I was reading with interest Emmanuel J. Galea's opinion piece on 'The shameful betrayal of Fort Chambray' (published on 5th January 2025) in which he makes a case for how greed and silence destroy Gozo's heritage. And there are quite a good number of points on which I find myself agreeing with the author.
Indeed, greed and silence do not help Gozo's heritage. But neither do half-truths, or uninformed opinionated voices on the matter. And since my Office was thrust into the fray, I feel compelled to clarify.
The story of Fort Chambray has its aches and pains, some of them caused by holes that were drilled far before it earned the latest spot of national attention; perhaps even when Fort Chambray was closer to Mr Galea's home than it has been in recent history.
On the construction projects close to Ġgantija temples, correctly defined as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the author claims that "the UNESCO Gozitan ambassador stayed silent, despite the global recognition of the Ġgantija temples". And it is here that where the author veers from an opinion to an outright incorrect fact. I should want to believe that this is because he is simply not aware of the facts, rather than because he does not want to look out for them. Hence my effort in trying to fill in some blanks for whomever has Malta's World Heritage genuinely at heart.
The National World Heritage Technical Committee, which I chair (under the remit of the Ministry for National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government), had been consistently advising the government and its authorities on projects close to the Ġgantija Temples since 2021. Thanks to the scrupulous debates of the members that sit at the Technical Committee, safeguards have been put in place, plans have been altered, development has been reduced, and mitigations applied. It is no coincidence that excavations and underground garages no longer find themselves in this project. It is also no coincidence that an eventual permit that had been granted, was even revoked, so that the project will go through the Heritage Impact Assessment process to further help identify, limit, and correct any potential impact on the Outstanding Universal Values of the site in question. UNESCO's World Heritage Centre has been in continuous contact with Malta, and for this, our authorities have been commended.
Therefore, while the UNESCO Gozitan ambassador has been painted by the author as silent in blissful omertà, he was making sure correspondence and communication between Maltese authorities and UNESCO ran smoothly, so that the World Heritage properties we so much cherish would be safeguarded by more than just vox populi, to the undisputed standards of the highest international intergovernmental bodies.
I, for one, have nothing but praise for activists, NGOs and the rest, who, to great personal sacrifice (and sometimes risk) lend their face and voice to the noble quest of safeguarding our heritage. However, while battles need knights in shining armours on the front lines, they also need other agents, in other roles. The role of Malta's Ambassador to UNESCO - whoever they may be - is not to take centre stage, to be an opinionist or a columnist, but rather to ensure that those who are backstage are on cue and secure the transmission of the country's position to the intergovernmental organisation that is UNESCO.
Further still, it might be useful for all those who have Ġgantija at heart to know that the proposed development went through a robust Heritage Impact Assessment process. Still, national authorities requested further clarifications, and once these were satisfied, the Heritage Impact Assessment, with its recommendations, were submitted to the World Heritage Centre and its advisory bodies. It is only in that impartial manner that we can make sure that any development close to the Ġgantija temples will not have a permanent negative impact on their values, which are deemed Outstanding and Universal - hence their recognition as World Heritage Sites. And while Malta's sovereignty and the responsibility of Maltese authorities cannot be shirked, in order to quell suspicions of any wrongdoing, our national authorities are awaiting the advice of UNESCO's World Heritage Centre on this matter.
To this end, putting all those who happen to be in the ranks of the national authorities in one basket is neither just nor efficient. There are upright people who luckily happen to be at the driving seat of one authority or other, and the author's approach risks alienating them from a pro-heritage alliance that would be much healthier and stronger with them on the inside rather than the outside. Anyone of sound mind and at least average wisdom will look out for people of goodwill, rather than haphazardly fire at anything that moves. Unnecessarily creating adversaries and killing potential allies is not wise, as long as the fire-at-anything-that-moves is not the final motive in disguise.
There have been people of good moral standing who had been firing at anything that moves, but were wise enough to stop and think. They not only grew to appreciate what happens behind the scenes but wilfully became part of the solution. I salute these people because with them backstage, we are as strong as with the louder agents on the public pulpit.
I commend the members sitting on the National World Heritage Technical Committee for their integrity and unflinching resolve. While committee meetings may not be public, their advice is intricately minuted for maximum accountability, traceability and posterity. It is, in great part, thanks to them that we still have what we have, including a healthy relationship with UNESCO based on a mutual understanding that development is something to be supported, only as long as it does not detract from the Outstanding Universal Values of our World Heritage sites.
Mgr Dr Joe Vella Gauci is Ambassador of Malta to UNESCO and Chairperson of the National World Heritage Technical Committee