Jason Micallef’s success story

“Fake news” is being spread by those who “cannot stand to see the success story we accomplished at Ta’ Qali”, Jason Micallef declared. The grass will regrow after the first rains, he assured the nation. Everybody is waiting with bated breath. Grass has sprung everywhere else; the countryside has turned green. But Micallef’s gravel-covered Ta’ Qali park remains as barren as a desert. If Micallef’s idea of a success story is turning a previously green area into a gravel pit, then he’s surely succeeded.

Micallef frantically dragged Mark Laurence Zammit around the Ta’ Qali picnic area desperate to convince the nation of his brilliance – covering the whole area with gravel wouldn’t stop the grass growing as soon as it felt the first rains.

His desperation was manifested in his offensive remarks about his project’s chief critic, Arnold Cassola. Micallef, the Ta’ Qali national park head, resorted to mocking Cassola, calling him “Mr two per cent” in reference to Cassola’s share of the vote at the 2022 elections. He referred to Cassola as “a 70-year-old man who has been trying to get elected to parliament”. He ridiculed Cassola simply because “he is a pensioner, he did well in the budget”.

Micallef’s abrasiveness, belligerence and coarseness render him entirely unfit for occupying any official role. In any civilised country he would have long been stripped of any responsibility and forced to apologise to the many people he insulted, mocked, intimidated and threatened. This is not how public officials react to public criticism in democracies. It’s precisely how public officials in autocracies and dictatorships respond.

Micallef is still living in 1980s Labour Malta. The sad thing is that the party in government deploys the same oppressive tactics of their idol Dom Mintoff. That’s why they not only condone Micallef’s rudeness, incivility and hostility but celebrate it.

This isn’t the first time Micallef resorted to mockery and ridicule, hostility and intimidation. When Trudy Kerr posted a video of a barren Ta’ Qali covered in gravel, Micallef threatened her with legal action. Come to think of it, what’s happened with that case?

“I will be pursuing legal action against those who created the FAKE NEWS (his capitals, not mine) and malicious lie about the picnic area in Ta’ Qali,” he warned on Facebook. “I’m sounding a warning because enough is enough, since this government is scared to confront the social media bullies, I’m not.” What a macho! How brave.

Such puerile outbursts should disqualify Micallef from being trusted with any responsibility. “Time is up, I will fight with all my strength,” he commented. He called Kerr “a failed and phoney podcaster” and “a social media bully”. He accused her of spreading “fake news”.

“See you in court,” he bullied Kerr.

That threat is now over two months old but Micallef hasn’t instituted any legal action. Like all bullies, he was just bluffing. And, like all bullies, he just made a fool of himself.

Now Micallef is desperately sending bowsers to water the picnic area, under cover of darkness. Give it time, he told us, the grass will be back – maybe next month. It’s because there hasn’t been enough rain, Micallef defended. Strange that everywhere else has turned green with the little rain we’ve had while Jason’s picnic area lies completely barren.

Even whole bowsers of water, deployed in the dead of night, hasn’t helped matters. Of course, whether grass will eventually grow is beside the point. Whether Micallef is right or wrong, time will tell. But irrespective which it is, nothing can justify his boorish incivility and impudent insolence.

Omar Farrugia, the parliamentary secretary responsible for the Ta’ Qali national park, is too scared of Micallef to take the only decent course of action – sack Micallef. Farrugia completely avoided the issue in his budget speech. When Malta Today sent Farrugia questions about Micallef’s picnic area controversy and his inappropriate language, the parliamentary secretary didn’t even bother replying.

Micallef’s hostility and insolence will not silence the burning questions about the picnic area. Micallef claimed that “we are more transparent than transparency itself because we honestly have nothing to hide”. Yet, a Freedom of Information request lodged by Momentum on September 4 about the picnic area was completely ignored.

When no response was received within the statutory timeframe, Momentum issued a reminder on October 14. Still Micallef ignored the request. So, Momentum was constrained to resort to the Information and Data Protection Commissioner to try and get basic answers to basic questions.

Firstly, why was the whole picnic area covered in gravel when there was no permit for the works? Application number PA/08356/24 was still being screened. So, who authorised blanketing the whole picnic area in gravel?

If Micallef is so enamoured of transparency, he should have no qualms publishing all the documents, reports and communications explaining the need for the gravel. He should expeditiously share any reports from the Environment and Resources Authority; he should upload for public viewing any environmental impact assessment that may have been carried out. He should have no difficulty publishing all the documents relating to the contracting and financial aspects of the project, including the tender notice, the award documents, the final invoices and cost breakdowns.

If the award of the contract was so fair, the name of the contractor who carried out the works should be published and the source of the gravel used revealed. Maybe Micallef would let us know how much of our money he’s pumped into his project.

We’re paying for that project. We’re also paying Micallef’s salary. Micallef works for us – he should be at our service. It is his duty to answer questions, fully and honestly. But, instead of answers, Micallef delivers insults and threats. Micallef has no idea what public service means – and it is high time he’s shown the door and investigated for carrying out works without a permit.