Letters to the editor – June 18, 2026

Neglected heritage

Ray Bondin of Għajnsielem writes:

Heritage is not only monumental buildings or archaeo­logical sites but also all those elements that are part of our history. These elements are an essential and important part of our heritage. But we do not seem to care and protect them.

The Kerċem 'barumbara' tower was in a dangerous state.

There used to be many a barumbara (pigeon lift) in Gozo as well as in Malta. But most have disappeared. Up to a few days ago, there was a barumbara tower in Kerċem that was in a dangerous state next to the road. This was the tallest such barumbara that I know of. It should have been restored but it has been destroyed forever. I do not know if it was scheduled.

Trying to find comfort in defeat

Eddy Privitera of Naxxar writes:

The PN, journalists, opinionists and online trolls keep using the 2022 general election result as the benchmark when commenting about the 2026 result, which gave the Labour Party an almost 22,000 vote majority victory.

I have always maintained that the 2022 general election result, a majority of nearly 40,000 votes, was  a fluke. The reason is quite obvious. That election was held at a time when the PN was still embroiled in an internal civil war. 

Thousands of Adrian Delia supporters were still adamant not to back Bernard Grech, who had ousted Delia with the help of those infamous ‘Blue Heroes’, who  had even gone to the then president of Malta... to ask him to remove Delia from his position as opposition leader. And had suggested installing Therse Comodini Cachia as leader of the opposition.

The same can be said of the general election results of 2013, when former premier Lawrence Gonzi had been forced to resign when Franco Debono had voted against the budget proposal presented by the PN government December 10, 2012. 

A similar fluke was the 1998 general election result, when Alfred Sant’s Labour government had held a one-seat majority, and Dom Mintoff decided to use that situation to vote against the government, knowing that the prime minister had declared the vote on the Vittoriosa marina project a vote of confidence in his government. 

The PN obtained a majority of 12,817 votes over the Labour Party – the biggest majority the PN has ever achieved over the PL. 

This is why I consider that the last benchmark the PN, journalists and opinionists should really be considering, is not the 2022 general election result, but the local councils election of 2024, when Labour won with a majority of 20,255 votes over the PN. 

The local council election is an almost perfect replica of the general election. 

The parties contest 13 electoral districts, and elect a number of local councillors depending on the number of residents in each town and village. 

The European Parliament election does not affect the governance of Malta. That is why the result of 2024 giving Labour just a 8,454 majority, was also a fluke. On the same occasion, Labour obtained a 20,255 votes majority in the local councils election.

As regards the PN’s performance under Alex Borg’s leadership, the PN has won almost the same number of votes won by the PN in 2017 under Simonn Busuttil’s leadership ‒ 2017: 135,696, 2026: 136,723.

So attempting to benchmark the May 30 vote against the 2022 result, is a glaringly transparent effort to find comfort in defeat.