Alternattiva Demokratika this morning criticised the closure of the university during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

In a statement this morning, Prof. Cassola said: "Closing down our country because of two international meetings being held in Malta is not dignifying at all. For the Maltese government, closing down all our schools to give the impression that there are less cars on our roads is not enough.

"University has also been forced to close down, and this goes against the supposed autonomy that an institution like the University should have."

He said AD also deplores the fact that the Malta Book Festival would be closing down before originally scheduled because of a serious lack of planning, especially considering that Sunday afternoon was usually the most popular day.

"This sudden change denotes a serious lack of coordination between different entities within the same government. AD maintains that, apart from the damage caused to local publishing houses, such lack of planning can weaken the trust of foreign publishing houses that are participating in the festival and investing money in the event.

"It does not make sense for our country to try and attract foreign investment on one hand and discouraging it because of bad planning, on the other. Our country deserves better", Prof. Cassola said.