Abela’s expert took just three days for ‘solution’ on Ta’ Qali grass

Prime Minister Robert Abela’s ‘solution’ to the controversial grass debacle at Ta’ Qali appears to have materialised at record speed – just three days after a “grass expert” was hastily engaged on a brief consultancy contract.

According to information tabled in Parliament in response to questions from Opposition MP Rebekah Borg, the government appointed Joseph Alfred Schembri on 7 January, awarding him a €50-an-hour consultancy.

Just three days later, Abela announced that a solution had been identified for the gravel placed at the Ta’ Qali picnic area.  The measure taken by Labour Party official Jason Micallef has drawn extensive criticism.

The placement of the gravel was initially defended by the government as a necessary step, with assurances that grass would naturally regrow. That promise failed to materialise, at least until now.

In an interview, Abela contradicted Micallef, conceding that the project “could have been done better” and admitting that grass would not return without direct intervention. He insisted that an expert he personally commissioned had advised that remedial action was required – advice which, it now emerges, was delivered almost immediately after the expert’s appointment.

The Prime Minister’s declaration was made on 11 January, three days after Schembri’s commissioning.

Infrastructure Minister Chris Bonett, who just last week refused to say who the expert was, finally named Schembri – a horticulturalist who runs an Mġarr-based landscaping company, Sun Island Nurseries Ltd. Experts told The Shift they found it odd that such a complex environmental issue could be assessed and resolved so quickly.

“It is unusual for a specialist to provide a credible, actionable solution on an issue of this scale within days,” one source said, noting that no internal communication had been circulated about the engagement of an external expert.

In the interview, Prime Minister Abela also attempted to justify the delay in restoration work by citing a busy concert schedule at Ta’ Qali. However, ministry officials dispute the prime minister’s claims, saying no concerts were planned for spring and that only two major events are scheduled for summer – one of which traditionally takes place when the area is already dry.

The laying of gravel in the area has already cost taxpayers over €400,000.