PN’s current criticism against PBS is ‘unfair’ – Jason Micallef

• One TV chairman still believes PBS needs an ‘absolute shakeup’

ONE TV’s Chairman Jason Micallef told The Malta Independent on Sunday that he believes the discriminatory accusations from the Nationalist Party against the Public Broadcasting Services (PBS) are “unfair”.

“I have an opinion on PBS and my opinion is very consistent. I think that PBS needs a real shakeup, a real restructuring,” he said.

“It’s not about being in favour or against someone, or discriminating against one party or another.”

“In my humble opinion, I think the current criticism of PBS being discriminatory is unfair on PBS at the moment. I don’t see that sort of discrimination, but I firmly believe that PBS needs an absolute shakeup,” he continued.

Micallef said that being on the receiving end of both political parties whether in opposition or in government, PBS has always been a “hot potato”.

He remarked that it is The Broadcasting Authority’s (BA) job to assess any sort of discrimination and that it shouldn’t be undermined − whilst noting that both the PN and PL have their own representatives on the board.

“The BA has not called out PBS for any discrimination and so if one wants to ignore the authorities now what can you do?”

He went on to say that he believes PBS’ new chairman Mark Sammut “means well” and deserves more time, since he believes that he and the other new board directors “found big problems” at PBS.

PBS has recently changed its television channels from TVM 1 and 2 into TVM and TVM News Plus, with the latter focusing on cultural and lifestyle programs.

When asked to comment about the statistics that the PN is publishing to support its claims of discrimination, Micallef replied “statistics are odious sometimes.”

Jason Micallef, the Chairman of the Valletta Cultural Agency, who recently inaugurated the Valletta Design Cluster (VDC), has proposed the enclosure of Pjazza Teatru Rjal with PV glass, to follow in the footsteps of the VDC’s sustainable building technology.

Micallef told The Malta Independent on Sunday that if his proposal for Pjazza Teatru Rjal is accepted, not only will it serve to enable his sustainable vision for Valletta, through the use of natural light and solar panel energy, but it would also serve to solve the ongoing adversity that the theatre organisers face in the continual noise disturbances, as recently happened during one of VCA’s concerts ‘Agħti Widen’.

“If Pjazza Teatru Rjal remains open-air, the problem will never be solved,” he said.

Though he argued for the need of better coordination during show times, Micallef said that if the theatre remains open-air, and all cafes and restaurants nearby work together to ensure that no music is being played at the same time, other less manageable sound interferences like passersby, shop shutters, fireworks, etc. will remain.

Thus, closing off Pjazza Teatru Rjal in this sustainable way will further enable Valletta to serve as Malta’s “green city pilot project.”

“These are not empty words. The Valletta Design Cluster is a real-life example of how this can be successfully achieved,” he said.

Last week, the VCA published sustainable proposals for Valletta 2030 as part of the EU green energy target.

Speaking to this newsroom, he emphasised the importance of setting timeframes on such proposals in order to strengthen the “will and drive” to achieve the country’s goals.

When asked whether he had considered how his proposal to only allow electric cars into Valletta by 2030 discriminated against Valletta residents and those who cannot afford them, he replied that the only way to achieve this was with the government being a “main partner” in his green vision for Valletta.

He said that in order for Valletta to become a sustainable city, the government must ensure that subsidies for electric cars are substantially increased for Valletta residents and business owners.

He noted how an investment in electric cars for Valletta will partly replace the “millions” already routinely being spent in cleaning Valletta’s buildings from heavy amounts of soot − which after a few years are re-contaminated.

Hence, he said, Valletta residents would be the first to benefit from the eventual improved air quality and reduction in noise pollution.

Speaking about the recent controversy that saw a metal seating platform for tables and chairs being set up in front of the luxury Rosselli Hotel on Merchants Street, Micallef said that though the structure could have been smaller, it would see a more bustling city with more people seated on the pedestrianised streets.

“The capital city is very beautiful, but a city without people is not. Tables and chairs bring people so I am all for it, but abuse is wrong,” he said.

“It could have been smaller and that can be discussed,” he added.

Micallef was then asked about his opinion on the Valletta’s open-air market il- Monti, which was moved to Ordnance Street from Merchants Street at the end of 2016.

He noted that he was in favour of moving the Monti’s location as part of the V18 project plan (which he headed) that saw Valletta being the European Capital of Culture in 2018.

He remarked how a stall design for the Monti’s move to Ordnance Street was being planned since 2015 but that this plan for a more “pleasant look” for the Monti was of no avail as all these years later, the stall designs have remained unchanged.

Micallef also voiced his opinion on the effects the Covid-19 restrictions have been having on the cultural sector in Malta.

He remarked how “unjust” the government has been in “hiving off restrictions” for the arts industry.

“I’ve been lamenting a lot about these restrictions. It’s very unjust; restrictions cannot be hived off exclusively for the arts industry. It’s just not done,” he said.

“Then you see events and people all around the island going out, and good on them and when you switch on the telly you see 70,000 people inside stadiums around Europe.”

“It is beyond belief now. Do they have a different science than us?” he continued.

Micallef noted his “disappointment” how up till now, even though almost all of Malta has been vaccinated, this discrimination is still going on, such that the VCA along with all other Art and Culture entities in Malta have had to cancel most of their much awaited summer events.

He remarked that he is now looking ahead to the large scale standing up events that the Valletta Cultural Agency has planned for next year, such as the Valletta Food Festival and the Valletta Pageant of the Seas.

Though Micallef’s work at the VCA is Valletta centric, he hopes that his visions will be implemented both culturally and environmentally in all other localities across the island.

He said that, whilst new initiatives for green hubs and sustainability are good – wherein he referenced the €300,000 investment for “green zones” in ten different localities around Malta − the government would be best to focus on sustainably maintaining the longstanding historic and cultural centres that it already has.

He referred to his public outcry on the “shocking and disgraceful” state of San Anton Gardens, which was promptly taken up by Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Planning, Aaron Farrugia on Thursday.

Micallef’s continued appeal is for the government to “maintain what it already has”, following the legacy of the Valletta Design Cluster.