I think Manuel Mallia wrote that letter for Joseph Muscat

Published: November 23, 2014 at 12:45am

I read the prime minister’s letter to the Opposition leader quickly through when I first received it, and thought, ‘but it doesn’t sound like Joseph Muscat’.

In 20 years I have never heard Joseph Muscat use that kind of language or a word like ‘tivventila’.

I’ve just read it again, slowly and quietly. And I heard, clearly in my head, the bullfrog voice of Manuel Mallia.

“Jien iddecidejt li…”

Manuel Mallia wrote the PM’s letter. The PM is Leli’s hostage.

Read it through, and see if you don’t think the same.

Ittra




65 Comments Comment

  1. H.P. Baxxter says:

    The giveaway is “tivventila”.

  2. Wilson says:

    So he really doesn’t get it does he? The guy ought to be in prison awaiting a case with a minimum of three charges and the prime minister is still toying around with the political story.

  3. Joe Fenech says:

    Why is he ‘his hostage’? Is there anything we ought to know?

  4. etil says:

    You are right. This is a lawyer type letter and so very Manuel Mallia.

  5. Allo Allo says:

    Fil-kapacita tieghu ta’ avukat… because everyone wears six hats, thinks laterally and outside the box here.

  6. bernie says:

    F’dan l-istadju, il-Prim Ministru Manwel Mallia ma fadallux triq ohra hlief li, jew jinnomina t-tliet slaten magi tieghu ghat-tieni inkjesta li jrid jaghmel, jew li jghid li ma jistax jaghmel din l-inkjesta ghaliex il-Kap tal-Oppozizzjoni qed jirrifjuta li jikkollabora.

    • Tom Double Thumb says:

      I suggest that for a perfectly impartial Board of Investigation the Prime Minister should appoint Judge Wenzu Mintoff as Chairman, assisted by Consuelo Scerri Herrera and Carol Peralta.

      Then we will know the whole truth if we understand the exact opposite of what their report says.

  7. catharsis says:

    “ai termini” (second sentence). Sounds familiar.

  8. david says:

    Fil-fatt jien rajt stramba l-uzu ta’ ‘ai termini’, ‘lecitu’, ‘vericita’ u aktar li huma kliem legali, kliem li jintuzaw mill-avukati u rari uzati mill-bqija l-ohra.

    Joseph Muscat kif kullhadd jaf m’ghandu u qatt ma kellu rbit mas-socjeta legali kemm fil-karriera tieghu u wkoll fl-istudji u allura avukat biss setgha kiteb dik l-ittra.

    • Mim says:

      But surely he must be familiar with asking mummy to write a note to get out of gym class for example.

      And Mallia, a criminal lawyer, must know that the best place for him to be is inserted fl’andament.

      So it’s a skewed win-win for them. Guaranteed no gains for the Maltese public.

    • Tintoretto says:

      Joseph Muscat xi kelma ta’ bidwi rahli bl-‘imawwig’ jitlaq u mhux dak il-kliem bombastiku.

      Kemm hu transparenti, le kemm hu wiehed li jghaddi d-dawl minnu hux il-bahbuh Burmarradi Muscat.

  9. John B says:

    It is pretty obvious that the letter is written not by Joseph Muscat but by a lawyer.

    It is probably the draft prepared for printing on the official letterhead, to be signed by the Prime Minister.

    The fact that the letter was published in that state raises questions as to its authenticity and whether the Prime Minister was aware of its publication. If I were a journalist I would have asked for a signed version before publishing.

    If the Prime Minister had seen that letter and decided to send it in that state, it shows nothing but a high dose of arrogance and ignorance.

    Even the official address of the Leader of the Opposition is incorrect. It is not the Dar Centrali PN, the same way as the official address of the PM is not the LP HQ.

    • Tom Double Thumb says:

      Unsigned letters have become a favourite with this government as they have been within the Labour Party itself.
      Remember the letter that ruined Lino Spiteri’s chances of being elected Leader?

  10. Frankie Camenzuli says:

    Oh, official letters by the Prime Minister of Malta nowadays lack Maltese fonts. Kif spiċċajna wkoll, basta jriduha tal-PR gods daw ta’ Kastilja!

    • Allo Allo says:

      What the heck, Mr President. NO Maltese fonts? That’s what we get when we are told that Maltese is an official language of the European Union? What the heck. No way. You either give us our Maltese fonts, or thank you and goodbye.

    • Brussels show says:

      Have you forgotten about the purple in the face speech when they didn’t have a translator ready at his EU speech? Ghamel xow il-boy! Hypocrite!

  11. Lizz says:

    So how does this work? Aren’t judges and ex judges supposed to be universally impartial?

    And if not, aren’t they supposed to be seen (at least) impartial?

    How then, can a political party, or indeed someone governing the country have a professional predilection for a particular judge, or say ‘prefer’ one over the another?

    Muscat is trying to throw the PN in a mine field here. Who will they choose, Caruana Colombo? And who will Muscat field, Farrugia Sacco?

    F’hiex waqa’ dan il-pajjiz.

  12. ken il malti says:

    Leli must have some fascinating photos.

    • Tabatha White says:

      Commissions and source of finance.

      These people are all on an alternative pensions plan.

      Taghna lkoll means that the more on the minor take the less of an argument.

      Until the discontent gap produces a shooter.

    • anthony says:

      I do not think it is photos this time round.

      I think it is other stuff.

  13. Qeghdin Sew says:

    http://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/manuel-Mallia-china-statue1.jpg

    Jiena ddecidejt li hawnhekka l-Onor. Ministru jinsab jivventila s-sedere ai termini tal-iStandards tal-Igjene.

  14. canon says:

    The prime minister’s proposal is ridiculous. He should decide: is he standing by Manuel Mallia or is he not?

    Nobody else can take that decision for him.

  15. Francis Saliba M.D. says:

    The letter is unsigned because Joseph Muscat had not yet understood the legalise jargon and wanted some legal hawk to explain it to him.

    But Dr Simon Busuttil understood it immediately and promptly gave the merited reply.

    Prosit.

  16. Failed cover up says:

    Vera, ‘jien iddecidejt’ qeghda wisq f’ilsien Manwel Mallia.

  17. Madoff says:

    Manuel Mallia = Reinkarnazzjoni ta’ Lorry Sant forma ta’ avukat.

  18. Salvu says:

    If I were Simon Busuttil, I would send it back to the PM asking him to confirm that this is truly his letter. And if yes, I would ask him to sign it on a letter head.

    Either that or I would send a reply to Manwel Mallia copied to the PM.

  19. Makjavel says:

    Sar kolp ta stat u ma nafux.

  20. Makjavel says:

    If I received an unsigned copy of a letter supposedly from the Prime Minister, I would first scan it and send it to the Prime Minister by email and ask for a signed copy.

  21. jaqq says:

    Now when we are made the laughing stock of Europe then perhaps Manuel Mallia will resign

  22. alcamo marina says:

    Jien nghid li l pn qabbduh jispara biex jghatu l impressjoni li ergajna gejna bhal 80`s

  23. observer says:

    “Be a man, stand up and (for once at least) behave like a real Prime Minister” was the merited reply to little joey’s farcical (and pharisaical) ‘invitation’ to Dr Busuttil.

    This time, however, it was not a little boy who publicly expressed his amazement at the real, stark, and ugly nakedness of the Emperor while that august personage was parading his ‘new clothes’ in front of the submissive populace.

  24. Alex says:

    “Peress li” is a dead giveaway. It’s idiosyncratic of any application/plea before court.

  25. Freedom5 says:

    MaltaToday has more revelations this morning :

    “home affairs minister’s chief of staff Silvio Scerri, who called MaltaToday on the night of the incident to ‘correct’ the newspaper’s initial report and insist that the shots Sheehan fired into a vehicle were “warning shots” fired in the air.”

    http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/46525/inquiry_thats_set_to_produce_labours_next_resignation#.VHGHXGK9KSM
    Also , the letter you reproduce addressed to Simon Busuttil , how is it not on a letter head and unsigned ?

  26. So Manuel Mallia continues to run the show, and his boss, the Prime Minister, follows.

    • gaetano pace says:

      Yes indeed this is another Labour electoral promise fulfilled. We are being shown in practice what both Manwel and Joseph (order or precedence intended) meant when they promised a fresh new way of doing politics. A new definition of what politics should be. We were never promised a flipjack as this present though.

  27. John B says:

    For the attention of the Board of Inquiry:

    “Questions will be raised on the home affairs minister’s chief of staff Silvio Scerri, who called MaltaToday on the night of the incident to ‘correct’ the newspaper’s initial report and insist that the shots Sheehan fired into a vehicle were “warning shots” fired in the air.”

    Malta Today 23 November 2014, 8:00am

  28. Crockett says:

    Onor. Prim Ministru,

    Ieqaf tivventila duhhan. M’hemm l-ebda allegazzjonijiet maghmulin mill-Kap tal-Oppozizzjoni.

    Hu decizjoni int ai termini tal-vericita u l-fatti li sehhew e basta. Kun lecitu jekk int kapaci anness li int paraculo e senza coglioni.

  29. m says:

    “Tivventila” (an assumed Maltese word) would supposedly have been extracted from the Italian “ventilare”.

    An invented word like that could only be used by a pompous Italianate lawyer of the old school, who has modelled himself on his erstwhile hero Guido Demarco, and who likes to show he has come a long way from the Blue Lantern bar by throwing important-sounding words around to impress the guttersnipes (from both Malta and Romania) with whom he surrounds himself.

  30. bob-a-job says:

    Thank God he didn’t try to forge the sigature too.

    Would Muscat know about Chaper 426 of the Criminal Code?

  31. Lorry says:

    Leli kollu kemm hu!

  32. M. Vella says:

    As soon as I heard the news that a Board of Inquiry is going to be set up, Farrugia Sacco came to mind. His judgement would be very impartial.

  33. Gahan says:

    Anki l-kliem “ai” u “vericita huma kliem uzati fit terminologija tal-avukatura. Kliem Italjanizat li fil passat bhal kleru kienu jimpressjonaw bl-inteligenza taghhom.

  34. rjc says:

    And why isn’t it written on an Office of the Prime Minister letterhead?

  35. R Camilleri says:

    Why wasn’t the letter released to the press a copy of the official signed letter?

    All that fuss about George Pullicino and an unsigned bank letter and here the government is issuing an unsigned letter by the PM and without the proper letterhead.

  36. Natalie Mallett says:

    So now it is a duel between a criminal defence lawyer and a diplomatic one.

    The outcome of this will give us all a clear indication which way the country is heading.

    The two options are gas down gol-hajt or another short Labour government. Looking forward to the finale but will enjoy the full show.

    I have a good feeling Dr. Busuttil will reveal his full potential.

  37. Angus Black says:

    Ma jidhirlix li dik il-kelma juzawha ta’ Burmarrad, imma forsi jien zbaljat.

    Barra minn hekk, ‘tivventila’, bil-Malti pur tfisser ‘taqla minn fuq l-istonku’.

  38. Persil says:

    But why is everybody so against Manuel Mallia?

    Apart from being a minister, he is a lawyer and a family man.

    I am sure that at the moment he does not close an eye not even at night.

    His driver has put him in a very strange situation.

    Who will replace Mallia’s driver?

    [Daphne – We don’t really care about that, Persil. It’s Manuel Mallia we want to see replaced.]

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