Plight of Valletta

On the very day that The Times published an upbeat supplement on Valletta, and the city mayor, Paul Borg Olivier, claimed that our capital city is "experiencing a new renaissance", the President of Malta, Professor Guido de Marco, was complaining, in the same paper, that "it is humiliating for the Maltese people and future generations that the will has not yet been found to take Fort St Elmo out of its present state of neglect" (The Times, October 25).

UNESCO declared Valletta as a World Heritage Site. The city is a veritable showcase of baroque architecture and its impressive fortifications rank among the world finest examples of military engineering. In its heyday, it was the pride of Europe.

Alas, it is so no more.

President de Marco pointed out that Fort St Elmo should be treated as sacred land because Knights and Maltese had given up their lives in the most historic episodes in the country's history. Upper St Elmo has been saved with the setting up of the Police Academy, the rest of the fort has been left to rack and ruin and is in a humiliating state.

It is by no means the only humiliation of its kind. The ruins of the former Royal Opera House, which dominates the approach to the heart of the city, are an affront to our national dignity.

They provide living proof of our inability to move with the times and to develop a prime site that had been derelict since World War Two.

The City Gate area, through which millions of visitors pass throughout the year, is in a permanent state of bedlam, unworthy of the city's noble origins.

Grandiose plans have been announced at intervals to develop this area. One of them, associated with the name of Renzo Piano, raised the ire and objections of conservationists. It was dropped "for lack of funds" and silently consigned to oblivion.

Many Valletta houses have been abandoned and some are uninhabitable. Most pavements are broken, presenting dangers to passers-by. The mayor of Valletta has reported that there are some 50,000 linear metres of pavements, and, to carry out a comprehensive repaving project would cost an estimated Lm3.5 million.

Although some outstanding rehabilitation work has been undertaken, including St James Cavalier and the church of Santa Caterina d'Italia, the city council has been unable to upgrade the pavements surrounding these buildings, for lack of money.

There is a sharp contrast between the mayor's claims that "Valletta is experiencing a new renaissance" and that "Valletta has again become stronger than ever" with the above litany enumerating the city's misfortunes.

It would be unfair to lay the blame for all this - or most of it, anyway - on the city's mayor. This is a story of indecisiveness and poor judgment by politicians of all persuasions and administrators.

Valletta's problems have all been identified. They were not tackled because the will was not there to take the initiative, to co-ordinate the necessary efforts in terms of a plan that could be carried out in planned stages, and to marshal all necessary resources.

There could be no forward movement unless the powers-that-be set up an organising agency capable of taking in the full picture and establishing an order of priority for the things that have to be done.

Valletta's 'problems' fall under three main categories:

(a) Conservation: As a World Heritage site, Valletta's unique features must be protected from the greed of developers, the wantonness of vandals and the ravages of nature.

(b) Housing: Valletta could not aspire to be a living city if the exodus of its inhabitants continues. The rehabilitation of uninhabited houses is a challenge to be faced with urgency. Incentives may be needed to restore old palazzos making them serviceable for use as offices and, possibly, a few as embassies. Without the availability of satisfactory car parking facilities, progress in this direction will, at best, be slow.

(c) Reactivation: A 'renaissance', as conceived by the mayor, implies giving city life a new impetus. It means more business and social activity by people drawn into Valletta for cultural, entertainment and business purposes. Once again, car parking facilities and impediments to the free circulation of transport within Valletta are bound to inhibit initiative.

The apparent difficulty encountered by the Mediterranean Conference Centre to generate a steady business routine needs addressing. Valletta offers spectacular harbour views on both sides of the promontory. What has kept enterprising businessmen from opening restaurants and cafes, attracting tourists and businessmen alike with quality, service and stunning views? Why can't Valletta offer more open-air folklore and pageantry displays associated with its past history?

The government could be a motivating force behind all this and would be expected to come up with part of the resources to get things moving. But it is private enterprise that moves the earth.

Private initiative includes both pushers and doers. The lobbies push forward. The doers forge ahead with positive initiatives. Din l-Art Helwa and Wirt Artna are interested in our heritage. The Chamber of Commerce and other business organisations ought to be the spearheads for progress whose implementation will depend on small and medium-sized businessmen.

The sad vicissitudes of Valletta bear witness to a long story of neglect and ongoing dereliction. An island that aspires to be an upmarket tourist destination must put its best foot forward and be businesslike. Seeing is believing. Big talk and daydreaming do not deliver the goods.