For heaven’s sake, INSURANCE is not the issue here
The Nationalist Party’s news website, Malta Right Now, reports that the prime minister’s chief of staff, Keith Schembri – boss of the multi-million-turnover business Kasco Enterprises – drove onto the Malta airport apron, right up to a plane, and picked up a Libyan passenger, driving him straight back out of the airport.
The headline? That the PM’s chief of staff didn’t have the insurance required to be driving on the apron.
For heaven’s sake, that’s hardly the main issue, is it? It’s a side-issue that points to unutterable arrogance and a cavalier attitude that the rules are for others. But the real story is that the PM’s chief of staff is driving right up to planes and picking up Libyan passengers.
Given that he has an extensive business operation in Libya, the real question to be asked here is whether Keith Schembri is abusing his government position to pick up his Libyan business associates who are fleeing from Libya.
Yet even if he is picking up guests of the Maltese government in his formal role as PM’s chief of staff, this is abusive (though picking up his business contacts is, of course, a great deal more so).
States have strict border controls for a reason, and it is only in banana republics and dictatorships that agents of the regime are permitted to breach them with impunity.
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http://maltarightnow.com/news/2014/09/01/keith-tal-kasco-jsuq-fl-ajruport-minghajr-l-assigurazzjoni-apposta/
Tal-Muzew reporting.
Heading for another massive defeat in 2018.
It can be averted in only one way.
Bring law and justice to the fore.
Demolish all illegal construction on Public property including the shanty town at Armier and other ‘boathouses’.
Stop all abusive hunting and trapping. Ideally stop it altogether.
Ensure that whoever stole from the Government, for example water and electricity supplies are served with an arrest warrant.
This will never happen because Joseph won’t do it and Simon doesn’t have the guts so you’re right.
Let’s just buy more popcorn and enjoy the show till they carry us away.
Only a Police Force free of political interference can give that, and seeing as both sides interfered through their parliamentary privilege, it is obvious to one and all that no one wants a strong Police Force, not now not then and mayhap never.
and 2023.
‘Tal-Muzew’ are more professional more than you think.
Biddel id-diska Baxxter.
Grazzi
Dazed and confused is what can describe Malta, right now.
While our ancient Minister for Foreign Affairs repeats to anybody who will listen that Libya could become another Iraq, his government – and ours, unfortunately – plays mysterious cloak-and-dagger games in which public and private interests overlap and become impossible to separate.
The apron, as also with other areas within the airport (any airport) is a restricted area. Employees of the airport (including Management employees), unless they have a valid pass issued by the Office of the Manager Airport Security (OMAS), are NOT allowed to enter certain areas.
Further more, employees who have the valid pass mentioned above are NOT necessarily allowed to drive on the apron unless they have a special license issued after rigorous testing.
All this, apart from what you correctly state in this blog.
Unless you submit all documentation to OMAS and there is a valid reason to do so there is no way in hell that you would be allowed to access by foot the runway let alone drive your own car. Usually OMAS drive you to the plane and you are accompanied at all times by security personnel. Sometimes even by the AFM, as their are stringent international security regulations on the matter.
You are so wrong and clearly have no idea what you are talking about.
Persons without an airport security pass can be (and are regularly) allowed into the restricted areas as long as they are escorted at all times by a pass holder. Same goes for vehicles if they are escorted by another vehicle with a valid vehicle pass.
The issue on there being a ‘valid reason’ is very subjective and not worth going into.
The above is allowed by current EU regulations by the way.
The Manager Airport Security – OMAS – (which falls under the Ministry for Home Affairs and National Security) is responsible for Airport Security.
OMAS is the regulating body for aviation security in Malta and has overall management and control in this area.
OMAS is charged with the responsibility of ensuring that all security activities are carried out in compliance with those international standards which Malta has adopted as a result of its membership in organisations such as the EU, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC).
OK, so who is in charge of the Office of the Manager Airport Security (OMAS) and where are the journalists shoving a microphone underneath his/her chin?
This one act has shown what shoddy security MIA has. Was the car searched before it went on the tarmac and on the way out? Were the incoming person and the person’s luggage passed through security channels? Is he in the cross hairs of any of the Libyan factions and has he therefore diverted attention to our shores? Are we, without knowing, supporting the private interests of anyone who makes money for local big wigs at the expence of compromising Malta’s security?
I can just see my taxes being used to ‘help’ those with investments in Libya. Make no mistake, Malta is not looking to help the Libyan people. Malta is only intersted in protecting certain people’s investments using your and my tax contributions and compromising your and my security and integrity!
Hereunder is a quote from the website of the Ministry for Home Affairs and National Security:
Office of the Manager Airport Security (OMAS)
Mr. Mario Bugeja
Malta International Airport
Gudja
LQA 4000
Tel: 23696317
E-mail: [email protected]
Omas has been the most depleted office of authority of all offices and this since it’s inception. The idea, little to no enforcement of the laws. These things used to happen before and will happen again and again and again. OMAS is one of the proverbial toothless dogs.
I beg to differ, dear Veritas. The person responsible is a very efficient person and would not risk airport security. I suggest you mention incidents which, you say, “used to happen”.
Oh and “kisba ghalik”?
THEY achieved something for ME?
I.D.I.O.T.S. Insufferably patronising idiots.
So Borg Olivier, Fenech Adami and Gonzi were the ones working hard and achieving things, while I was lazing about doing nothing, right? And my contribution to the nation and to my own well-being was zero, right?
Bniedem fic-centru ta’ ****. F*ck off. Nationalist w*nkers and anti-liberal snots.
Mhux int ma mortx Tal-Barrani?
Sorry. Skond Paul Vincenti stajt mort.
This action is a complete breach of security. Not even the Prime Minister is entitled to do that. It is up to the Opposition in parliament to record the incident officially, to seek an explanation, and have this explanation, if forthcoming, recorded.
I wonder what Minister George Vella who is showing an increasing concern on the happenings in Libya, and how these could affect Malta, is aware of what his Prime Minister and his staff are doing.
The Opposition is dead. Long live the Opposition.
While it’s a breach of law to drive on the apron without special a insurance, picking up someone from the apron may be abusive but does not break any law if all the permits are obtained and I am sure they have (if not before but certainly after)
While you are morally correct, breach of Law is more serious in the eyes of a Political Party because that can have tangible legal implications.
Morality issues hardly ever do and in this I am backed by 36,000.
By the way. Guess from where all the paper used by the government is coming from? Yep, you guessed right.
Yes I wonder if the reprinted ballot papers were ordered through Kasco too
Isn’t it also a national security issue? Movement of people in and out of the country via highly sensitive place like the airport?
Didn’t an innocent person get arrested, possibly only for political reasons, and his ‘asset’ confiscated for ‘national security reasons’ when it was falsely alleged that he had committed the great sin of taking pictures of a midget passing through border control?
The falsity or truth of the allegations were never proven or disproven, the court saw fit to throw the evidence out, not even check it under the supervision of the court’s expert. So much for the trust of either the court or it’s officers and search for the truth.
Even lame journalism is now more than distracted.
Proves the current government policy right: dish out one scandal after another so that they get sidetracked in their judgement and the little good is applauded. By “they” i mean il-bahbuh partigjan and by “little good” i mean 2c.
If Moses himself were to come down again from the mountain, he would get convinced there is no God but only false idols.
but false idols ALWAYS topple under their own weight.
ALWAYS. without exception.
The present Labour so-called-government is increasingly giving the impression of a person wearing bright new shoes who has to cross a rather muddy area.
At first he walks gingerly on tiptoe attempting unsuccessfully to keep his new shoes clean and shiny. He then realizes that his efforts are in vain. He ploughs on through the mud unconcerned until it becomes difficult to see a trace of the original colour.
When he reaches his destination, the shoes are muddy, soggy, smelly and completely useless, fit only to be thrown away as rubbish.
If only we could consign this incompetent and clueless government to the rubbish skip as easily as one can get rid of a pair of dirty and useless shoes.
In other well managed airport such behaviour would have landed Keith tal-Kumpannija Kasco (KKK) in deep trouble, however, one can be assured that a phone call from Castille was make ahead of the plane landing and if was the emperor’s wish, it was granted with no questions asked.
Insurance was not an issue since the emperor gave his personal guarantee.
What if it were an Air Malta plane? Would ALPA not have been concerned, upset by this obvious security breach?
Min jaf kellux xi baskett flus ta Ghaddafi. Kasco negozjant li zgur ma jimpurtahx mill klassi tal haddiem.
If inspectors from international bodies effected one of their surprise inspections, as they usually do, at the airport what would have been the consequences ? Can MIA shed light on the matter and tell us if this action would have subjected it to fines, adverse remarks and thick black ticks and crosses in the appropriate boxes ? What has the pilots association to say in this case ? Was it safe for the pilots, crew, passengers and plane to have a private car running on the apron driven by someone who is not well versed with apron and runway procedures ? Is this as much as we are worth to these two bodies ? Is this how we, the Maltese public, deserve to be treated and mishandled, like a piece of luggage at the baggage room ?
Since the MIA is a company with shares owned by the public, maybe shareholders should come out and ask the questions.
It appears from the Maltarightnow article that the vehicle in question was being escorted at all times by a police vehicle while it was being driven on Apron 9.
If the police car was carrying a regular vehicle pass, then there was simply no security breach whatsoever. This arrangement is regularly used to grant temporary access for vehicles of contractors who would be carrying out works inside the restricted areas of the airport ranging from grass-cutting to resurfacing.
Frankly, there does not seem to be a story here, and certainly not one worth making such a fuss over.
Of course there are immigration and customs overtones, but neither of these were mentioned in the story.
Let’s revert back to Labour’s version of Malta’s national emblem, the one that shows a Maltese boat and a prickly pear tree and add to it a banana tree sporting a big ripe bunch.
How about calling for an enquiry.