Yes, minister

This is what I'm sure is going to be the common reply by all road contractors to Roads Minister Jesmond Mugliett when he tells them to surface our roads in a proper fashion.

If the quality of the works is going to be anything like the "finished'' section of the St Paul's Bay bypass, then once again we are going back to square one, and that means undulating roads and potholes galore.

The minister should not only ensure that the new works are done properly but should also emphasise the importance of daily maintenance. There are no good roads in Malta, and this is the result of very poor planning and non-existent maintenance.

To be fair to all the contractors, the government departments should prepare their plans way before the laying of the tarmac. It is the norm that no sooner is the road done up than a few days later some government department orders the road to be dug up again to fix some drains or put in some piping.

We have arrived to the point where, since nearly all our roads are not fit to drive on, they either have to be re-surfaced or proper and honest maintenance is required. This is an issue in which the government has been very careless.

We must not await the visit of dignitaries for us to have some decent roads. The government should be aware that certain accidents occur because of the state of the roads and one must not forget the maintenance that our cars require after being driven on our lunar surfaces.