I am very much pleased to know that the Government had at least decided to change the entrance of Valletta, and the site of the Opera Theatre. I am pleased that the job had been entristed to world-renowned architect Renzo Piano.
I agree with what Dr Joseph Muscat is reported to have said, that it had long been overdue. In my opinion the Opera House should have been rebuilt with the war damage fund, just after the war, as other nations had done; but unfortunately Dr Muscat was not even born. As regards City Gate, this was not bombed but pulled down, some years after; guess why? Because carnival floats could not pass through. One has to be Maltese to decide to pull down the old gate, simply because of that, if there was not another hidden agenda, and build instead a Fascist monster.
My displeasure and also disappointment is when I learned that Valletta is going to forever lose Barry’s architectural masterpiece; and because of that is going to lose its National Theatre, because on its site is going to be a Parliament House because the authorities are saying that we have more theatres, I suppose they are referring to Manoel Theatre and the Mediterrean Centre, but these will never take the place of the Theatre Royal. These two can serve the nation as a place to view soap operas, plays and perhaps operettas, but never reach the pride of a Nation’s Opera House.
I appeal to the authorities to think again, and ask one question to their conscience. Does our City deserves to loose Edward Barry’s architectural gem? Shall we be responsible for this great usurpation?
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