Questions grow over Ta’ Qali ‘expert’ as government withholds details

The government is facing mounting questions over its handling of controversial works at the Ta’ Qali picnic area, as it continues to withhold details about a “grass expert” cited by Prime Minister Robert Abela to justify the transformation of a popular green space into a gravelled open area.

Weeks after Abela referred to specialist advice supporting the intervention, the responsible Minister has yet to identify the consultant or explain the basis of the decision. The silence has fuelled opposition criticism and raised doubts within government circles over whether such advice was ever formally sought.

The issue was brought into sharp focus during a recent parliamentary sitting, when Opposition MP Rebekah Borg asked the minister responsible for the park, Chris Bonett, to name the expert, outline the advice given, explain how the consultant was selected and disclose the cost to taxpayers.

Bonett declined to provide any details, stating only that a reply would be given at a future session – a response frequently used when information is unavailable or politically sensitive.

Bonett was also asked how many concerts are planned at Ta’ Qali this year, after the prime minister said the restoration of the grass would be delayed due to upcoming events. The minister cited five bookings.

Sources indicated that at least two of these events are government-organised public relations activities, rather than commercial concerts and will not take place specifically in the picnic area.

The discrepancy mirrors wider questions surrounding Abela’s recent public statements.

In a recent interview, the prime minister conceded that the project, overseen by Labour Party official Jason Micallef, “had gone awry” but insisted the grass would be restored after the concert season.

“From April onwards, the area will be hosting concerts, and it won’t be the right time,” Abela said.

Yet officials within the Infrastructure Ministry dispute this timeline. According to senior sources, no concerts are scheduled at Ta’ Qali during the spring.

The only major event planned this year is the annual Summer Daze festival in mid-August, traditionally held when the area is already dry and without grass. Another private concert is also scheduled for the summer.

Further undermining the government’s position, ministry officials told The Shift they were unaware that any grass specialist had been contracted.

“If an external expert had been engaged, we would normally be informed,” one official said, adding that no communication had been received from the Office of the Prime Minister.

Environmental groups have renewed calls for transparency and a clear restoration plan, arguing that the gravel intervention has degraded one of the island’s most frequented recreational spaces.

The works were commissioned last summer ahead of Summer Daze, with assurances that grass would regrow naturally in autumn – a promise that has yet to materialise, leaving the government exposed to public criticism and political embarrassment.