“Jiena ma mmurx minghajr Etkar”
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any messier, Times of Malta reports that it has information on the real reason the president refused to go to the Vatican for the canonisation ceremony last Sunday, and that the president refused to comment when asked about this directly.
President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca yesterday declined to comment on a claim she missed Sunday’s canonisation ceremony in Rome because her husband was left out of Malta’s delegation.
Sources told Times of Malta the President had turned down the invitation to lead the delegation when she learnt her husband Edgar was not among the five other members.
She offered to give up her place for him, the sources said, but the Holy See told the Maltese government that, according to protocol, if Mr Preca led the delegation it would be seated further back, rather than the front rows.
Sources said the Office of the Prime Minister disagreed with sending the President’s husband instead and so Speaker Anġlu Farrugia and the Prime Minister’s wife Michelle Muscat led the delegation.
I would think this figures. The delegation was, for want of a better word, ‘stag’ – no spouses. I am informed that Beppe Fenech Adami, who deputised for Simon Busuttil, asked specifically whether he could be accompanied by his wife – at their own personal expense – and was refused.
The Speaker was also unaccompanied officially.
The delegation was organised and booked in by the Office of the Prime Minister.
The president should definitely have been accompanied by her spouse – all other heads of state and leaders of government appear to have been. If the decision was taken to have no spouses, then an exception should have obviously been made for the head of state.
But the ‘no spouses’ decision was taken because, having decided not to go himself and to send his wife instead, it didn’t affect the prime minister and, more pertinently, his too-pushy wife. She was going anyway.
Of course, the presence of the prime minister’s wife in the delegation, representing her husband when she has no place doing so, only made the ‘no spouses’ decision even more offensive to the others.
This did not, however, give President Coleiro the freedom to take personal offence and decide to stay home instead while her husband went to watch a football match (he was seen in the VIP section).
As head of state, and therefore technically above the prime minister, and leader of the delegation, her office should have made both the arrangements and the decision on whether her spouse should travel with her. The one thing she was not free to do was to sulk and pull out for personal reasons, putting her relationship with the man she calls ‘Etkar’ before her duties as head of state.
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http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140501/local/president-didnt-go-to-rome-after-husband-left-out.517165
So, still not fit for purpose then.
And how important Mrs Muscat felt.
After the ceremony, we were walking down one of the main streets when two police bikes were escorting a black car with sirens on.
We stopped at the edge of the pavement to let them take the turning on the left, and what a coincidence – the police were escorting the car bearing the Maltese flag and inside were Mrs Muscat and the Speaker.
She must have lip-read us saying ‘Ara Michelle’ because she leaned over the Speaker to wave at us and put on her fake smile. How pompous.
And this all happened so that the leader of the Labour Party could have more time to come up with a better electoral programme than Simon Busuttil’s. He’s reading it and rewording it to make it his.
Cheaters never prosper.
The electoral programme should at least be presented to the public as soon as the MEP candidates formally apply and the electoral campaign kicks off.
The PN presented theirs and so did AD. Tardy and lazy Joseph presented the 2013 electoral programme on the campaign website and panicked when Simon Busuttil presented an MEP election programme.
Voters need to know what the political parties have in mind for Malta in the European context, and wouldn’t like any surprises this time round.
Michael Briguglio presented his.
They have so many excuses on this one.They must be hoping to hit the right one soon.Shame.
“As head of state, and therefore technically above the prime minister, and leader of the delegation, her office should have made both the arrangements and the decision on whether her spouse should travel with her.”
Evidently, as was staring at us in the face from its first mention, Joseph Muscat remains the boss of Merilweez, and Merilweez is in no position to state her case – and therefore can’t, and won’t.
A laugh in the face of the Constitution, and the electorate.
Time and time again.
Lies and no transparency the hallmark of Joseph Muscat, the MLP and the MLP in government every time.
One reason why Coleiro was chosen for president is that she is a woman. But, to show us that a woman is as good as any man, or that a woman’s role is to be subservient to the man (in this case, Joseph) ?
The news here is getting seriously surreal.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140501/local/investigation-finds-no-political-discrimination-in-distribution-of-medicines.517222
The only saving grace is that they were in Fairyland.
Unbelievable. Another excuse. Can these people give us the truth for once? Why has truth become so scarce?
Do I see another Godfrey Farrugia situation in the making?
Muscat has knocked out the strongest competitor for future PL leadership within his party, leaving him not only relatively unrivaled bur more importantly, free to play games by using her as his pawn and in doing so, humiliating her accordingly.
On her part, she has already failed Malta by placing whatever other reasons before her official presidential duties.
I am often involved in the planning of royal visits to various countries for a royal household. I have co-ordinated three such visits to European capitals.
I have good knowledge of the protocol of the Holy See, which has developed over many centuries. The head of state or government, when being received by the Pontiff, or when attending official functions, is always invited to attend with their spouse.
This also applies to ambassadors, attaches and other consular officials attending the function or audience, as part of the state or government delegation.
Indeed, it is highly appreciated when one does attend with one’s spouse.
It should have been the Office of the President and definitely not the Office of the Prime Minister to have organised and scheduled the visit. The head of state is not subject to the head of government; it is constitutionally and diplomatically the other way round.
The OPM has no business interfering in the components of a delegation other than to recommend members of government or parliament to accompany the head of state. The President should always be accompanied by at least their spouse, ADC and a private or personal secretary if required.
It is the head of protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that would normally be involved in assisting the Office of the President if required.
It is unthinkable that the OPM should even dare suggest that because the head of state’s spouse is a man, he should not attend. There has never been a case of a married head of state from Malta being received at the Vatican unaccompanied by their spouse.
This smacks of a very dirty game: the PM makes Mrs Preca President and then undermines the independence of her constitutional function.
This is why George Borg Olivier was right: these shenanigans would be unthinkable with a Governor-General and HM The Queen as our Head of State. The Office of the Prime Minister would have been batted down into shape and form immediately and told where to go – diplomatically, of course.
If great countries like Australia, Canada and New Zealand have such a fantastic arrangement, why were we so pathetically big-headed and painful, not to go along with a constitutional monarchy?
Ghaliex hekk kien ried Dumiku Mintoff, kif ukoll uhud mill-MPs u partitarji tal-PN pro-Italjani li qatt ma setghu jnizzlu li “l’Inglizi” kienu ghelbu lil-Mussolini w l-Fascisti.
The Queen popped over to Rome to meet Napolitano before the end of his tenure a couple of weeks ago, and she made it a point to meet Pope Francis for an unofficial meeting outside the Vatican.
If the meeting were to be held at the Vatican it would have been an insult to the Republic; if she didn’t, the new Pope would have been shunned.
Protocol is symbol.
Meritocracy at its worst. They get the pleasure at shaming Malta. What a bunch of bullies.
She was not only kicked upstairs but kicked in the ass too. Uzani armini by Joseph Muscat.
So let me get this straight. She asked whether she can send her husband in her stead and she was refused under the “no spouses” reason. However, our PM sent his wife in his stead.
Wow. That’s what I call adding insult to injury, something Joseph seems to do very well. This act on its own is a clear indication that Joseph wanted Mrs Preca out of his way.
The plot sickens.
Jiġifieri l-president għax ma kienetx mistiedna mar-raġel tagħha ( u ma nistax nimmaġina għaliex ma ġiex mistieden meta soltu jmorru bir-razza u radika) kienet se tibgħat lilu minflok? Dawn x’affarijiet huma?
Biex tara l-Eccellenza taghha kemm taf l-irwol u l-privilegg, li fil-kaz tal-President jsir dover, x’inhuma.
Kieku ghandha nies madwarha li jafu jgahtu l-pariri mehtiega u xierqa kienet tordna lil-prim ministru jezegwi dak li jitlob l-istat.
Huwa l-Prim Ministru li jiehu l-pariri tal-president, mhux il-President tar-Repubblika li jbati l-prim ministru.
Hija kwistjoni demokratika u essenzjalment tal-forma li twassal ghaliha.
Dak li gara jimplika li l-President mhix kapaci tiehu f’idejha kwistjonijiet li jistghu jitolbu l-prerogattiva taghha. Ghidli x’jigri jekk tfaqqa’ krizi parlamentari.
Bil Malti taghna ilkoll nghidu “Hadet ghaliha, iffastidjata”. U bir ragun. Nghidu bil-Malti ukoll “Iz zift, kellu €70000 ghal uzu tal karozza imbaghad ma kellux biex jibghat lil honey sa Ruma?”
Id-dramm ghandu erba snin jizviluppa. Ma nitilfux il puntata li jmiss ta’ din is-soap.
Tghidlix hekk ghax nikteb script.
Il-Palazz – Season 1 Episode 2
[Long shot of Verdala Palace. Cut to interior. ]
H.E. – [nifs twil, iddur] Din ma niflahhiex hon! Gejna bekkstept bl-aghar mod possibli!
His.E. – [Jersaq lejha, ipoggi idu fuq spallitha] Imma qalbi, irridu niehdu pacenzja. Fuq kollox, ghandna lil xulxin.
H.E. – [b’emozzjoni] Tahseb li dawn il-palazzi, il-karozzi bix-xufier, is-sefturi, l-arazzi u l-pranzijiet ifissru xi haga ghalija? Le! Jien gejt hawn biex nahdem ghalihom, ghall-gheziez tieghi, il-foqra, il-batuti, l-imsejknin!
His.E. – Meta titkellem hekk, niftakar f’dakinhar li rajtek ghall-ewwel darba. Issa ejja nghidu r-r—–
H.E. – [taqtaghlu kliemu hesrem] Nirrizenja!
His.E. – [mahsud] Tirrizenja, hon? Imma imbaghad x’isir minna? Int ghandek missjoni. Nara fik in-nirien tas-socjalizmu, ix-xrara tal-passjoni ghall-imsejkna. Imbaghad fuq kollox, la poggewna hawn, ajja ngawdu ftit…
H.E. – Minn dejjem kont il-vuci tar-raguni, hon. Biss ghadni nahseb fuq dak il-vjagg ufficjali fejn ma stiednukx. Imma tghid ghaliex?
His.E – Forsi ghax sabih wisq u kont naghmillu d-dell!
[jidhqu flimkien]
H.E. – Ejja l’hawn, hon.
His.E- Ejja l’hawn, hon. M’intix se tirrizenja, hux veru?
H.E. – Ma tarax… jien kull ma naghmel ghalik.
His.E. [b’hafna nifsijiet u emozzjoni] – Inhobok, hon!
H.E. – L-istess jien, hon!
[jimxu right exit, off shot. Fade out ghal long shot ta’ Verdala bix-xema niezla. Zoom fuq kuccarda fil-gholi. Jinstema’ tir. Il-kuccarda tibda niezla.]
On screen text: Tghid x’se jigri fl-episodju li jmiss?
And so on for the next 5 seasons and 94 episodes.
Prosit!
Suggeriment fl-skript: “Issa ejja gos-sodda halli nghidu ir-ruzarju.”
I wanted the Xandir to give it a U rating, Canon. Baxxter Productions offer wholesome family entertainment.
Ghogbitni Baxxter. Nistenna it-tielet episodju.
They could have said they rosary via Skype if that was the problem.
Can someone please explain how come Mrs Muscat ended up joining the Speaker of the Parliament, as the President ‘couldn’t make it’?
Out of spite to Edgar Preca.
Catching up on old times perhaps.
But who actually decided that Mr Edgar Preca should not be included in the list of the delegation which was still going to be headed by the president?