourists (and residents, both foreign and local) criticise Malta most frequently when they feel they have been ripped off, or even robbed, when they spend their highly taxed hard-earned savings and arrive to find the place looking like a tip or a building site, and when they don’t get value for money.

Those visitors who protest about so-called “hunting” remind the Maltese that they find the habit distasteful and that, well, they have a choice about where they take their holidays in future.

Foreign tourists (and residents) tend to love Malta, in spite of its many faults; they pass criticism as they would feel entitled to do, to a friend who they feel is on the wrong track.

The opposition, meanwhile, criticises the government because that is its role, in the general scheme of things.

Robert Arrigo is a Nationalist MP. He should be ideally placed to do something about the complaints. Instead of whining about criticism he and his colleagues should consider the potential advantages of attending to it.

Revel Barker

Ghajnsielem, Gozo