Il-petition ta' Astrid – really high quality stuff
Mark Anthony Falzon, in The Sunday Times yesterday, wrote an excellent piece about mediocrity in Malta, and how it comes to the fore and holds sway because nobody tells the mediocre that they’re mediocre, that they’re over-reaching themselves, that they’ve been promoted beyond their abilities, to get back where they belong and leave room for those who know what they’re doing. He is so right. You see it everywhere, from the merest restaurant that thinks its food is incredible to the souped-up Super One journalist who thinks he has what it takes to run the country.
And then I saw Astrid’s petition, and I couldn’t for the life of me understand WHY NOBODY IN THE PRESS THOUGHT TO ASK FOR IT and see exactly what those 1,500 signatures were all about. Half of it is actually on line – at least, I’m assuming it’s half and not the whole, given that the FAA claims to have twice the number.
The petition message itself was totally incoherent. It even referred to the as-yet-unpublished-not-yet-carried-out environmental impact assessment as “flawed”, and spoke of heroes buried in the churchyard, when architect Roger de Giorgio, who cleared the ground in the post-war damage-clearance period, said that all he found there were a few bones, which were ‘removed’.
Sending an incoherent message to the incurious and ill-informed is not without its perils. Unfortunately, that applies equally to the St John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation – though, of course, for entirely different reasons.
Now read on, and be really impressed at the way significant decisions are taken in Malta, taking note that some of Astrid’s signatories go by the apparently common name of Anonymous. Mob rule, indeed. And incidentally, Astrid, just in case you can’t interpret these things (but I can), the comments appended to the ‘signatures’ make it amply clear that this is not an anti-museum petition, but an anti-government petition. There is a difference, you know – but perhaps that’s what you wanted.
676 JOSEPH FSADNI MONEY SHOULD BE SPENT ON MORE URGENT PROJECTS LIKE DOING THE ROADS OF TOWNS AND VILLAGES.
604 Bernadette Izzo The Opera House should be rebuilt as a proper Opera House with the original exterior and possibly an interior in keeping with the needs of 21st Century Opera and stage needs. .
616 Anonymous Valletta was built in a haste because of fear of the Turksand so no proper foundations were laid
618 ANTHONY PACE GOUDER What a crazy ,unthinkable and ridiculous idea to have a museum underground ! I know that the TAPESTRIES are priceless,but are they to be treated like the GOLD in Fort Knox U.S.A. ??
626 Francesca Farrugia I believe it would be a shame not to have a proper operahouse in malta. It will be yet another blow to cultural appreciation in our country. Very little is done to promote anything cultural and serious in this country, which is a pity considering the talent there is. I hope that a proper opera house is at least considered elsewhere.
645 Charles Meilak The simplest things to do inorder to enrich Valletta is to copy other European cities, even from computer images
551 Maria Callus Dan li ha niehdu bil MEPA taht il par idejn soddi tieghek sur Prm Ministru?
572 Mario Grungo Please rethink before it is too late. Let the rape of our heritage stop immediately. If there is money to be spent, build the opera house again,
586 connie shame on goverment at least save our heritage the theater is the jealosey of all nations please in the name of god save it our masons are as good as the old ones. my husband is one of them.
524 Joseph Grungo Death to the Infidals for this proposal. We gave away our soul when we joined the EU what more .Let Malta be the Malta I knew as a child, free and bright who could hold her head up amongst Royalty.
526 Peter Savona Shame on the Maltese Government of the last 15 years or so, I came back after 20 years, and all I see in Malta is destruction and pillage of heritage building /sites in the name of development. Some Nazzionalisti are making money!!!, disgusting!.
472 Alexander Darmanin Leave our ancient heroes lie in peace. Many serious problems will arrise if this will be undertaken apart from the fact that it will be a bad omen to do so. you can leave the tappestries hanging where they belong all year round and tourists can visit our sacred island to see them. touring them around will onlt damage them or better still risk loosing them in wrong hands
491 Victor G.Mercieca Do another petition to impeach RCC asap!!!
420 MICHAEL A. CARUANA I am against both projects. Our money should be spent more wisely.
372 lino cassar The knights should be led to rest in peace.
375 elisa attard are cemetaries going to be built upon.do these experts know what they are going to find when they escavate what a shame .why dont they advice the italian goverment to built the colleseum or one of the famous sites. real disgusting
303 Michael Zarb Shame on the monsignori and the government to desacrate the cemetary in the cathedral yard!
304 Anonymous we have other places where we can spend that money,please use them wisely
311 Barry Hardy Who is to gain from this extension?This seems like change just for the sake of change.
321 kevin magro thay have where to spend the eu funds some where alse like roads.
323 Ronald Zampa Wara dak ixgholl li sar tal pavement ma nahsebx li ehmm bzon jerga jenbedel il pavement li u sabieh kif eqad
342 T Dan il-progett l-anqas biss kellu jghaddi minn mohh xi hadd ahseb u ara biex xi hadd jipprova jaghmlu!!!Hemm hafna Palazzi u binjiet storici ohra fil-belt li jistghu iservu bhala muzewijiet u fl-istess hin jitgawdew mill-Publiku Malti u t-Turisti, kif wara kollox ghandu jsir mil-fdalijiet tat-Teatru Rjal ghax jekk isir Parlament, il-membri parlamentari BISS ha jgawduh u hadd aktar!!!!!!!GHAL DARBA ISMA LIL POPLU PM!!
346 Eric Psaila It is an outrageous project. The church had better use the money it is prepared to fork out on this project to help people deal with worries how to pay their loans because they lost their jobs. I just cannot believe that Mgr Calleja is so adamant about this project. Sorry Mgr Calleja but I lost my total respect of you.
254 Albert Gauci Cunningham This project is a disgrace and we will not stand idle and do nothing especially due to the fact that the EIA is ruling out the study of further alternatives. This sorry way of doing things inthis country has to stop. True having all the treasures of this majestic temple is one place sounds nice but at what economic and environmental cost?? PM you should seriously consider the alternatives before giving the go-ahead or even worse maintain your silence!! How can you stay silent when our heritage is in an imminent danger of rape??
272 Carmel Cali Please use the money for more social benefits, health, education, and improvement of roads roads conditions. Too much money is being spent on luxury, and basic needs are being ignored.285 ALFRED PISANI I UNTIRELY DISAGREE WITH THIS PROJECT, ITS NOT FEASABLE ,IT SHOULD BE SCRAPED.
288 ray spiteri have any conservators been consulted about the impact on displaying the actual artefacts in a subterrean environment? What happens to the exhibition environment when air conditioners and air ducts stop working?
295 Anonymous this project is a sense less waist of money and can put at risk the living of many people working in Valletta. the tapestries can be hanged in their original place and or instead of the fondazjoni offices220 Anonymous Our heritage must be preserved at any cost! Modernisation can not always be convenient! The church should not allow such a thing to happen or soon they will be turned into religious markets!
204 houtzaager this plan (what plan? The petition doesn’t mention any.) will rehabillitate the cityand make a bigger part of the city liveble and lively not only the top part close to the gate.I endorse it fully.
224 Lila Whitney-Long Why is this desecration even being considered????
238 Mrs.C.Mallia I Strongly disagree ! Apart from the risks of damaging one of our jewels, there are more urgent projects to be carried out. What about the roads????
164 Rowena Mamo It is Holy Ground…… St Johns Cathedral is not falling down so it is sheer folly to touch it ! Especially if there are other beautiful places like St Elmo which is a shambles. Also it is a burial ground for heros.
187 Anthony Borg Money could be better spent creating Jobs
194 paul busuttil check maghtab for bad quality air from old and new land fill, cement factories and the continous flow of heavy vehicles.
134 m saliba use the money elsewhere to reduce several waiting lists like health and old age homes;
59 Judith Buttigeig The excavations proposed are in High Risk insurance category. Who pays if part of our beautiful Co-Cathedral collapses ? The tapestries require strict humidity controlled conditions, so why not rehabilitate nearby empty building(s) and leave the graveyard at peace. The existing Museum displays presented in an amateur way no doubt due to lack of funds or imagination ? JB
69 adriana LET SACRED PLACES IN PEACE! CONSTRUCTION HAS HAD NO RESPECT FOR THE LIVING, LET US AT LEAST SHOW SOME RESPECT FOR THE DEAD!82 C Evans This project has to be stopped because of the damage it might cause to existing works, and to save scarce funds for more urgent repairs elsewhere.
87 Andrew Hili Shame….utter shame if this project is materialised! Let us all join together in this disastrous and catastrophic venture to see it come to its fruition! [I love this one.]
8 Miriam Cremona Both are unsustainable and extravagant projects. One is a desecration of the burial ground of the heroes of the Great Siege and the other will place at great risk the Cathedral itself and also the Flemish tapestries which the Foundation intend burying in the underground vaults. Shame that the projects were selected for EU funding by the Monitoring Committee within the OPM when other major monuments in Valletta are on the point of collapse.
29 Andrew Azzopardi Those whom the gods seek to destroy they first make mad…36 Marcello Cauchi Savona we cannot allow people or organisations to do as they please, and disrupt the peace of others.
39 Anonymous Stop the desecration of the tomb of the Great Siege Heros.
45 Anonymous I used to believe that churvhes are built to honour God and not to make a quick buck.
23 Comments Comment
Leave a Comment
Is there no space for opinion in this country?
[Daphne – Oh, there is loads of space. But I don’t think I want to live in a country where technical decisions are taken on this basis. When I’m worried about a pain in my leg, I don’t consult the people round the vegetable truck, or ask for a popular vote. I go to a doctor.]
Daphne
Hasra li ma tkellimtx qabel fuq din il-bicca tax-xoghol! Vera hasra! Kieku jien il-gvern Belgjan, nwaqqaf il-fondi li qed jintuzaw biex jigu restawrati l-arazzi! F’dawn il-mumenti jiddispjacini li m’ ghandniex il-bajd nimxu il-quddiem f’dan il pajjiz! Issa xi ftit tax-xhur ohra nergaw nibdew ingergru li l-irham tal-paviment tal-kon-katedral qieghed isirlu hafna hsara. U mhux hekk hux? And back to square one! Nerga nsostni li hasra li ma tkelimtx qabel, ghax forsi kultant l-influenza li tista iggorr mieghek inti hija ikbar milli fil-fatt hi ta’ Astrid and co! My only comment is JIDDISPJACINI.
[Daphne – Anke jien jiddispjacini, u ma tergax tkun, nassiggurak. Nies bhal dawn huma ta’ periklu ghall-process demokratiku, ghax m’ghandhomx l-icken ideja ta’ kif suppost immorru l-affarijiet. U l-injoranza pessma u l-qrid juru kemm huma maghluqin go bozza, qishom qieghdin jghixu go xi hick town fil-Mid West tal-Amerika.]
@ COMMENT 616
“Valletta was built in a haste”…u mur saqqi il-hass tal-Marsa, ara! Ghax se ggaluni nizbalja issa!
Incoherent manifest stupidity.
Malta’s opinion on this project:
“We must not disturb La Vallette’s holy ground or his spirit will come out and haunt us using illegal immigrants.”
Mhur hudu f’oxx demmek ja mara liba……………u kera. fucking horse face.
Ifga f’demmek. Next in line – the opera house site.
[Daphne – I wouldn’t ordinarily upload a comment like this. But I think it’s important for Astrid and the petite-bourgeoisie of Sliema to know what sort of support they have, don’t you think? Well done, Astrid.]
The government represents the people, and if the people do not want the project the government should not do it. Besides technicalities, there are other important things to consider in a democracy. Governments are not chosen by a panel of technical experts but by the people in general.
[Daphne – Ho hum. Back to square one. How do you know the people were against the project? Do you know something I don’t – or have your Astrid and Sant’s ex wife suddenly become seers?]
One of the names that caught my eye above is that of a 4×4 fanatic, who never comes across as having an ounce of culture in him. It’s amusing that he signed the petition, and yet he apparently thinks nothing of off-roading at every opportunity, with the inevitable harm it causes to the environment. Now maybe that’s an issue the FAA should take on.
[Daphne – The FAA are town-dwellers. Their definition of the environment is buildings]
Thank goodness I’m not a teacher… the teachers of some of these people commenting must surely be rolling in their graves. They have no idea of Maltese history, and just the most basic grasp of the English language. I wonder if they can count to five…
I nearly got sick reading the stupid comments you have reproduced here. So these are the opinions of people who have blocked MEPA’s EIA process. And they hope to do the same to the city gate project. And then what next?
FAA have built their case on misinformation, misinterpretation and frightening people on what could happen … Just one example: FAA speaks of a barriera, a bunker, hames sulari taht l-art – for tapestries that are only six metres high! Perhaps FAA will now identify and propose a palazzo that is as large as a barriera and as high as five storeys to accommodate the 29 pieces of tapestries, 14 of which are 6.5 metres wide and 6 metres high. Never have so many pseudo-intellectuals allowed a rabble-rouser to lead them. I’m confident that most of the FAA supporters do not know what they have signed. I think it’s time the silent majority woke up.
No idea of Maltese history, culture, simple geography and English, you mean. The petition seems to have been signed by retards and half-wits who believe in fuzzy romantic notions of knights, heroes, damsels in distress, secret passages (maybe they read too much Enid Blyton when young) BUT with degrees in classical architecture, baroque structures, geology, hydrology, and engineering ….. Wouldn’t be surprised to see that woman who reads crystal balls in with them as well.
Daphne – FAA accused the foundation of hiding the project from the public. Another lie. This news report from the Sunday Times is dated 3rd December 2006. Could it be more public? As if anything is secret on this blessed island.
The petition was supposedly about the St John’s museum but there were remarks like:
Bernardette Izzo – the opera house should be rebuilt
Francesca Farrugia – it would be a shame not to have an opera house
Mario Grungo – build the opera house
Connie – the theatre is the jealousy of all nations …save it (sic)
Michael Caruana – i am against both projects
T – kif wara kollox ghandu jsir mil-fdalijiet tat-Teatru Rjal
Did these people know what they were signing? They seem to be saying that the opera house should be built in St John’s square. At least one person was actually in favour of the museum project and wanted it to come to fruition. Was he told that he was signing against rather than for the project?
Throughout the remarks there was the usual surfeit of question marks and exclamation marks which characterises some of the comments on The Times website. A certain Alexander Darmanin wrote that tourists visit “our sacred island”, an expression straight from the vocabulary of Imperium Europa. He also issued a warning: “Leave our ancient heroes lie in peace. Many serious problems will arrise….it will be a bad omen..”. The curse of the ancient heroes perhaps?
A petition written by ‘airheads’, signed by ‘airheads’ and accepted by ‘airheads’. Oh, I love this rock.
Unfortunately, airheads exist everywhere….not just on that rock!
@Steve
You are absolutely right. And those airheads need to be deflated…everywhere.
Steve/Andrea,
Ah! But these are very special airheads. Their elevators do not go all the way to the top, despite the empty space.
Is this a part of the actual petition? As far as I know for a petition to be valid it should include names, surnames, addresses and I.D. Card numbers. It would have been funny if it wasn’t so sad. Re 295 “waist of money” Lol. This is one of the instances when I feel ashamed to say that I am Maltese.
[Daphne – Yes, it is an actual, real part of the petition. It’s on the FAA’s website – or at least, around 700 ‘signatories’ are. Maybe they have the other 800 ‘signatures’ on bits of paper lying around the house. Have you noticed that they don’t even know what they’re signing? The opera house, fumes at Maghtab, the roads, Gonzipn, the infidels….And another thing, nobody in government has a copy of this petition. I’ve asked. So Mrs Vella didn’t even hand it to the government. She just announced it. And nobody in the press checked its validity.]
All this should be published, so if Ms Vella thinks she is not a liar, she can sue for libel.
[Daphne – She was on TVM with Saviour Balzan on Reporter this evening – repeating her lie that the project was never announced, despite the fact that there are cuttings to prove that it was.]
“420 MICHAEL A. CARUANA I am against both projects. Our money should be spent more wisely”
Our money? Some of these people don’t even have a clue that this was going to be an EU-funded project.
Marku Monday, 16 February 2254hrs
“Our money? Some of these people don’t even have a clue that this was going to be an EU-funded project.”
Am I mistaken into thinking that Malta, right now, is a net contributer to EU funds?
[Daphne – Oh my god! You listen to Joseph Muscat. Unbelievable.]
Hi Daphne.
I am wondering how you never heard of that pain-in-the-neck Miriam Cremona, who speaks with a ‘know it all’ accent, as if she is the all-mighty saviour.
Regarding the petition, a member of my family was mentioned and quoted. I know her extremely well, and she had no political agenda behind it (she doesn’t care about politics, in fact). She would have signed only because she may have been led to believe that the petition was for the opera house, a cause which she has very much to heart.
You should set up your own NGO to tackle misinformation and ignorance, as unfortunately blogs are not accessed by all of those who are pestered by some idiot handling a petition file as though it’s an axe to chop off your head.
[Daphne – Re Miriam Cremona. I remain a well-brought-up girl at heart and so must overcome many inhibitions before tackling old ladies. It would be like punching the smaller boy with spectacles in the schoolyard. I have no such inhibitions when it comes to women who are more or less my contemporaries, because it seems like a fairer and more decent match.]
Daphne comments – “Re Miriam Cremona. I remain a well-brought-up girl at heart and so must overcome many inhibitions before tackling old ladies. It would be like punching the smaller boy with spectacles in the schoolyard. I have no such inhibitions when it comes to women who are more or less my contemporaries, because it seems like a fairer and more decent match”.
Daphne, you do not mention whether a well-brought-up girl tackles old men.
[Daphne – Yes, because of the cultural misconception that any man of whatever age is always ‘stronger’ than any woman of any age, and so it doesn’t look disgraceful, as any perceived ‘attack’ on an older lady invariably does. In fact, I rather suspect that part of the public affairs problem that the St John’s Cathedral Foundation had to contend with was their inability – they are all gentlemen – to come across as ‘attacking’ a female pipsqueak. Had the St John’s Cathedral Foundation been composed of women my age, Astrid Vella would have been minced meat long ago.]