26 April 2007 Rating 4% No Comment  

In response to a press release issued by the Ministry for Gozo yesterday, Alternattiva Demokratika General Secretary Mr Victor Galea said that the Ministry had confirmed the statements made by Alternattiva Demokratika that "After decades of neglect, the Ministry for Gozo had decided to upgrade Rundle Gardens in Victoria by strange coincidence accommodating the development which saw the demolition of the landmark Duke of Edinburgh Hotel and the loss of Roman remains to be found on site" Mr Galea said. The Ministry also confirms that the historic Watch Tower in Xlendi remains in the hands of third parties regardless of the ruinous state in which it has been allowed to degrade" Mr Galea said. He added that the unquestionable threat of imminent collapse of Xlendi tower fully justifies the rescission of any grant by government of any title over the property to third parties. "It is the most feeble of excuses for doing nothing in the face of disaster" Mr Galea said the government has every right to recover the property and see to its immediate repair before much greater expenses become necessary and before Gozo loses forever a heritage asset of national importance" Mr Galea said. The upgrading of Rundle Gardens will be a very welcome development when it finally takes place but this does not mean that the Gozo Ministry can shift its responsibilities and ignore other endangered hertitage assets of the island such as the Xlendi Tower. "Gozitans are proud of what we have and do not want to lose it due to lack of political vision and absurd concessions to speculators" concluded Mr Galea.