Luke Dalli: From ‘Tana Tnejn’ to taxpayer-funded train

Luke Dalli, son of former Labour Minister and European Commissioner, has been appointed chairperson of Arts Council Malta. There was no call for applications for the post, no competitive process, no interview, no selection panel. No, Luke Dalli was simply appointed by Minister Owen Bonnici.

No wonder the Malta Entertainment Industry and Arts Association (MEIA) complained that Bonnici’s shameless decision “undermines hope for anyone within the cultural sector”.

They’re absolutely right. The MEIA said, “The process diminishes trust and any sense of opportunity for those who have dedicated their full-time careers to cultural management and development,” unlike Dalli.

Dalli, 36, has never been involved in anything remotely linked to culture or the arts. He was a ONE TV show host who ran a programme called Tana Tnejn with Labour MP Glenn Bedingfield. They used the programme to engage in the misogynistic portrayal of Daphne Caruana Galizia as an evil witch.

Dalli was still a student working at Labour’s ONE TV under Albert Marshall, the former Executive Chair of the Arts Council, who appointed him to the new post.

As soon as Labour was elected to power, Dalli was put on the government payroll.  As soon as he got his lawyer’s warrant in 2014, at the tender age of 25, he was given a three-year contract to act as the Arts Council’s legal officer Marshall, who Dalli refers to as “his mentor”. The 25-year-old newly qualified lawyer was earning some €30,000, including several allowances.

When his three-year definite contract was about to expire, Marshall transformed it into an indefinite contract. Dalli was sorted—for life.

But that wasn’t enough for the Labour Minister’s son. By October 2020, he was also given another contract, this time by the Lands Authority.  For just 25 hours a week, Luke Dalli started earning an additional €36,000.

In the meantime, Dalli set up his own private law firm with MFA Vice President Matthew Paris.  He spent much of his time developing and running Dalli Paris Advocates.  But that didn’t stop Marshall from promoting Dalli to Chief Operations Officer (COO) at the Arts Council Malta in November 2024.

Dalli’s remuneration from the Arts Council suddenly shot up to almost €60,000 for a part-time commitment. He was given a performance allowance of €6,499.95, an all-inclusive transport allowance of €4,659, an all-inclusive communication allowance of €1,800 and an additional mysterious expense allowance of €3,000.

To add insult to injury, Dalli is not even required to be present at the Arts Council offices on any fixed timetable. Instead, his contract includes a bizarre clause that states his timetable is flexible and agreed upon with the man he calls his “life mentor,” Albert Marshall.

That contract also stipulated that Dalli did not require his employer’s consent to continue with his personal business activities.  That allows Dalli not only to continue to spend most of his time at his legal firm but also to cope with his role as shareholder in BJD Ltd, P&D Investments Ltd, PLJ Holdings Ltd, Pada Builders Ltd and PLJ Dalli Ltd.  Most of those are construction companies. And he must be pretty busy with those companies because all of them declared losses in their published statements. Or maybe it’s just convenient to declare losses.

Don’t worry about Marshall handing over the role. He’s staying on at the Arts Council too.  He’s close to 80, but will continue to rake in taxpayers’ money in his new role as consultant, apart from his other government jobs.

Minister Owen Bonnici justified the continued plundering of state coffers by claiming that Marshall’s consultancy post will allow the Council “to continue benefiting from his experience and knowledge of Malta’s cultural and creative ecosystem”.

The MEIA, the association representing professionals and entities from the creative industries, wasn’t impressed.  In a statement, the association reproached Owen Bonnici: “We reaffirm our longstanding position that key cultural leadership roles should be filled through transparent and independent processes. This is essential to ensure credibility, good governance and public confidence in our cultural institutions”.

Dalli’s appointment does the exact opposite. It torpedoes any credibility left in the Arts Council. It is a slap in the face of good governance and a shining example of how to completely demolish any confidence in the institution. It is an insult to all those who’ve spent their entire lives striving to promote the arts and culture.

The MEIA is right.  Dalli has been appointed through “a closed political process”. The MEIA have been cheated, once again, by that sorry excuse for a Culture Minister.  The price the country pays for such brazen appointments is the continued propagation of mediocrity, the dumbification of culture and the devaluation of art.

The real impact of Labour’s overt cronyism is the destruction of hope. Labour’s message is clear – you don’t progress through sheer hard work, dedication and talent.  You don’t climb the ladder because you’re great at what you do. No, you can only get that lucrative position if you’re a show host on Labour’s ONE TV or if you’re the son of a Labour minister or European Commissioner.

Labour has created a new colonialism, a new colonial exclusion. The best jobs are exclusively reserved for Labour’s insiders – like Dalli. The rest of us, no matter how qualified, how gifted or how hard-working, aren’t even given the opportunity to apply. Yet we still pay Dalli’s exorbitant salaries while he continues to dedicate his time to his private legal practice and businesses.

After their tongue-lashing for Owen Bonnici, the timid MEIA “congratulated Luke Dalli on his appointment”.  With such snivelling spinelessness, nothing’s going to change.