Malta Developers Association president Michael Stivala has revealed he has been completely blind since birth.
The developer admitted to his condition following his appearance on Jon Mallia’s podcast, in which he said that Malta is more beautiful now than it was 20 years ago.
“I didn’t realise how controversial it would be to say that. The truth is I was born without sight. I never wanted people to know, so ever since I entered public life I’ve relied on my personal assistant to give me instructions through an earpiece, telling me which way to walk, who I’m speaking to and so on,” Stivala said.
“In actual fact, I have no idea what Malta looks like, and never have. That same personal assistant has always told me that my projects in Gzira and elsewhere- the designs of which I’ve obviously never seen either – have made Malta look 100 times better. He told me before I came onto the scene, all the country’s buildings were ugly, crooked and black. But apparently, Malta is now a utopia, with futuristic architecture and nature co-existing in perfect harmony,” he added.
“I pay him good money – €200,000 a year – so I have no idea why he would lie to me.”
