Destruction through bureaucracy

Government bureaucracy in Malta, knowing no bounds, leaves many victims in its wake. One such victim is the quickly deteriorating St Anthony Battery at Ras il-Qala. It was the subject of a long article that appeared recently in the magazine published by Qala Council.

The hard-working local council, led by mayor Paul Buttigieg, has been trying for the past seven years to save the battery from utter destruction, but instead of collaboration it met a maze of bureaucracy that would kill the initiative of many. Not however that of the Qala Council.

In the book Qala, the village of valleys and views, written by Gozo historian Joseph Bezzina and published by the same council, the battery is described as one of three still standing on Gozo and Comino. It had been planned by the Order of St John for a long time, but the project could not be financed, notwithstanding its dire necessity at the eastern entrance to the Gozo-Comino Channel.

The situation was redressed by Grand Master Antonio Manoel de Vilhena, who offered to build the battery at his expense and after whom it was eventually named. Construction work was undertaken during 1732 under the direction of the Order's military engineer, Charles de Mondion.

The battery had two barrack rooms and 11 gun embrasures, now largely demolished. There is a small, horizontal sundial, partly carved out of a hard stone slab, on the parapet wall between two of these embrasures.

Two coats-of-arms, one of the Order and the other of de Vilhena were placed beside each other just above the doorway. These arms, together with an inscription, have gone missing.

The battery is now in utter ruin. Qala Council had been denied from carrying out repairs as the rightful owners of the battery are seemingly unknown. When queried, the Lands Department quickly washed its hands, saying it has no documentation to prove Government ownership.

Did the Lands Department commission a thorough research on the ownership of the battery? It is extremely doubtful. There is no doubt that, when the Knights built the battery, they appropriated the land on which it was built.

This is the view of an expert on the Knights of St John, contacted by The Sunday Times. This was a military outpost for the defence of the Gozo-Malta Channel and, as such, it was property of the Knights.

Its possession passed into the hands of the British colonial government and, after independence, into those of the Government of Malta. It is thus beyond logic to presume that a military outpost is private property.

The same expert has assured The Sunday Times that no deed exists to prove that the British or the Malta governments ever passed ownership of the battery on to third parties.

At the moment, the area at Ras il-Qala is the object of long-drawn court proceedings between the Archbishop's Curia and a Maltese landlord who is claiming ownership.

The landlord is seemingly claiming that he is also the owner of the piece of land on which the battery is built and hence of the battery itself, though we stand to correction on this point. Qala Council has never seen a deed proving the transfer of ownership of the battery to third parties.

This is or was the problem in a nutshell. Is it possible that the legal office of the Republic of Malta cannot prove the simple fact that no ownership deed of the battery exists? Can it not prove that as a military post it is the property of the Republic of Malta?

In the past, Qala Council sought the help of the Museums Department (now Heritage Malta). It showed no interest. MEPA did the same initially; they told the council that they could do nothing about it.

It was only the national heritage society, Din l-Art Helwa, which helped the council draw up a report on the battery and suggested ways restore it.

The council, meanwhile also sought funds from Europa Nostra, the European Heritage Society. It promised help. Qala Council's persistence finally bore fruit. President Dr Eddie Fenech Adami has, through Government Notice No 433 (April 27), acquired a plot of land of 1,470 square metres at Ras il-Qala. It naturally includes the battery.

Through the personal interest of Minister Tonio Borg, the land with the battery on it will soon be passed on under the title of possession and use to the Qala council for its eventual restoration.

Another piece of good news is that MEPA is prepared to share responsibility for its restoration and is making an initial contribution of Lm7,000.

All's well that ends well! Thumbs up to Qala Council for its persistence and for its success in scaling the Government's bureaucracy.