One year of hard work
Time flies. A full year has passed since the 2017 general election and therefore a full twelve months of the Muscat II Government.
Ibelieve that considerable work has been done by all ministries and it feels, in more ways than one, that the first twelve months of the second Muscat government were even better than the first one.
In my case, the ministry which I am responsible for was established in 2015 with the amalgamation of three important portfolio- Justice, Culture (including Broadcasting) and Local Government. That set up was bolstered following the last general election with the inclusion of Consumer Protection and Cleansing services necessitating a second Parliamentary Secretary.
Indeed it is a very rewarding ministry. Through our work, we touch most of the aspects of every citizen’s life and wellbeing.
We are always at work. During the past year a lot of effort has been put in to keep on strengthening our country’s democracy, ensuring a more accessible and inclusive culture for our communities, and to increase efficiency in the judicial sector. This is all being done so that together we keep on offering a better quality of life fit for our country.
Let me focus on some of the main points. the importance of our country’s heritage and is currently working on protecting our intangible cultural heritage through the setting up of a board, which is tasked to implement the national intangible cultural heritage policy. The board will work on how to establish a national structure to start the process of a national inventory, following the advice of UNESCO nominated expert, Marina Calvo. Through this process, a number of elements of our cultural heritage will be proposed for nomination to the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage, hence gaining worldwide recognition.
Moreover, through Heritage Malta’s open days, we can keep on promoting our country’s rich culture and history, events through which our sites and museums are more accessible for everyone to visit, enjoy, and learn about our country’s rich history and culture.
Restoration is a fundamental pillar in the culture sector and it is aiding us to keep on preserving our country’s historical heritage, which in turn is providing us with a legacy for future generations. Thanks to an extensive restoration programme, a number of large projects have been completed in Valletta. Restoration interventions have also been carried out in our localities, where one also finds precious sites that carry historical and cultural significance. a year. We have also seen the opening of a larger Registry for the Family Court, as well as the relocation of the library and training centre.