Super One’s Jason Micallef replaces noted architect David Felice as chairman of Valletta 2018
Well, no wonder Jason Micallef resigned from the chairmanship of Super One TV and radio and said on Facebook that it was time to move on to pastures new.
His new pasture is the chairmanship of the Valletta 2018 Foundation, replacing noted architect (a partner in Architecture Project) David Felice.
Valletta 2018 in charge of planning and organising the mammoth work around Valletta’s EU Capital of Culture status that year. David Felice has been asked to “carry on contributing to Valletta 2018 in recognition of all the work he has done so far”. He has accepted, despite being made answerable to Jason Micallef.
If I know him well enough (I haven’t spoken to him about it), Felice did so out of a sense of responsibility towards the outcome, given that he has piloted the whole project through from the pre-application stage around four years ago, when Valletta competed against several other European cities for the status.
Given Micallef’s standard of education, level of intellectual development, and general understanding of these matters, I don’t suppose Valletta 2018 is going to rise beyond the standard of Super One Capital of Culture.
But there you go. I am, of course, longing to hear the views of some of the more supercilious snobs who think themselves above the rest of us cultural philistines, and who voted Labour because it is so very committed to the arts. There are many of them without a presence in the media who carped in their salons and bars and open-plan living-rooms about how tasteless, bloody awful and oh-so-ignorant the Nationalists were (despite the fact that all those projects were conceived and led by the Ignorant Ones). I am unlikely to hear, now, what they have to say – they will no doubt feel they have to save face by trying to justify Jason Micallef’s appointment, but they will also know that winning that argument is going to be very difficult.
We won’t be getting the views any time soon, either, of those who do have some kind of presence in the media. I have in mind Kenneth Zammit Tabona, Martin Scicluna and Peter Apap Bologna, who are always so voluble on the subject of how very wonderful Labour is and so superior in taste and informed behaviour to the previous incumbents in government.
Oh, and incidentally – fully aware of just how embarrassing this inept appointment is, the government buried it in the bowels of a Valletta 2018 press release, with accompanying photographs of all the participants in the Valletta 2018 conference this month, but no photograph of the new Valletta 2018 Foundation chairman. The photograph shown here was taken with a smartphone and emailed out.
From David Felice to Jason Micallef: that just about sums up the difference in standards and attitude between the Nationalist Party and Labour. Don’t bother asking me again why I vote for the former and think the latter is crap. Those who haven’t got it by now can be considered hopeless cases and never will get it. First-time voters and those with a low IQ and poor standard of education can be excused. All others had better do some soul-searching.
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So with this glorious appointment, who is left in the skip waiting for some perceived high status position or directorship, or a fat cheque?
Seems that the only indispensable person in Malta is Franco Mercieca.
Keneth Zammit Tabona, Martin Scicluna and Peter Apap Bologna are still holding their breath. They won’t say anything until it becomes clear that they’ve been left out in the cold, without any rewards.
As long as there is a chance they’ll get their bun, they’ll be “prudent”.
“Given Micallef’s standard of education, level of intellectual development, and general understanding of these matters…”
This cracked me up, then it dawned on me how depressing it really is.
And there were denials when this “appointment” was floated about.
And now the party (sorry movement) which told us that it is 3.3 million euros in the black organised another fund raising event yesterday.
Is it just me, but I think I see a fund-raising event held by PL right ahead of any other fund-raiser being organized by other entities, including right ahead of any charity trying to get some badly-needed financial help?
It’s Puttinu’s turn today – get in there first LP
Poor, poor Kenneth! No chairmanship of the Manoel Theatre, no chairmanship of Valletta 2018! What will he do now?
Brilliant.
The Jason Micallef who couldn’t provide, as general secretary of the Labour Party, the number of first time voters in 2008.
Incompetent, indolent, anti-EU and notoriously against any form of dialogue with the PN. The works.
I bet Kenneth’s not a happy bunny, not that it put him anywhere near the organising skills, mental prowess and drive to deliver.
But having this cliche’ of a village podesta’ with his cranberry collection is the pits. Does this moron even know where St.James’ Cavalier is?
Harja f’wicc l-artistic community. Ghandi aptit nghid f’hajja t’Alla.
X’arukaza! Jason Micallef flok il-Perit Felice. Kif jghidu, lanqas ix-xita hdejn in-nida!
Dalle stelle alle stalle, as the saying goes. Good luck to the lot of them.
I think this is the lowest of the lowest. Labour cannot go lower (as usual – il-kolmo). But then labour always descends into the dregs.
I am not sure of Micallef’s intellectual capacity in the first place. Perhaps Zammit Tabona could have been given the right position.
There is possibly more than meets the eye here.
It is interesting to note how the media had been “misled” by the government sources about this appointment.
On April 19th, timesofmalta.com reported that the government refused to rule out that Jason Micallef would be appointed on the V18 committee.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130419/local/One-TV-boss-tipped-for-culture-role.466162
The following day, on April 20th, MaltaToday reported that government sources had denied those rumours. MaltaToday even claimed that “A government source said that the media reports were “untrue”.”
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/national/Government-sources-deny-Jason-Micallef-s-appointment-to-V18-board-20130420
This off-and-on relationship between Joseph Muscat’s movement and Jason Micallef is not new. Early in 2012, Muscat had decided against allowing Micallef to stand for election on the Labour ticket, and Micallef made a big show of agreeing and saying he was making a sacrifice for the good of the party. But then he took the unilateral decision to announce his candidature, just a few months later.
And it was on the same district as Anglu Farrugia, who was “politically assassinated” just a few days before Christmas.
So, here are some questions for Super One journalists (the ones left and who do not spend their time at AlbertTown) to investigate.
1. Was Joseph Muscat against this appointment of Micallef to the chair of V18?
2. Did Jose Herrera take this decision on his own and without informing the prime minister?
3. Were there any resignation threats?
4. Jason Micallef and Ronnie Pellegrini were in court to support Consuelo Herrera at the first hearing of Daphne Caruana Galizia’s case three years ago, indicating that they are very close friends of hers. How did this influence the PS for Culture in his decision?
5. What does this appointment tell us about factions in the Labour Party?
6. Is this Jose Herrera’s way of paying his prime minister back for not making him the minister of justice? Let’s not forget that he refused to shake his hand at the swearing-in ceremony and that he looked furious.
Kenneth Zammit Tabona must now understand that he should do as Jason tells him, because Jason’s culture is clearly far superior to his. At least, that’s what Jose Herrera thinks.
When I saw this on timesofmalta.com, all I could think of was WTF!
We’ve hit rock bottom already.
How the hell we are going to survive 5 years is beyond me.
Replace David Felice with Jason Micallef?
Are they nuts?
You’re spot on there: ‘that just about sums up the difference in standards and attitude between the Nationalist Party and Labour’.
Meritocracy? My foot.
Raising our standards, are we?
Unbelievable – they are re-inventing the 80s, but without setting fire to anything. Fasten your seatbelts. This has been just the first two months.
Kenneth Zammit Tabona and Peter Apap Bologna must be thrilled with the news of this appointment. Enjoy it, switchers.
It’s like replacing a light bulb with say, a flower – basically something that is so far apart from reality and something that just won’t work, even if you try to imagine it.
I have great respect for David Felice. And Jason Micallef is incapable of delivering because he just doesn’t have what it takes.
I have always felt that people in Malta are more inclined to vote for the Labour Party than for the Nationalists.
I think the reason for this is the the PN is seen by many as the party “tal-professjonisti”, people with standards who do the research and would rather consult proper experts on matters, which means that, more often then not, they are right. Their track record proves this.
They were right about bringing back freedom (a bit of a no-brainer but heigh ho, Labour’s ever faithful hindsight came through in the end on that one), the EU (again, thank you, hindsight) VAT, etc etc.
This makes many people in Malta angry. “Kif jista jkun dawn dejjem ghandhom ragun?” is a thought that often crosses their mind. They hate high standards because it means they have to aspire to something, and they find it all very oppressive.
It is the PN’s professional attitude that PL supporters are attacking when they talk about the “arrogance” of the PN. “When will they learn?” they say on Facebook. Learn what? That they have to be wrong from time to time and make bad choices just so that everyone can feel OK about their own wrong choices?
When will they learn to not base their choices on facts and figures, but to go with gut instinct like so many of those who refuse to vote for them?
They know that the PN will always go about things professionally, so it is the perfect aspect of the party to pick on, as long as people keep on thinking that it is a sign of arrogance and something to resent, rather than a sign of competence and something to be thankful for.
What’s worse is that when the PN in government did make mistakes, as parties in government do from time to time, out come the pitchforks and the wild accusations.
Obviously, they cannot be trusted. Obviously, they were lying all along. Obviously, they are pocketing loads of money and helping themselves from the trough. Obviously, they have been oppressive.
Yes, we now have Jason Micallef at the head of V18. And it will suffer unless David Felice manages to get Micallef to do simple, mindless jobs and keep him away from the actual work (not that hard to do; people do it all the time).
You are right, Daphne. This says everything we need to know about the PL.
With Jason Micallef as chairman of V-18 we will surely hit the ground running, stumbling never to rise again. Valletta 2018 will be a laughing-stock.
In my opinion, David Felice was wrong to accept to work under the chairmanship of a far less qualified person.
He should be careful. Jason Micallef will be claiming the credit for all successess and blaming him for anything which goes wrong. He’s the type of weasel who is probably an expert at doing that.
How does Kenneth Zammit Tabona feel about being pipped to the post by Jason Micallef?
He wasn’t pipped at the post as Kenneth Zammit Tabona was never in the running for such a high-profile appointment. I’m guessing that, in Labour eyes, he is better associated with something quirky and uninteresting like a baroque festival or a contemporary art museum.
If you want to know how Jason Micallef can hijack the Valletta 2018 Foundation, ask Vella Haber.
Gensna will be hitting us day ‘n night for the foreseeable future.
Ghannejja from the Zejtun confraternity will hog the headlines.
Warda Kanta will be resurrected.
What a delectable festival for visiting dignitaries.
Potato in my veins.
Our admiration of David Felice should be even stronger given that he will be silently subject to the bitchiness of this spiteful drama queen, all for his sense of responsibility.
MaltaToday reports some interesting details.
“It also appears that OPM officials had no knowledge about Herrera making such an announcement.
Herrera also said that outgoing chairman David Felice will “supervise” Micallef’s work.”
Herrera and Jason against Muscat and Keith tal-Kasco?
I thought this particular position was reserved for Kenneth Zammit Tabona.
Don’t you just love’em. So bloody predictably unashamedly self-interested.
To me the crux of your blog-post is the following, which I consider worth repeating:
From David Felice to Jason Micallef: that just about sums up the difference in standards and attitude between the Nationalist Party and Labour. Don’t bother asking me again why I vote for the former and think the latter is crap.
Those who haven’t got it by now can be considered hopeless cases and never will get it. First-time voters and those with a low IQ and poor standard of education can be excused. All others had better do some soul-searching.
Well said, because it reflects (much of) the reality we’re living through.
They’re running the country just like a large-scale village band club preparing for the patron saint festa – the only difference being THEY ARE the patron saints.
Qatta’ hniezer ghall-flus (mhux daqstant ghall-poter). L-aqwa li jerdghu. U dawn huma l-istess nies li tkazaw biz-zieda tal-500 euro ghall-ministri ta’ kabinett maghmul minn inqas min-nofs ta’ dak li hemm bhalissa.
I think you have rushed too soon Daphne. .Micallef’s deep knowledge on kabocci, gdur u pastard does make him a worthy candidate for this chairmanship
So Jason has become the “arbiter elegantiarum”…mamma mia!! Truly,”vulgus vult decipi……”
It’s like replacing a BMW with a Skoda 120 (tal-magna wara).
[Daphne – Make that a Trabant.]
http://www.timesofmalta.com/mobile/view/20130502/local/jobs-initiative-lauched.467943
The magic white podium is back. He couldn’t live without it.
Have these people no shame? Forget that, I know the answer.
We shouldn’t really expect better from somebody like Joseph Muscat. I don’t think he will be surrounding himself with people who might outshine him.
Consider this: we have gone from having a chairman who was doing this for the prestige of the city in which he was born and raised, to a chairman who is doing it for the presige of…himself.
He probably doesn’t even know what “prestige” means. He’s doing it for the power … and the money. And maybe a bit of “hudu go fik” to Joseph.
So they replace David Felice with the likes of Jason Micallef and they had the gall to harp on about ‘Meritocracy’. This is a leap from Meritocracy to the Pits.
37,000, 36,000, 35,000, 29,000, 20,000…no, this is not a series.
The large drops are due to Dr KIA’s appointment of bravi tas-Super One. The last drop is labelled Jason’s drop. In one year the 37,000 will barely be 5,000.
Now that’s crap.
If only our little Island had the equivalent to NASA .
We can expect a high level of cultural activity from Jason Micallef.
i wonder what his educational credentials related to v18 are??
Mur ma’ iswed.
[Daphne – Jekk dak l-iswed ikun Mario Balotelli, nahseb li Marlene ‘Cheetah’ Mizzi tahtfek fil-kelma. U forsi anke tispjegalek ghaliex il-kumment tieghek muhiex liberali, progressiv u inkluziv.]
Cheetah scratches Botswana president Khama in what was described as “a freak accident, not an attack”.
http://www.newsday.co.zw/2013/04/30/khama-wounded-by-cheetahounded-by-cheetah/
Oh, yes. That’s what Objective One refers to. Mario Balotelli.
And Objective Two is Gabriel Garko.
In the meantime Le Monde has a different opinion about us. Or is this the result of the impressions that the French had of Joseph Muscat when he was in Paris?
Super.
So we have Anglu Gadget checking, vetting and reviewing the plans of Renzo Piano.
To add insult to injury Jason Micallef has been entrusted with monitoring David Felice and his ideas and plans.
It will be Zaha Hadid, Norman Foster, Richard Rogers and Tom Wright next.
I still do not believe that Malta deserved all this.
It is really unfair.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130419/local/One-TV-boss-tipped-for-culture-role.466162
Daphne there`s no need for these to do some soul searching. They well know that their decision to publicise their shift to Labour was fuelled by the “what`s in it for me” syndrome.In short….greedy selfish bastards.
Educational standards heve never been an asset in being promoted in a Labour government.
‘The end justifies the means’ will prove disastrous in a very short time.
The shameful appointment of a shameless twit.
Perhaps Kenneth Zammit Tabona will be appointed as his assistant.
Is this the meritocracy Dr.Ramona Frendo was shouting about?
I’m speechless.
Apparently the ones moaning most about this appointment are those who were praising Labour for its liberalism and coolness, like it’s not their fault that they were taken for a ride.
Wonder what poor Kenneth is thinking, left out in the cold.
What fun, I love it when I’m right, and a number of people are left with egg on their face.
In two months this government has undermined all the important institutions and organisations.
The next five years are going to bring more of the same, and worse.
Mela we remove someone whose firm gets featured in iconic magazines like Domus, to replace him with an asshole whose highest achievement was a sad Xandir Malta programme on how housewives should water their plants. Unbelievable.
Minn hazin ghal aghar.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for Malta and Joseph Muscat and Co. are doing their very best to f**k it up.
L-iktar cuc fl-opinjoni tieghi huwa l-Perit Felice. Messu warrab u jhalli l-moghoz jghafgu u jwaqqghu ghar-ridikolu l-V18. Mhux hekk riedu, mela hu go fik,, kif jghid Franco Debono.
M’huma xejn hlief delettanti.
If Herrera went above Muscat’s head, and Muscat stayed put, then we almost have a repeat performance of Lorry Sant ( may he rest in peace) and his envelope.
Skond il-meritokrazija ta’ Muscat, Jason huwa l-ahjar kandidat ghal chairman tal-Valletta 2018. Timmaginaw l-aghar kandidat x’kien ikun?
Is-CV tal-Perit David Felice li twaqqaflu l-kuntratt biex hadlu postu Jason Micallef:
He is one of the founding partners of Architecture Project (AP), a leading architecture studio in Malta. He worked at Renzo Piano’s Atelier de Paris before setting up AP in 1991 with three partners. David Felice has delivered numerous conference papers and has lectured in Graphic Communication and Advanced History and Theory of Architecture at the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Malta, and in Contemporary Architecture at the Malta Centre of Restoration.
David was National Contact for Cultural Heritage and the City of Tomorrow for the Fifth Framework Programme As an Executive Board member of the Architects Council of Europe (ACE) in 2006, he was responsible for Culture and Communication and was on the Organising Committee of Designing for the Future – The Market and Quality of Life, a conference organised by the ACE.
U zgur, hafna aktar ta’ mertu minn dan Jason Micallef.
David Felice should never have accepted such a degrading position. Is it possible he did not understand that they are just using him?