Minister for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government Jose Herrera told The Malta Independent that he has no intention of removing Jason Micallef from his position as Chairman of the Valletta Cultural Agency.

Micallef was appointed Chairman of the Valletta 2018 Foundation in May 2013. After the European Capital of Culture project, the foundation was maintained, and its name was changed to the Valletta Cultural Agency. Micallef kept his role as the chairman of the agency.

The Malta Independent had reported in 2018 that a group of more than 100 art professionals had signed a petition letter stating that they were unhappy with Micallef’s behaviour, his comments on the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, and his comments attacking artists who tried to criticise elements of V18 or disagree with the government. They had called for his removal.

This newsroom asked the newly appointed Minister Herrera if he plans to extend Micallef’s post despite all the backlash he faced in the past.

“Jason, like everybody else, has his pros and cons. Jason is a doer, he is reliable and extremely enthusiastic about the subject,” the minister said.

“He was criticised about statements he made and decisions he took, not on his actual work. What interests me in this foundation is that there is a person who is capable of handling the work. I found it difficult over the years to find ‘bulldozers’ to carry these agencies forward and, hate him or love him, Jason is a ‘bulldozer’… So, it is definitely not on the cards to remove him for now.”

Herrera said that he is a democratic person who believes in freedom of speech as long as people’s rights aren’t breeched. “If he speaks in good taste he scores points, if he speaks in bad taste he gets criticised and he has to answer for it. I am not there to restrain him.”

“This is not a dictatorship, if he wants to criticise he can, I will put my foot down if he hurts someone else,” Herrera said.