Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1544723
ON Friday, the press was full of calls for the resignation of the Superintendent of Cultural Her- itage over its failure to protect the Ġgantija temples from de- velopment in its buffer zone and the prevent the demolition of the British-era barracks at Fort Chambray. The calls were not misplaced, at all. After reading the small print of the superintendent's em- ployment contract—which I have now procured—I am left with one simple question: What is the point of having a watchdog if it is on the leash of the Planning Authority's CEO Johann Buttigieg? Let me be blunt. The Superin- tendence of Cultural Heritage (SCH) was established by Act IV of 2019 to be the state's in- dependent regulator. Its job is to protect our national identity and cultural heritage from bad decisions. It is supposed to tell the Planning Authority (PA) "no" when our heritage is at risk. But the employment contract our superintendent signed on 2 November 2020 reveals an incestuous arrangement that should make the Public Service Commission blush. Who holds the purse strings? Turn to page 10 of the agree- ment. It is not a standard pub- lic service contract. It is a "loan agreement" between the minis- try, the PA, and the superinten- dent himself, Kurt Farrugia. Do not let the bureaucrat- ic language fool you. Clause (c) states that the Planning Authority will reimburse the superintendence for "all the relative costs of the salary and benefits" of the superintendent. Let that sink in. The PA pays the salary of the man who is supposed to regulate them. This is not a grey area. It is a fundamental breach of the sep- aration of powers. How can the superintendent exercise "surveillance over the protection" of sites like Fort Chambray, or advise the PA on safeguarding heritage, when his pay cheque is being signed off by the very authority he is meant to critique? The PA is effectively paying for the regu- lator's approval. Independence is an illusion The contract tries to hide this by saying the officer is "on loan" from the PA. But look at Clause (f): If Mr Farrugia ap- plies for a job at the PA and gets it, he must return to the PA within 12 weeks. He is not an independent regulator; he is a PA employee on a long lunch break with a get out of jail free card up his sleeve. The law demands the superin- tendent be accountable to the state and the nation. This con- tract makes him accountable to the Planning Authority. This explains everything. Why are major developments slipping through with mini- mal heritage conditions? Why is the SCH authoring obituar- ies to justify the demise of our cultural heritage? Because the man holding the red card has his salary paid by the team he is supposed to be refereeing. A house built on sand Culture Minister Owen Bonn- ici and the government cannot hide behind legal niceties. They have created a system where the regulator is financially de- pendent on the institution most needing regulation and reining in. If the government is serious about protecting heritage—and I have my doubts—they will tear up this arrangement im- mediately. The superintendent must be paid directly by the Treasury, not by the authority he is meant to oversee. Until then, every decision the SCH makes is tainted. The fox is not just in the henhouse. The farmer is paying his salary. 11 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 3 MAY 2026 OPINION Patrick Calleja Heritage watchdog in bed with the PA President Din l-Art Helwa Why is the SCH authoring obituaries to justify the demise of our cultural heritage? Because the man holding the red card has his salary paid by the team he is supposed to be refereeing The superintendent must be paid directly by the Treasury, not by the authority he is meant to oversee. Until then, every decision the SCH makes is tainted. The fox is not just in the henhouse. The farmer is paying his salary. Din l-Art Helwa has condemned a tribunal decision to allow the dismantling of rhe British-era barracks at Fort Chambray and blamed the heritage watchdog for 'two decades of failure'