Alex Agius Saliba defends Jason Micallef over Ta’ Qali park backlash

Only a small part of Ta’ Qali National Park is affected by the grass controversy, Alex Agius Saliba said on Monday, as he defended Jason Micallef and insisted the overall regeneration project was a success.

The  Labour Party deputy leader and MEP was responding to questions by Net and MaltaToday following criticism that the picnic area of the park, which is typically green during the winter months, was not as successful this year after gravel was laid on the site.

Park chair Micallef, who has overseen the park’s regeneration, has faced mounting criticism in recent months over the gravel intervention. He has also come under fire for online posts attacking journalists and for comments which were interpreted as ageist towards Momentum’s Arnold Cassola.

“Everyone in politics has their own style,” Agius Saliba said to journalists on Monday. “My political style is not the same as Jason Micallef’s, so I am careful of how I give certain statements. Jason has his own style.” He also stressed that he would continue to defend him as long as he keeps up the good work.

Agius Saliba sought to place the controversy in context, stressing that the affected picnic area represented only a small portion of the wider Ta’ Qali project. He said families made use of several areas across the park, not just the picnic site where the gravel was placed. 

“I am sure that the intentions of Jason Micallef were good,” he said. “This picnic area is only a small part of a larger area in Ta’ Qali. Families don’t just go to this picnic area, they go to other areas as well.”

He added that around 90 per cent of the regeneration project, including the concert area and children’s play spaces, had been successful.

“When you look at the Ta Qali project holistically, the majority was positive,” Agius Saliba said.

The Labour deputy leader also referred to what he described as “attacks that Jason Micallef suffered in the last few months”, saying Micallef had even been contacted by the press on the day of his mother-in-law’s funeral, an event that was unknown to the press at the time. 

Turning to the state of the park under previous administrations, Agius Saliba said: “The park was a cement factory in the time of the Nationalist government”. He added that “if this is the biggest problem in this country, then this is a huge sign of success for the Labour government”.

Prime Minister Robert Abela also addressed the controversy over the weekend, admitting that the government “could have done better” in its handling of the picnic area.

“We have to be honest with people – it could be better,” Abela said. “We have appointed a local expert, who advised us that while grass will not grow for now, it will in future with some intervention.”

Last month, Micallef was accused of harassment after posting a Facebook attack on a Newsbook journalist investigating the gravel works. He accused her of being partisan and amateur, and published several photos of the reporter alongside the post.