Cutting the cackle on the opera house site

It has been heartening to see the passion provoked by the government's apparent decision to house Parliament in the old opera house site. I simply hope that the Prime Minister - whose personal brain-child, I gather, the idea was - will not now, like the Grand Old Duke of York, simply march his men to the top of the hill... then march them down again. ("And when they were up, they were up. And when they were down, they were down. And when they were only half way up, they were neither up nor down.")

A decision on the future of this site is long over-due. Doing nothing is no longer an option.

On this issue we start from three basic premises; that is, the three propositions which form the basis for our conclusions.

Premise one is that the government has thought carefully about this decision.

Premise two is that it is up to the government to decide what to do with this site.

Premise three is that Din l-Art Helwa has a long-standing position on the kind of architectural structure which should be built here.

I expand below on each of these premises in turn.

The first premise is that a government that plans a major investment amounting to several million liri at a site carrying the kind of emotional baggage which the opera house site stirs up, and at a time of severe public financial constraint, has thought carefully about the implications - both presentational and of financial affordability. That it is not acting on a whim.

Secondly, that the decision on what to do with this site is, again, one which lies with the government. While we may have our own views, it is ultimately for the government to decide. We must assume that if in the scheme of things the government thinks that locating Parliament here is the best option then it has thought through the alternatives and the presentational and practical implications.

That it has weighed up carefully the needs for a Parliament as against a full-blown theatre or a multi-purpose cultural and arts centre (which we would personally have advocated, given a choice). That there are a number of ways of skinning this particular cat. That what would provide the best value for money has been considered by the government within the wider context of an overall master plan for Valletta - including what the subsequent impact on Fort St Elmo would be.

That, indeed, a proper business case for the Parliament building has been made, including a cost-benefit analysis. And that the outcome will stand up to public scrutiny on which the government is prepared to hold itself accountable.

On both these premises, while we do have our views, it is not for Din l-Art Helwa to second-guess the government's financial or political judgement. Governments stand or fall on the basis of such judgements; and how they are subsequently perceived.

The third premise relates specifically to Din l-Art Helwa's fundamental position, to which it has adhered for several years and on which there can be little room for manoeuvre. It is that, whatever is subsequently housed in the old opera house site, the outer fabric of the architectural structure should be compatible with the traditional style and distinctive baroque character of Valletta.

We must at all costs take every care to conserve the unique character of what remains of the City of the Order. The new building must harmonise sympathetically with the historic integrity of a city built of stone. And proper account must be taken of the limited size and scale of Valletta and its uniqueness as a fortified city of World Heritage status.

It follows from what I have written that, provided the third premise on the architectural heritage aspects is closely adhered to - and provided the first two premises on finance and future use have been properly considered - we would support the Prime Minister's wish to proceed with this project as announced. Our views have, we hope, been heard. The time to cut the cackle on this issue has now come.

Inaction is not the answer. Somebody has to make a decision and we believe that Prime Minister Gonzi, with his increasingly Panglossian approach to such matters, is the man to do it.

Mr Scicluna is executive president of Din l-Art Helwa.