Much more than just a road: Council lashes out at Kristina Chetcuti over Floriana article

The Floriana local council has lashed out at comments by Kristina Chetcuti in a Times of Malta opinion piece, saying it “categorically condemns any comment and tone that is intended to ridicule the locality and its people.”

Chetcuti, a Times of Malta columnist and the partner of former Opposition Leader Simon Busuttil, wrote that the government had shelved a proposed project that would see St Anne’s road turned into a public garden.

She referred to Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia as “nothing but a spineless whimper of a man who plays the part of the cool green dude, posing for cool PR pics …”

However, what seems to have irked the Floriana council is the part where she wrote that, to her, Floriana is “nothing but that 400m strip that is St Anne’s road: winner year-in-year-out of the most polluted road on the islands.”

Reacting, the council said it wanted to reiterate that “on both sides of the ‘nothing but’ 400m strip as mentioned by Ms Chetcuti, one can find residential units with residents like in any other city, town, or village on the Maltese Islands. Floriana also has community service offices and headquarters of both the civil service and religious authorities, a number of beautiful open garden spaces, jaw dropping views of Marsamxett, the Grand Harbour, historical buildings and the largest concentration of public monuments in Malta.”

The council also insisted that it “was and will always be unanimously in favour of any proposed project having the intention to improve first and foremost the wellbeing of the residents the local government represents, putting aside any partisan or personal interests, believing in a better, greener, healthier Floriana. This is not only for the people residing here, but also for the greater convenience of the public, including those who up till today are perceiving Floriana as ‘nonexistent’.”

The project, it said, “will give our green Floriana a makeover, giving the opportunity to residents to have more open spaces and better air quality. In the meantime, may we remind all citizens, that this environment is somehow already available in the 11 gardens in the locality we love and serve – Floriana.”

Reacting on Sunday, Minister Farrugia said he did not need Chetcuti to give him advice, more than a month late, through her “typical insults.”

He said works are moving ahead according to the tender published in December.

One of the project architects, Ian Camilleri, said he and his team were disassociating themselves from Chetcuti’s article.

“We were never consulted and do not agree with a number of things mentioned. This is a national project and should not be used for any political gain or mud flinging from any political party,” he wrote in a Facebook post.

“This article is one of the main reasons why projects like this end up not being undertaken in this country. We are happy to hear that studies have commenced to possibly see this project through.”