Opinion: Wanton vandalism

In 2021, Afghanistan’s Taliban blew up the ancient statues of the Buddha in the Banyan Valley.  It was an act of vandalism that horrified the world.  Despite worldwide pleas to preserve the historical monuments, the Taliban reduced them to rubble.

The Maltese government is now intent on demolishing the historic barracks at Fort Chambray, showing a staggering disregard for history, culture and the people’s demands.

No number of objections and condemnations will convince the government to stop the destruction of our historical heritage and build more flats and other hotels.

The Opposition is part of the problem, too. The concession was initiated when the PN was in power.

The PN Għajnsielem’s mayor voted in favour of the barracks’ demolition. The PN also voted with Labour to allow Michael Caruana to transfer vast parts of the concession to a group of businessmen and developers instead of taking it back for the nation.

The British barracks at Fort Chambray were built before the birth of Labour. They survived decades.  They even survived the fascist and Nazi bombers in WWII.

People are outraged at the wanton destruction of those historic barracks. Yet the government is unfazed.

It heaps insult onto injury by claiming plans to demolish the barracks “align with the historical vision for the Fort by the Knights of St John”.

The government is defending its destruction of our cultural heritage by pointing out that the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage “reaffirmed its (positive) position” on plans.

“The intention was to unify the entire area within the barracks, creating a more organised and cohesive space that aligns with the historical vision and architectural principles of the Knights of St John”, a government spokesperson said.

Arguing that the move would enhance “the Fort’s overall historical and functional integrity”, the spokesperson argued that “the context has already been completely lost” because the barracks stand higher than the surrounding Fort.

That’s like claiming we should demolish Mdina because it stands higher than the Roman city that stood before it.

In a classic example of Labour’s doublespeak, the ministry declared it “a vital part of our national heritage”, and the ministry was “determined to preserve the legacy while encouraging its integration into modern development for the benefit of the community”.

Which community will benefit from such mindless destruction, except those involved aiming to make a profit out of this?

“We reaffirm our commitment,” the ministry insisted, “to act transparently and in the best interest of Malta’s cultural heritage, ensuring decisions are informed by… professional input”.

That professional input came in the form of an utterly devastating condemnation of Labour’s vandalism by Malta’s leading academics.

The University of Malta’s Department of Art and Art History was scathing in its denunciation of the government’s “wanton destruction of national heritage”.

They expressed deep concern about “the contextual obliteration of what remained of the Fort’s upper part”.  They denounced the “insensitive and dismissive attitude towards significant historic buildings”.

They expressed their dismay at the lack of value that context and history are given and condemned the lack of support by institutions like the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage.  They roundly condemned the Planning Authority for being a puppet.

Among those academics expressing their revulsion of the project was Professor Keith Sciberras, who has just been honoured by the Malta Society of Arts and awarded the Gold Medal by the Republic’s President for his outstanding achievements in the field of history of art.

Labour blames the PN for the barracks’ destruction for failing to schedule the building in 2005.  Yet Labour’s Planning Authority has just turned down a request for the urgent scheduling of the British barracks at Fort Chambray.

The clamour of local NGOs, the general public and our best academics has done nothing to dissuade the government.  Criticism of the government’s decision has even made international headlines.

The State has the ultimate responsibility for the protection of historical monuments.  That responsibility is established in international law and reaffirmed in the 2017 Security Council Resolution 2347.

The destruction of cultural and historic heritage impoverishes all of us.  It damages international values that we are all responsible for protecting.