Culture Minister Owen “Bruno” Bonnici is at it again. This week, he shamelessly defended blowing €5 million of taxpayers’ money on the Mediterrane Film Festival, an event designed more for elite selfies than cultural enrichment.
Meanwhile, the Great Siege Monument – a national symbol of Maltese resilience and pride – remains covered in dirt, debris, and stains, left to rot under his watch. This is the same Minister who has a Constitutional duty to protect our national heritage. But instead of upholding that duty, Bonnici spends his days posting staged photos of himself on social media, obsessed with his public image while ignoring the reality crumbling around him.
But it gets worse. In recent weeks, details emerged of a notorious contract handed to Mark Camilleri by the Arts Council, under Bonnici’s ministry. €25,000 of public funds funnelled straight to Camilleri – a man whose trademark is psychological terror and vile online attacks. A man who has dedicated his career to insulting, threatening, and humiliating Labour members, activists, and families.
Who approved this shameful payment? Minister Owen Bonnici himself.
Crony Capitalism
Imagine the betrayal: Labour supporters and grassroots members watch in disbelief as their Minister funds a man who has spent years defaming and abusing them. By endorsing Camilleri, Owen Bonnici hasn’t just betrayed his constituents – he has spat on the founding principles of the party he claims to serve.
Here is the truth:
Money for Mark Camilleri? Always available.
Millions for a film festival to boost his own image? No problem.
Money to clean and preserve the Great Siege Monument? Not a cent to spare.
This is not cultural stewardship. It is political vanity at its worst. Bonnici’s priorities are clear: keep the elites entertained, keep himself in the limelight, and keep public funds flowing to his preferred cronies, while the Great Siege Monument rots in filth and neglect.
A Culture Minister who betrays his own people and heritage is no Minister at all. Owen Bonnici has become a symbol of everything wrong with Malta’s cultural administration: hypocrisy, neglect, and self-obsession wrapped in cheap photo opportunities.
