Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1514108
LAST Thursday's GWU daily l-orizzont carried a story on its back page saying that the Fi- nance Ministry has announced that it will be issuing a tender calling for the restoration of Selmun Palace. The value of the tender is estimated to be some €575,255. The Palace has been aban- doned for quite some time. Air Malta closed the Selmun Pal- ace Hotel - that included the palace - and subsequently sold it to the government in 2011, in an exercise that was intended as part of the attempt to shore up Air Malta's ever increasing deficit. I am all in favour of restoring old historic buildings, so long as one knows what the restored building is going to be used for, and also by whom when it belongs to the State, as in this case. More so if the restoration aims at protecting the proper- ty's historical significance and aesthetics by preserving its original materials. This may include upgrading or replace- ment of elements that are dam- aged beyond repair. Selmun Palace looks beau- tiful from a distance but it is dilapidated internally. Howev- er, looking beautiful is not al- ways enough if the building no longer fits the country's needs. Older buildings can also be ex- pensive to maintain, but I do not think that, in this case, an- yone agrees that it is to be de- molished! Regeneration is an impor- tant element of conserving our architectural heritage. It gives a new lease of life to old buildings and ensures their continued re-use, which is in the national interest. It allows current and future generations to experience and benefit from the physical expression of past generations. Architectural conservation is extremely important in pre- serving our historic buildings. Put simply, it is about restor- ing old and historic buildings using appropriate methods and materials to preserve the build- ing. It is essentially about mak- ing the best of the buildings we already have. Heritage building conservation enables people to restore these buildings while at the same time bringing them into the twenty-first century. Building conservation should aim to restore our cultural her- itage while also adding value to the building and its surround- ings. Another issue that strikes me is that the call for bids is being issued by the Ministry of Finance with the Minister of Tourism, Clayton Bartolo, just applauding the idea - at least as reported in l-orizzont. The Ministry responsible for the Lands Authority - which is responsible for all govern- ment property - seems to be completely out of the equation. How do the responsibilities and the abilities of the people at the Ministry of Finance fit into this? I do not think it is the re- sponsibility of the Ministry of Finance to issue such a tender, but under the current admin- istration every Minister has become a demigod. Who has compiled the bill of quantities for the job? Has the Ministry of Finance any employees who do this or who can monitor the works that will be carried out by the successful bidder? The obvious question is: why is the tender not being issued by the Ministry responsible for Heritage Malta? Obviously, any clear-headed person would conclude that this contract should have been issued by Heritage Malta with the Ministry of Finance provid- ing the funds. Selmun Palace is scheduled as a Grade 1 building and its pro- posed re-use, as far as I know, is not officially in the public realm. There are two possibil- ities. One is that there is no decision on the re-use of the Palace. This makes the expense intended to restore it a sheer waste of money. The other is that its re-use is part of some unannounced project that will benefit someone in the govern- ment's 'good' books. Nothing is being said of the obtrusive and decrepit adjacent hotel built in the Mintoff years. In my opinion this should be demolished completely. If the Palace needs a hotel or some other commercial ven- ture to be maintained, it should be designed with taste and with the full awareness of the status of Selmun Palace as a listed his- torical building. Is this the ultimate aim of the renovation of Selmun Palace? Just a dead horse! The news that a neglected horse died on New Year's Day after months of starvation has shocked many. According to reports, a horse rescue team attempted to save the severely neglected horse that had endured two years of unspeakable suffering. These details result from a Facebook piece posted by horse rescuer Korin Farrugia and has pro- voked a public reaction. It has ignited debates once again for the need of stricter regulations and greater awareness regard- ing animal welfare. After its death, a veterinarian discovered that the horse had resorted to consuming stones, glass, and pieces of wood in a desperate bid for survival. The horse's tragic story also shed light on the challenges faced by animal rescue organ- isations, which often operate with limited resources and struggle to accommodate the overwhelming number of ani- mals in need. The rescuer also shared a personal regret, ironically re- vealing that the horse had been offered for rescue almost two years ago by the original own- er. But the horse couldn't be taken in because of capacity constraints at the time. What about the official side of this story? On its website, the Animal Welfare Directorate says it is 'continuously committed to provide an efficient and ef- fective service to the general public'. It boasts that through all its services, the Directorate ensures that all Maltese and Gozitans find readily-available and easily-accessible necessary information and assistance re- lated to animal welfare. During the COVID pandem- ic, the Directorate boasted that it had launched an initia- tive through which it support- ed dog or cat owners living on their own, in the eventuality that these pet owners required medical attention in hospital. It seems that for the Animal Welfare Directorate only cats and dogs are animals. Privately owned horses - and even exotic animals - are not on their ra- dar! From what one can surmise from the various reports in the media, the Animal Welfare Di- rectorate did not raise a finger to try to save this horse. Yet the Animal Welfare Di- rectorate on its website boasts that it strives to continue of- fering an effective and effi- cient service, and to provide information and necessary as- sistance to further protect the well-being of animals. Tell it to the marines! 9 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 7 JANUARY 2024 OPINION Restoring Selmun Palace Michael Falzon micfal45@gmail.com Selmun Palace has been abandoned for years