|
Karl Schembri
New PBS Chairman Andrew Agius Muscat told MaltaToday that the empty news manager post is not “such a big problem” for the national television and radio station.
In an interview with MaltaToday, the 30-year-old chairman appointed last week admitted he did not know the reasons why his predecessor, Michael Mallia, resigned, nor did he follow the controversy surrounding the fallout with the minister. He also expressed his surprise at the interest shown by the media in the national broadcaster.
“I wasn’t following the coverage of the PBS restructuring process very closely,” he said. “I mean it’s not exactly international news, so to speak.”
The reasons why Investments Minister Austin Gatt forced Mallia to resign remain shrouded in mystery except for a vague statement issued by the former saying the ex-chairman went against “ministry policies.”
“I wasn’t following the case that closely,” the new PBS chairman said. “For me resignations are quite a normal thing. If you disagree with your superiors or your superiors feel you’re not doing a good job, or perhaps even because of personal reasons, a resignation is a sign of professional maturity.”
Still, with the real reasons for Mallia’s removal unknown to the public, given the persistent rumours about heavy-handed government interference at PBS, it will be hard for Agius Muscat to know what kind of policies led to his predecessor’s dismissal.
“I didn’t join PBS to leave at 60,” Agius Muscat replied. “I hope I’ll be successful but if, for some reason or other, I don’t, I’ll just resign.”
Asked about the failed attempts to recruit a news manager, the new chairman said he did not view that as a problem.
“The more fuss we make about it the more complicated it will become,” he said. “I don’t think it’s such a big problem, in the sense that the first thing we should do is to consolidate management and once that’s in place I will be able to take decisions wisely to solve this issue. It’s not even a problem, it’s a situation. You don’t always find suitable candidates to fill your vacancies but that’s not the end of the world. Not to choose candidates is always an option.”
He says the media coverage of the PBS restructuring process has “put a lot of unfair pressure which may be scaring away good journalists who would otherwise apply for the job” of news manager, but when told that maybe good journalists believe they cannot do their job there because of political interference he said it all boiled down to self-confidence.
“That’s a lack of self-confidence. Had I thought that way I wouldn’t have accepted to become chairman. If one believes he is up to the job and can make a difference, he should go for it.”
Virtually unknown to the public and with a background in management consultancy, Agius Muscat’s lack of experience in the media and public broadcasting has raised eyebrows.
“Even I was surprised,” he said laughing. “I never asked for these things, and I think that was the secret of my success. I always worked as a management consultant because I love my job. My father taught me to never search for success or these kind of positions.”
Gatt has defended his choice of chairman by rubbishing critics as “intellectual snobs.”
“The government recently appointed a management expert who works in the food industry to lead the public broadcaster’s board,” Gatt said last Friday to an Institute of Management conference. “A small army of intellectual snobs pointed out that the government’s choice has no experience in broadcasting. PBS employs around 50 broadcasters. What new insights can a chairman who is also a broadcaster by profession really be expected to contribute?”
|
