The baying of the mob
The widespread confusion about whether Pullicino Orlando should or shouldn’t resign, whether he may be obliged to do so and by whom or what, only points to the absolute dearth of civic education in our schools and university. While the so-called man-in-the-street can be forgiven for not knowing certain things or not grasping certain concepts, it is unforgivable that people who have been part and parcel of political life should manifest such a gross misunderstanding of basic democratic tenets, a poor handle on the separation of powers, and near-complete ignorance of the constitutional role of a member of parliament, except in the narrowest legal sense. Above and beyond my column last Thursday, here are some further points that need to be made.
If the Nationalist Party is so upset with the behaviour of Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, then the Nationalist Party has a choice of only two roads open to it: to demand his resignation from the party, or to kick him out. The Nationalist Party cannot demand that he resign his seat as an MP, because seats in parliament are not in the gift of political parties and the Constitution protects individual MPs from any such depredations. In fact, the Constitution does not even consider the existence of political parties, except when discussing the mechanisms that come into play when a party gains a minority of votes and a majority of seats. As far as the Constitution is concerned, there is no such thing as a Nationalist MP or a Labour MP. There are only MPs.
The reason that some elements within the Nationalist Party are working behind the scenes for Pullicino Orlando’s resignation from parliament rather than from the party – even though the Nationalist Party is entitled only to demand the latter – is obvious. They want to rid themselves of Pullicino Orlando while keeping his seat for the party and maintaining its majority in parliament, and hence, the government. They do not want Pullicino Orlando to resign from the party. In fact, they are probably delirious with fear that he might, in which case I must ask why they are going out of their way to claim their pound of flesh and back him up against the wall. If he resigns from the party he automatically becomes an independent MP. Resignation from the party does not equate with resignation from parliament. MPs who resign from the party keep their seats, because their seats are not dependent on the party, despite their being elected on the party ticket. The Constitution doesn’t give a flying monkey’s about political parties, except where spelling out the mechanism for the adjustment of seats.
So if Pullicino Orlando resigns from the party, which is what the party should ask him to do if it is so deeply upset, the Nationalist Party and the Labour Party will have equal numbers of seats, with Pullicino Orlando in the middle playing the role that Harry Vassallo and Arnold Cassola so coveted.
That is one reason why I cannot, for the life of me, understand why some elements in the Nationalist Party are insisting on escalating the matter and attempting to create public hysteria about this case, aided and abetted by the Labour Party and AD. Nor can I understand why newspaper columnists and other commentators who should know better are insisting that Pullicino Orlando ‘should do the right thing and go’, when he does not represent their interests in parliament, nor is he their MP.
All efforts by some elements within the Nationalist Party to force Pullicino Orlando to vacate his seat drive right against our particular form of representative democracy, which is rooted in individual MPs and not in political parties, as spelled out in our Constitution. That seat does not belong to the Nationalist Party. It belongs to Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando.I have to repeat that in our system of representative democracy, MPs are answerable only to their constituents – or more precisely, to those who elect them. Absolutely nobody has the right to remove, or to work for the removal of, an MP except those who voted for him. This happens at a general election, when they might decide not to vote for him again. Absolutely no one else has the right to interfere: not the prime minister, not the Nationalist Party, not the Labour Party, not the constituents of other districts, and certainly not Alternattiva Demokratika, newspaper columnists, opinion pollsters, or whatever is currently masquerading as public opinion. Our Constitution protects MPs against precisely this kind of baying of the mob, and rightly so. It’s called democracy, as opposed to Stalinism.
The idea that an MP can be forced or ‘persuaded’ to resign because he has done something that sectors of society other than his constituents do not like or object to is so profoundly undemocratic – so appalling – that I regard it with horror. If we start down that road, where will it all end?
I find it hard to believe that the prime minister is behind all this. As a pragmatist with a very sharp mind, he will have a firm grasp on the dangerous ramifications of this course of action. His office has already issued a statement pointing out that the seats of members of parliament are a matter on which the electorate decides. But quite apart from the democratic aspects, he will also know that embarking on such a high-risk strategy – trying to force an MP to resign by bringing out the baying mob and fanning the flames of ‘public anger’ – is extremely irresponsible. The odds are that both the government and the Nationalist Party will end up hoist by their own petard.The Nationalist Party needs Pullicino Orlando’s seat. And because Pullicino Orlando’s seat comes with Pullicino Orlando attached to it, it follows that they need him too. The current attempt at trying to keep Pullicino Orlando’s seat without Pullicino Orlando in it is a democratic non-starter. From a practical point of view, it is stupidly dangerous in terms of strategy. It would have been insane even for the Nationalist Party to permit the escalation of this matter without applying damage management. To watch the Nationalist Party escalating the issue itself, and deliberately so, leaves me bug-eyed in consternation.
The prime minister should demand, forcefully, that his underlings and minions stop this nonsense at once. In the interest of all that is commonsense and democracy, the Pullicino Orlando case should be investigated, calmly and without political pressure, by the police. Then if it reaches that stage, it should be decided upon, also calmly and without political pressure, by the courts. Do people understand what the separation of powers means, and what it is there for? I am beginning to doubt it.
The prime minister is not the sort to stamp his little feet because he has Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando on his side of the House and doesn’t want him there. He is the sort to deal with it. Over the course of the election campaign, he dealt smilingly with the fractious behaviour of a thousand whiners and whingers threatening him with their vote. I am pretty sure he can cope with this situation. Otherwise, what he is doing (if he is doing it, which I doubt) is exactly what Sant did in the PBS studios: calling for the removal by unorthodox means of the upsetting presence of a fellow MP.In situations like this, we must ask ourselves: who gains? (Please don’t all write in at once with the Latin maxim.) The answer to this question is simple: those who have most to gain by the removal of Pullicino Orlando are the Nationalist candidates, on his districts, who were not elected. In the district where I vote, these include two candidates whom I made a point of not voting for: Michael Asciak of Opus Dei and Tony Abela tar-Rabat. I would be very cross indeed if the MP for whom I did vote were forced to resign only to be replaced by somebody for whom I specifically did not vote, and for valid reasons.
If the constituents of the district where I live voted for Pullicino Orlando, and not for X or Y, then our wishes have to be respected, including by Pullicino Orlando. He would not be justified in resigning because he has no way of knowing whether those who put him in that seat to represent them wish him to go away and be replaced by somebody for whom they did not vote.
It is a serious business indeed when a political party brings its machine to bear, whipping up public opinion, against an MP it wishes to rid itself of while keeping his seat. It is the kind of thing one might have expected of Dom Mintoff. It is only if Pullicino Orlando is convicted by the courts of a crime that carries a sentence of more than one year in prison that we can speak of removing him from parliament – and then it is in the hands of the Speaker of the House, and not of the prime minister.I was informed in terse terms that “lying to the prime minister” is a resignation matter. Yes, of course it is, I replied – and that’s exactly why the prime minister should ask Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando to resign from the Nationalist Party if he understands that he has been lied to. On the other hand, nobody is obliged to resign their seat in parliament because they “lied to the prime minister”, and no prime minister has the right to expect or request their resignation. Pullicino Orlando’s constituents, for the sake of argument, might be indifferent to his behaviour; they might excuse it, forgive it, or even like it, for all we know. There is no accounting for taste. After all, several thousand people voted for Jesmond Mugliett and for Franco Debono.
There was a frozen silence, as expected, given that the people who are arguing like this don’t like having it pointed out to them that a party leader who feels abused by a party member can only ask for that party member’s resignation from the party, and not from parliament.
There’s something else, too, which is confusing people. When the prime minister and the leader of the opposition asked the police commissioner to investigate this case, they did so as ordinary citizens. It was no different to my going up to the police commissioner and asking for an investigation. Neither the prime minister nor the leader of the opposition has a specific, still less superior, role to play in asking for investigations into alleged cases of corruption. They are taken more seriously by the Police Commissioner, perhaps, but that is entirely up to his own discretion. They are certainly not taken more seriously by the law.This particular fiction was created by the behaviour of Lawrence Gonzi and Alfred Sant in the last week of the election campaign. Both of them – perhaps unintentionally – created the impression that they were demanding an investigation in their respective roles as prime minister and opposition leader. Alfred Sant went one further by dragging the press along and creating a circus.
Now that the matter is with the police, it is out of the prime minister’s hands. What am I saying? It has always been out of the prime minister’s hands, because we do not live in a country where the prime minister can cross the boundaries that separate the powers. We did so once, yes, but that was in the 1970s and the early to mid-1980s. If the case reaches the courts, and the courts take a decision which makes Pullicino Orlando’s seat untenable in terms of article 55 of the Constitution of Malta, it is the Speaker of the House, and not the prime minister, who must then act to have him removed.
I cannot repeat often enough that the prime minister has no role at all to play in a situation like this. Nor should he have such a role, as we cannot have a situation in which MPs – who represent those who voted for them and not the political parties – are forced out by party leaders who don’t like them. If a prime minister wants to rid himself of an MP when he has a one-seat majority in parliament, his only choice is to do what Sant did in 1998, and call a snap election. Sant tried to rid himself of Mintoff, and instead the country rid itself of Sant. A prime minister is referred to as the primus inter pares – or first among equals – for the simple reason that, in parliamentary terms and in terms of our Constitution, this is precisely what he is. In parliament, he has no Constitutional status greater than that of Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando. Both are MPs.
By trying to force the resignation of Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, the Nationalist Party is making itself a hostage to fortune. Does it seriously imagine that over the course of the next five years, not one of its other 33 MPs (I leave the prime minister out of this because I consider him to be beyond reproach) will give cause for concern or even for scandal? Unless it is going to operate a system of two weights and two measures, it will then have to try forcing those other trouble-makers to resign, too. That should be fun – five whole years of musical chairs.
But we have a system of two weights and two measures already. Jesmond Mugliett, despite giving repeated cause for scandal through his various ministerial responsibilities and almost certainly being responsible for much of the voter haemorrhage suffered by the Nationalist Party in the last couple of years, was not even made to resign from his cabinet post. Now a demand for the resignation of a cabinet minister is an entirely different kettle of fish, because a minister is part of the executive. For all the reasons I have outlined here, asking Mugliett to resign his parliamentary seat didn’t even cross the remoter regions of the government’s mind. But he should have certainly been made to resign as minister, and the prime minister paid the price at the polls for not doing so. Why? Because people understood that he could have removed him and didn’t – unlike with Pullicino Orlando and his seat in parliament.
It was the same with John Dalli, who has now been returned to the fold. When there were accusations against him, he was asked to resign his cabinet position. Nobody said anything about resigning his parliamentary seat – again, for all the reasons I have outlined here. Pullicino Orlando doesn’t have a ministerial post to resign. Not being given one, and having the baying hounds put on his heels, is apparently not enough punishment – so they are going after his seat as well.
This is exactly the kind of anti-democratic thinking and behaviour I fought the Labour Party about. I am not going to tolerate for one minute any attempt at the forced removal of my MP without having my approval sought and obtained. The next opportunity for that is at the polls in 2013. I have my own views about his behaviour, but I object on principle to being told that I cannot be represented by the person I chose to represent me. I object most strenuously to having this decision made over my head and in blatant defiance of my wishes as expressed at the polls. Whether Pullicino Orlando stays or goes is something that we decide, his constituents, and not something that is decided for us by others, none of whose business it is. How dare anyone suggest otherwise?
In this general election, the Nationalist Party included in its candidate list several individuals with a large neon sign above their heads that said ‘Trouble’. Some of them have a history of shady deals. Others are on the make. A couple define wrong and right as what is wrong and right for them. One of them had just been thrown out of the house by his wife, who has a young baby, because she had caught him having a sexual relationship with a prominent woman whose brother is a Labour MP – not that the identity of the brother was a factor in his being thrown out of the house, but it does make things even messier, politically speaking. This same candidate has some question marks hanging over his head when it comes to – how shall it put it? – straight dealing. I was very cross at his inclusion in the list because I believe that electors should know what they are voting for, and if this man was being put forward by Lawrence Gonzi and the family values party, people who weren’t in the know would assume that he was OK, rather than the kind of man who cheats on his wife while she’s having a baby.So according to the Nationalist Party’s scale of values, it is all right for a man to lie to his wife but lying to the party boss is a beheading offence. Well, I’m sorry, but I beg to differ. Give me the man who lies to the boss any day over the man who cheats on his wife while she’s having a baby. And I’m sure that every woman in this country will say the same, and some men too. Fortunately, the candidate in question was not elected. But if he were elected, we would have observed the delicious irony of this confirmed liar and cheat being allowed to watch from the comfort of his parliamentary seat the hounding of another MP who had the audacity to “lie to the boss”.
The Nationalist Party should vet its candidates before the general election. Afterwards, if those candidates are elected, there is nothing that can be done: tough, but true.
Nowhere in this case has there been any suggestion that Pullicino Orlando paid to get what he wanted. That’s corruption. Hitting the telephones to talk to people is not corruption. It is undue influence, and there are no legal sanctions against it – only disciplinary procedures, and only against the civil servants or public officers who give into it. When I hear the pseudo-scandalised tones of those on board the x’ gharukaza train (“he phoned people!”), I want to give up, get out of this well with its tunnel-vision people, and take a nice, long sabbatical in Manhattan.If we are going to start criminally investigating MPs and forcing them to resign for lobbying government departments and public service authorities, we had better get the other 66 MPs in line and start now. Again, I leave out Gonzi and I even leave out Sant. MPs lobby for their constituents all the time. It’s their job. It’s what they’re paid to do, in case we forget this. They cross the line when they bring undue influence to bear, or when they lobby for themselves. Pullicino Orlando wasn’t the only one to have been (allegedly) doing this. He was the only one to get caught. And let’s be honest, the only reason he is being made to pay such a high price, and in public too, is because he snagged the progress of the campaign in the last week, and has been blamed for the loss of votes (while the votes he pulled in with that stunt in the PBS studios were, of course, not acknowledged).
I really can’t stand any mealy-mouthed hypocrisy of this nature. Our parliament is jam-packed with seedy characters on both sides of the House – people who are already trouble or who have great potential for creating trouble over the next five years. Let’s get some sense of perspective on this one. And let’s remember that we are living in a democratic country with a clear delineation between the powers and a Constitution that safeguards MPs against the depredations of their political masters or ‘public opinion.’
And let us above all remember that ‘public opinion’ is often little more than the baying of the mob. Decisions taken in haste and panic to please that baying mob and to protect the ruler from its anger translate into the commission of grave injustices – most infamously on that day in Biblical history that led to the feast we are commemorating today, which began with the mob’s cry to crucify a scapegoat, and a decision taken to appease the mob in defiance of the law.
And lest anyone rush forwards to claim otherwise, I would have written exactly the same way if the case involved an MP for whom I did not vote, including opposition MPs. There are some very important principles at stake here, and those who do not recognise this would have been more at home in the days when the ruler shouted ‘Off with his head’ and the underlings rushed to do his bidding.
This article is published in The Malta Independent on Sunday today.
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Daphne,
What do you make of The Sunday’s Times’ Leader’s last paragraph?
“So he has every reason to answer the media’s legitimate questions about the former at this stage. If he is unable to address these satisfactorily, then he needs to reflect hard on whether he has, as Parliament’s code of ethics states, conducted “himself in a manner which reflects the status and dignity of the House…” And if he has not, then no criminal element is required to make resignation the only honourable option.”
Is it adding to the torch-carrying villagers’ hysteria?
Cui prodest scelus, is fecit.
– Seneca, Medea
Sentio aliquos togatos contra me conspirare
– JPO
(I think some people in togas are plotting against me.)
Good article Defnij ( I have decided to use Angluspijk today). I believe that Jefrij should consider well his situation but I agree with you. His seats are his own. Can all of you who are baying for his blood pipe down a bit. What do u want? The PN in power or yourselves (if u are a galloppin) or your candidate in Parliament at the cost of losing our slim hold on Governmnet. Please dont tell me the latter. I hate extreme political myopia, the type of the nuccali b’qieh ta kinnie bhala lentijiet. Lets get real. We are in Governmnet by the skin of the hedge of our teeth. Lets not push people too much. I am sure Jeffrey will do the right thing. Lets have some trust in the man. After all as i said before, who is so pure as not to cast the first brick ? Dont we all try and trade in influence. Ask yourselves if you were the owners of this land, and a particlar oppoortunity presented itself, what would you do? I thought so. So because JPO is an MP, its not alright, but if it had to be any Tom, Dick or Normal Harry ( Not the Green one, or the VATlessone) no one would have raised a whimper. Come on guys, give the man some space. He will decide.
Dear Moderator, Merits of the case under discussion apart, it appears that your arguments are based solely on legal positivism so dear to 19th century English utilitarians such as Jeremy Bentham et al. This approach leaves little space for ethics. It would seem an unhappy day indeed were the foundations of political responsibility and democracy in this country to consist only in this.
[Moderator – freethinker, I’m flattered – but the article was written and published by Daphne.]
I agree with all you wrote, Daphne, but have a slight reservation re the philandering candidate.
Yes, I concur that the fella will never qualify as moral fiber poster boy, but do you think that his private life has any bearing on his credentials for becoming a great MP? Nobody is perfect, but whilst definitely distasteful, it may be that he has other qualities.
In other words, it is his own life however disgusting some people, me included, may find it. And I fail to see how his bed hopping actions may have any bearing on the contribution he may have been able to offer as an MP.
Should we exclude people unless they are squeaky clean? In an ideal world yes, but as you rightly wrote there won’t be too many people in parliament apart from Gonzi and Sant.
Just because something was wrong but acceptable that doesn’t mean it ever was right, and it doesn’t mean that it should forever be acceptable. Otherwise our country shall never mature politically. If that means that JPO will be the first sacrificial lamb for this cause then so be it. He definitely wasn’t the first one and probably won’t be the last one either. But I believe that politicians who get caught with their hands in the cookie jar should be shamed in front of everyone … hopefully that will act as a deterrent to others.
[Moderator – I’m sure that the Salem Puritans felt the same way.]
Vanni: A messy private life is incompatible with a ‘family values’ party message.
Why do people want Pullicino Orlando to resign?
Corinne Vella: Why do people want Pullicino Orlando to resign?
For getting elected on false pretences?
[Moderator – If you think that JPO tricked you into voting for him, then don’t vote for him again in 2013. Until then, grit your teeth and respect the decision of the people who voted for him for their own personal reasons. I do the same with a man who got elected because he said he would subsidise oil at €1000 a barrel and lied about the result of a referendum.]
@ Vanni
May I just point out to you the recent Eliot Spitzer case. This political firebrand was the moral crusader of NY State and he swept into office in the biggest landslide in New York history. If I am not mistaken he was called the ‘Steamroller’ and ‘The Sheriff of Wall Street’ for he was on everyone’s case to clean up New York from any sort of sleaze at any cost, hence his nickname. Imagine the cost to himself and the Democratic party when the prostitution ring scandal broke for he was shown up not to be putting his money where his mouth is. When a politician messes up there is no private life for this private life has a knack of seeking the limelight at the most inopportune moment. One’s private life is the sum of one’s moral choices which must be translated into the public sphere especially if you are held up to be a role model to emulate, be it a politician, a priest, a teacher, a judge. As Spiderman said in one of his films: With great power comes great responsibility.
Our responsibility lies, however, into not turning into bloodthirsty latterday Torquemadas. We must let things run their course naturally without taking it upon ourselves to mete out judgements that are not ours to deliver.
[Moderator – The Eliot Spitzer case is not a straightforward comparison because he was involved with a criminal racket – it’s not just that he cheated on his wife. If I’m not mistaken, he announced his resignation at a press conference with his wife by his side.]
@ Corinne Vella ‘cos it’s hip
JPO was voted to Parliament on a wave of sympathy being percieved as the man who stood up to AS. The whole truth about the matter is now emerging and I am sure that we will be hearing of more facts.
I fully concur with Daphne’s view that the seat in parliament does not belong to the party and that it is the MP who has the sole right to decide what should be done in these instances.
Having said that JPO should realise that he took his constituents as well as his PM for a ride and the natural consequences for his actions are more than evident.
I believe that JPO should have the decency to call a press conference, apologise publicly to the PM, his constituents and to the people of Malta and simply pack up to put a stop to all the tension he is creating not only in the Government but also in all Maltese generally.
This country needs to pick up the pieces after the election. Having an opposition with no leader is bad enough but having an MP being investigated for corruption etc. is simply created more uncertainty.
Come on Jeffrey just do it.
[Moderator – To have an elected candidate removed from parliament and replaced by someone else against the will of his constituents is a travesty of democracy, and not the other way around. Did it even cross your mind that JPO’s constituents might have elected him because, all things considered, we still think he is the most decent out of all the candidates? Honestly, if there were two infinity symbols on that ballot sheet then I would have divided them between Tonio Borg and Michael Asciak, both of whom lobbied for the desecularisation of the state and one of whom lobbied against the closure of a fireworks factory that blew up in a residential area.]
Sorry for the oversight dear Moderator. The principles remain the same, nonetheless.
hi all,
can you please cut it about this jpo saga.there are other important issues to talk about.for me it is a closed case
I think DCG must be privy to some currents within the PN who are clamouring for JPO’s head … otherwise I cannot figure why she is crusading on his behalf, or why there’s such a hullabaloo about all this. I’ve always trusted her judgement and her stance on this should be taken into consideration.
@ Moderator
One must take care of one’s character and not one’s reputation. The Eliot Spitzer case might not be a straightforward comparison but it is a comparison nonetheless since the politician or whoever is not a freestanding monolith but represents the people who have put him there (and in the long run who was put there on the party’s ticket).
As for the wife-by-your-side confession, I think it is so demeaning to the wife. One cannot be expected to be like Hilary Clinton when she stood by Bill Clinton even though she made culturally dismissive remarks about Tammy Wynette.
“Nowhere in this case has there been any suggestion that Pullicino Orlando paid to get what he wanted. That’s corruption. Hitting the telephones to talk to people is not corruption.”
– That’s a rather short-sighted statement to make. There’s actually no need for JPO to have been the one to pay any bribes for him to have taken part in corruption. The definition of corruption used by most transparency advocates is: ‘the misuse of entrusted power for personal gain’. As an MP who was openly gunning (and tipped for) the Environment Minister spot, any phone calls made to public officials wherein he suggests anything that is not within the law can be construed as duress. If he did indeed make these calls, whether or not the public officials stood up to him/didn’t is a different consideration: and if it’s true that this sort of thing doesn’t add up to a crime, then it says something about our past governments’ track record in fighting corruption and our unworthy attitude as a nation in encouraging it. I know JPO isn’t the only MP to have done this sort of thing – far from it – nor do I think he should resign from Parliament – i think he should sit there in silence for the next five years as a constant reminder to the others on the bench. But no words of pragmatism should distract us from the fact that exercising undue influence for personal gain, is, in itself, corruption.
According to the lax moral standards practised by the GonziPN government in the last four years, there’s nothing wrong with JPO keeping his seat in pariament. And Daphne is right to point out that several candidates had large neon signs reading TROUBLE, can we ever forget Tony Abela or Mugliett for that matter? George Cutajar’s reasoning is spot on and JPO should certainly take heed. As to why people wish JPO to resign (CV’s question), I think that Nationalist powermongers are scared stiff that he might use his seat to haunt the government, not by voting with Labour, which I’m sure Jeffrey will never do, but perhaps by abstaining and putting a one seat majority i serious predicament and depending on the speaker. Remember what happened last time that situation arose?
In my opinion, we have every right to demand JPO’s resignation. What he did is clearly unacceptable. It is abuse of power and even if he did not pay anyone (at least it seems for now), it is clearly evident that permit should have never been issued.
The fact that he has been elected does not mean that he is now untouchable and enjoys some kind of parlaimentary immunity. In my opinion, the reasoning on this issue should be the contrary of what DCG has made in her article. He lied to the prime minister, betrayed his constitunents and at the end all Malta. Therefore, he should stand up and offer his resignation himself.
According to DCG, it seems we should never ask an MP to resign and we have to wait for a general election to decide on an MP’s faith.
It seems that now what’s done is done, we have to bow our heads to the MPs and let them decide.
I only agree with DCG on the fact that what JPO has done is probably nothing compared to irregularities etc etc., other ministers had done. Therefore JPO is ending up some kind of a scapegoat. However this does not justify that he should not offer his resignation or that we cannot demand his resignation. What is bad is bad, and therefore has to condemned.
Of course we are not asking JPO to cry now:)
We are demanding him to stand up as a man, offer his resignation and if possible set an example to other MPs for the future. OK i think i am being far fetched with my last point. Setting an example is too much but who knows it could happen. In other countries MPs,minister & mayors resign for much less embarrassing issues.
[Moderator – No, not ‘according to DCG’ – according to parliamentary democracy. ‘matt spiteri’, why did you post comments using the names ‘victor’, ‘patrick’ and ‘expn’? Are you an elve (sic)?]
To-date nobody, except AS, inferred that any money passed hands in the JPO saga. However making incessant phone calls to DCC’s members does constitute a breach of ethics.
Hopefully all MP’s have learnt a lesson from all that is emerging in JPO’s case – do help and assist your constituents as it is your obligation but do not go overboard and attempt to obtain for them what they have no right to.
Remember that some time back the criminal code was amended to include a crime known as ‘TRADING IN INFLUENCE’.
[Moderator – I’m guessing that you read MaltaToday’s article on that law. Quoting the article: ‘…anyone who promises, gives or offers, directly or indirectly, any undue advantage to someone to exert “an improper influence over the decision-making of any person” would be liable to imprisonment….’. It has not been proven and nor has it been suggested that JPO was offered an ‘undue advantage’.]
@Vanni – I wasn’t objecting to the philanderer’s philandering per se, but to the ‘family values’ PN putting him forward on their list, which is a way of giving him the nod of approval at a time when (I thought) word hadn’t yet got out over what he had done to his wife (and baby). I was wrong – word had got out, as it tends to do in villages where well-known ‘pillars of society’ are the subjects of gossip. As a result, almost no one voted for him, even though he seemed very popular before the event.
What this tells us is that people have no qualms about voting for JPO or even for Jesmond Mugliett, Franco Debono etc. But they do object to men who get thrown out of the house for cheating on their wife when she is busy with a young baby. It might be a particular Maltese morality, but so what?
If this candidate had been presented in full view of the fact that he is a liar and a cheat, I would have had no objection. The whole point of my argument is that there is no accounting for taste, and that if people want to be represented by a liar and a cheat, that is entirely their own business.
I have strong reservations about the way that Tonio Borg, when Justice Minister, used his influence to write to every organisation in the country to get them to back Gift of Life’s appeal to have the anti-abortion article slotted into the Constitution. I considered that a resignation offence (as a minister), but it would never have passed the nether reaches of my mind to demand his resignation as an MP. Those who like this kind of religious zeal voted for him, and who am I to object? On the other hand, as a minister….
@Dave – nothing, however extreme, acts as a deterrent to others, including capital punishment and 100 lashes in a public square.
Maybe some ex ministers, would like to set examples on integrity? You know how it is matt spiteri, getting wives to cash rent cheques, etc etc etc ;)
BTW, you start off using “I”, but end up using “we”. Who is the “we” you are representing, presuming you are not of royal blood, of course?
[Moderator – Perhaps he is speaking on behalf of the entire grotto.]
@Ivan M – I think you have made an accurate and succinct assessment. ‘JPO should resign’ has become the trendy opinion, to replace the now redundant ‘we need a change.’
What I cannot understand in the moderator’s reasoning is that she seems to be implying that we have a right to whoever we gave our number 1 vote to be in parliament come what may. There are many people who voted for candidates who did not get elected. Does this mean they are being discriminated against ? I believe that if JPO commited something wrong and he got caught he should have the decency to resign especially as he painted himself as a defender of the environment and also dangerously convinced the PN leadership of his innocence. This is obvious from the fact that they allowed him to pose as a journalist to face AS.
[Moderator – They are not being discriminated against because there is no room for subjective decisions in the very objective single transferable voting system. How can you discriminate against someone who did not win an election? The moderator is a he.]
@ George Cutajar: hi George, first of all. The tension about this case is not being created by JPO, but by those within the Nationalist Party who are whipping up public opinion against him. Public opinion, if not whipped up and focussed, simply forgets and moves on to more pressing matters. When you have people within the media who are being called, spoken to, fed a line, etc, this is what happens: you get two or three leading articles on the same day (today) calling for the man’s resignation. I know because I too was at the receiving end of a telephone call, and was extremely cross about it.
Look at the way the Labour Party handled the case where it was revealed that Karmenu Vella and Charles Mangion had evaded income tax while they were cabinet ministers (and had fixed things up with the IR retrospectively). They stuck to their guns, the party maintained its silence, and people moved on. Nobody is talking about it – not even the PN media.
Daphne
Thank you for this contribution.
Probably, for the first time ever, I fully agree with every sentence penned.
I hope that this will not be the last!
It is up to Jeffrey Pullicino Orldando to decide about his seat in Parliament and his obligations towards his constituents. It is also his prerogative on how to deal with his conscience.
Daphne
What do you make of The Sunday Times’ leader asking for JPO’s resignation in the last paragraph?
Does this constitute a breach of journalistic ethics?
@ Gerald (sorry to be posting one comment after another, but I am just reading through the list) – anyone who can read the character of the person in question will see that it makes far more sense to have him in parliament on a five-year guilt trip, toeing the line to make amends for the mess, than enraged and backed up against the wall. The comparison I made to the person who called me to try to influence my opinion was this: the PN’s reaction is like that of a woman who finds out that her husband has lied to her, and reacts by ripping up his entire wardrobe and throwing acid on his Porsche. A smarter woman would keep calm and keep the upper hand, and get the guilty one to do her bidding – out of gratitude for her ‘understanding’ – for the next few years. But you know what they say: men are not as smart as women, which is why the angriest people in this showdown are all men, and the women are wondering what the fuss is about.
@ George Cutajar – me again. In response to your second comment, there is a famous MP from Gozo who spends all her time on the telephone trying to influence decisions in favour of her constituents. Are we going to investigate her too? As an MP, she is well within her rights to do that. But as a minister, and hence a member of the executive, it’s very icky. What does a humble civil servant do when he gets a call from a minister wearing her MP’s hat?
MODERATOR,
No I did not read MaltaToday.
Once police investigations take their course and criminal action instituted I believe we are in for some very heavy stuff.
In any case there is no doubt that JPO did not only lie to his party leader but took the whole nation for a tearful ride. Now that certain facts have emerged the only honourable way left for JPO is to resign.
What baffles me is why did JPO try to fool everybody. Leasing a property to somebody you do not know is simply not on. Did JPO think that he can lie through his teeth, take us all for a ride in Mickey’s land and all will be forgotten the day after.
I have known JPO for as long as I care to remember and in all honesty I simply cannot understand what possessed him and what is possessing him at this stage and keeping him from calling it a day. He needs to realise that this country needs to put this sad incident behind it and get on with the job. He must understand that the PM, returning from his hard-earned holiday on Tuesday, needs to dedicate his precious time to serious matters of state and not waste time attempting to limit the untold damage he has caused.
Rumours doing the rounds about JPO’s intentions are causing unecessary tension and the only way to put a stop to these rumours is simply resigning from MP and possibly also from the PN.
Please Jeffrey we have had five weeks of political talk and the story simply does not have an end to it unless you resign. Please Jeffrey, just do it.
Asuming that JPO performed no illegal activity to influence the granting of the permit, I excuse him his efforts to speed up the process as in my experience most MP’s try to put their weight about. What I find very shocking in his behaviour is that he convinced the party of his total innocence enough for them to allow him to appear as a journalist on TV. This is the reason I feel JPO should be man enough to face to his responsibilities.
Hi Daphne,
I know what you mean. The problem with this country is that a civil servant fears his political master and would bend over to accomodate he/she who wields power.
This has to stop.
Having said that I do not equate what the famous Gozitan MP does daily with JPO’s involvement in the Mistra case.
Dear moderator
Parliamentary democracy or the fact that we vote every 5 years does not mean that MPs are not accountable for their actions. I undertand Daphne’s opinion on JPO’s case because it is a particular one . He has been elected even though there were serious accusations against him and it seems that this had not no effect on his consitituents. However, the final proof that JPO was involved in this irregularity was brought on the last day before the election and investigations have been made after the election. Therefore if this case was brought up 2 weeks before i am sure that he would have got less votes. Secondly, JPO had the backing to some extent of his party and therefore this could have confused his constituents.
In any case i totally disagree with the reasoning that he was elected by his constituents and therefore we now have to leave him in peace.
Finally, i have to say that MPs get elected for all Malta and not for the appox 3500-4000 voters who elected them in each district.
Therefore they are answerable for all their actions to all the people in Malta.
Moderator I am pleased you read my previous comments with different names even though they were not posted on this blog for some reason. I had to this because i thought i was banned from posting comments on this blog. I was never offensive or rude in my comments but i only thought it differently from DCG. Anyway, from now i shall use Matt spiteri. Oboviously as this is a private blog you have every right or not to post my comments.
@ Meerkat – I have been out all day and have only glanced at the newspapers. I still have to settle down to read them (a task I tend to put off) and intend to blog about their contents, including the interview with The Poodle, tomorrow.
Daphne, I am just back from Gozo and word is all around that the dear minister was actually offered the education portfolio and refused it to continue serving her native constituents. I think comparing Gozo to Malta as in terms of political patronage is a bit off course as everyone knows the heavy handed ways pliticians in Gozo use to retain the status quo. Heck, its a known fact that the Labour MP in Gozo is in cahoots with the minister to push through certain projects. But that’s Gozo for you as I’m sure you very well know.
@ George again! The country does not need to put anything behind it, because the country is not bothered. Never make the mistake of assuming that what men in groups say in Valletta, or what newspaper commentators write, is ‘the country’. Yesterday morning I stopped for a chat with the farmers working around our garden, and did they even mention JPO? No. Their sole topic of conversation was ‘kemm hu mbarazz il-Lejber’ and ‘kemm m’ghandhom xejn il-Lejber.’ As for JPO – people don’t get over things – or ‘achieve closure’ as the Americans say – by calling it a day. They do so by staying on an making things right. If JPO resigns, his wound will fester for the rest of his life. By staying on, he gets the chance to prove himself as not such a rotter after all. I have no particularly great insight into the workings of men’s minds, and I hardly know JPO at all, but I think I’ve got this one right.
Why do men always have to have Porsches in their garage with the wife throwing a tantrum?
@ Daphne
Thank you. I look forward to your comments.
@ Matt Spiteri – thank you for using your real name. The moderator has instructions to refuse only those comments which use bad language or are unacceptably coarse and vulgar (even though some do occasionally get through). No comments are refused because their opinion is different to that of the blog – of course not, because we want as many different opinions as possible.
Regarding your comment that MPs are elected for the whole of Malta: no, I’m afraid they are not. They are elected to represent only their constituents. That is why Malta is divided into constituencies (districts) and is not a single constituency (district).
The Nationalists seem to be frightened that attention has turned too much to ‘trivial’ matters like the JPO saga instead of the Labour blasting that is their favourite pastime (farmers stating ‘kemm hu mbarazz il Lejber’ does not surprise me since they are around 80 percent Nationalist anyway). The recent revelation by Joe Muscat to throw his hat into the Labour leadership contest will provide the PN with good fodder for months to come.
[Moderator – They have good reason to dislike Alfred Sant after he failed to turn up at meeting with 400 farmers. He told the president of their association that he will speak to them after the election. If that’s statesmanlike behaviour, then I’m Richard Nixon.]
Mod: No, you are not mistaken about Eliot Spitzer’s wife being at his side at his resignation press conference.
Ela: Mine was a rhetorical question. My feelings on the matter are summed up in the moderator’s reply. The “sincerity, honesty and integrity” claimed by the former leader of the opposition are nothing of the sort, given his reckless promises about surcharge subsidies, striking oil when in power,and “policy” making on the hoof. He didn’t fool everyone, but he certainly fooled many people who believed such promises could be fulfilled at no direct or indirect cost to themselves. Yet I would not call for the former leader of the opposition to resign his parliamentary seat on those grounds any more than I would call for a former minister of tourism and a former minister of justice to give up their parliamentary seats on the grounds of tax evasion when in government.
The MP from Gozo who spends all her time on the phone epitomises a lot of what is wrong with our decision-making process. When we speak about ‘lobbying for constituents’ we’re talking about a fine line of policy alternatives that are framed within legal boundaries. If she’s lobbying for them to be able to go out and shoot quail in April , or to make sure problems related to their double-insularity get due weight in government policies, then fine. But if she’s asking for licences to operate this and that to be given to her constituents or for permits to get hurried through, then that’s not fine. How many MPs make this distinction? And who are civil servants expected to turn to when they get pressure unduly? I’m not so sure there’s a straight and realistic answer to that one.
Dear Daphne,
Ok MPs are elected by their constituents and therefore you can conclude that they represent them. I can also maybe agree with you that his constituents accepted him as he is and what he has done and still voted for him.
On the other hand, I think that other voters from all the other districts have a right to express their opinion and also condemn what JPO has done. JPO is also answerable to his party he is representing, which was just elected to govern for the next 5 years. I dont think that having a MP proved to be involved in irregularities or corruption from day 1 of this newly elected govt will reflect well on the government’s image. It is certainly not what Gonzi promised or the image he would like to start with.
In any case, I keep on with my opinion that MPs should take responsibility for their actions. Being elected as an MP does not mean that one can abuse of power. JPO did not certainly did not make those phone calls to MEPA officials to help his constituents but only for his own interests.
If his constituents still want him then JPO may try the local councils next time. He can help them by becoming mayor. He may try to open a disco in his district but not in Mistra (which is not his district). If he wants to be an MP he should be working for the interest’s of all Malta as he is paid by tazes of all the maltese people.
If we accept your argument daphne, we can give up and say we have to live with corruption, abuse of power or call it what you like. Please also note we cannot give second chances to JPO as you are trying to suggest.
It seems that it is already difficult to convince MPs to resign when they are involved in corruption , irregularites etc. Now you are also suggesting to give them second chances and stay on in parlaiment to prove that they not that bad after all.:)
So far, nobody has mentioned the fact that should a MP resign, the wishes of his constituents would still be fully respected. Once the MP resigns, a bye-election would be held and the transferable preference votes of the same constituents would decide who would be elected instead. A MP may, for instance, die and the same procedure would apply. The constituents’ decision would remain sovereign.
As I have already written on this blog, a MP is not only answerable to his constituents. He is answerable to the whole nation for he legislates for the whole nation and not only for his constituents. The primary function of a MP is to legislate. Once a MP is elected, he is a member of the national parliament and not of some parliament of his constituency. This is the truth of the matter from a purely legal point of view. Ethically, a MP should appear at all times as credible and “al di sopra di ogni sospetto” and this is a higher standard than the legal one which is the lowest denominator.
Matt Spiteri used the phrase “offer his resignation”. This is not correct. The MP does not offer to resign as a Minister may, he just resigns and the Speaker just takes note of the fact. It is not for the Speaker to accept or reject the resignation as the PM would in the case of a cabinet minister.
Paul: The internet is a very big space. You can take a cruise while everyone else slugs it out here.
Gerald: If I follow your line of reasoning, the people calling for resignation will get exactly what they’re afraid of. So why are they doing it?
Vanni – I don’t agree with you that his private life is his business, especially not in this particular case.
Maybe this would make it a little bit easier to understand: Would it be right for XYZ* to accept to “look into” a “situation” where a contract (tender?) was awarded to one’s bedfellow? I think not.
* Not the person’s real initials, obviously!
Fact No. 1 The MEPA auditor’s report does NOT say anything damning JPO in any way. In fact, JPO is NEVER mentioned in the report.
Fact No. 2 A police investigation is on-going. As far as I know, no official statement has been issued, therefore no statement has mentioned JPO, let alone tarnished him.
Fact No. 3 There are many, even but not only on this blog, stating that JPO has done wrong and calling for him to resign.
Fact 3 is incompatible with Facts 1 and 2, and based merely on emotions and the “crucify him” syndrome.
Like Daphne, in my family we ALL gave our No. 1 to JPO, and even now we are more moved by the energy he devotes to animal welfare, our natural heritage, and yes even our environment. I even applaud him publicly for all he did to get a fair arrangement for all of us when we wanted to watch the World Cup finals on our TVs. To me, that’s the type of person I want to represent me in Parliament.
I cannot speak for the rest of the members of my family, but I for one would not have wished to give my No.1 preference to anyone else – not any of the MLP candidates, not Tonio Borg or Edwin Vassallo or anyone from PN, not Carmel Cacopardo and not even Norman Lowell. And my opinion hasn’t changed.
Phone calls are the order of the day, and are made to dozens of people everywhere – not only for application forms, but for jobs, for free tickets, and for everything else – and by dozens of people, too – politicians from either end of the spectrum, union leaders, journalists, company directors, civil servants and still others, too. If people are calling for JPO’s resignation because he used his telephone, then our countrymen have gone raving mad.
They’re prerogative, of course, but I really do believe that we’re all trying to be “kattolici izjed mill-papa” – as usual. We Maltese are such hypocrites…..
Charles Spiteri: “not even Norman Lowell”? I assume you meant “especially not Norman Lowell”.
Charles Spiteri
Well done. You voted for the green politician of the year.
It seems that JPO could have used the phone for you as well.
Fact 1 ,2 & 3 you have mentioned do not say anything.
JPO has done nothing wrong.:) Oh come on. You dont’t have to be Catholic to know what is right or wrong. He devoted a lot of energy to the enivornment. Yes we noted that energy especially in the last weeks before the election. He worked so hard for Mistra to get his permit.
Phones calls are the order of the day. Din isbah. I need someone to make a phone call for me. I have a permit which need a phone call to move on. Maybe you know someone who can help MR Charles Spiteri. It seems it is the order of the day for you.
‘people are calling for JPO’s resignation because he used his telephone’ = Din isbah.
Mr Charles spiteri are you joking:)
1) I have just finished reading a book about Police Commissioner De Gray, Mintoff, and Maltese political history from the 50’s to the 70’s. I am too young to have lived those days, and reading this book has filled me with horror about how political life was in Malta in those times. During that period, police interference by the political leaders (both Maltese and English) was the order of the day. So, yes, I totally agree with all of you that said that both Gonzi and AS have asked to the police to investigate the JPO fact as private citizens, and God forbid if it was otherwise.
2) “Whether Pullicino Orlando stays or goes is something that we decide, his constituents, and not something that is decided for us by others, none of whose business it is”
Well, actually his constituents’ say will be exercised in 5 years time. But there is someone else who has the greatest right on whether JPO should stay or go now – JPO himself.
3) You have mentioned Mugliett and Dalli. I perfectly agree with your arguments, but wish to add – is it our main parties’ practice to sift through their candidates and refuse anyone who has ‘shady’ pasts? It doesn’t seem likely – I haven’t heard this happening in the recent political past. The person I know who has been refused to contest the elections on a party’s ticket is Sharon Ellul Bonici, and the reasons given to her are dodgy, to say the least (come on, she was refused as she’s an Euro-sceptic? And what dogma was AS spreading until a few weeks ago?)
3) I repeat – unless the police have clear proof that JPO committed criminal acts, there is nothing illegal or never-heard-before in what JPO did. But the truth remains that JPO has lied to the Prime Minister (and to his constituents) when he said that he didn’t know anything about this. I still think that JPO is a gentleman, and will act accordingly.
@Matt Spiteri
U ejja!You think that is shocking? Although I don’t agree with it, the ‘ghamilli pjacir’ and ‘hudli hsiebu’ syndrome has always been a part of Maltese life (and not only). Why single out JPO for that? If every MP should resign about that, then we would end up with an empty Parliament!
What is deplorable and highly illegal is when money changes hands and poeple end up rich overnight. And this has happened in the past – and I’m not thinking about poeple of rank in Govt depts and organisations, I’m thinking about Govt. Ministers. I will not mention names (and I can) ’cause I don’t want to end up with poeple knocking on my door with libels and worse, but in case you don’t rememeber (or are too young) not so long ago, ministers and their cohorts got rich with bribes on practically anything that required some sort of permit (and in the days I’m mentioning, everything was).
JPO and Jesmond and many others that are mentioned now should be made ‘Santo Subito’ in comparison to certain persons who even up till today are treated as demi-gods and mentioned in hushed tones of reverence on the Labour camp…
If the JPO telephone call business is true then calling to help an application be issued is not the real bad thing. Calling to get an application issued for something illegal/outside development zone is highly irresponsible and an MP should know better. JPO, as owner of the land, had the duty to know whether it was within development zone etc. before trying to influence the DCC’s decision.
I will wait for the conclusion of the investigation into this case but it seems as if it would have made me lose a lot of the admiration I had for JPO.
Daphne wrote
“So if Pullicino Orlando resigns from the party, which is what the party should ask him to do if it is so deeply upset, the Nationalist Party and the Labour Party will have equal numbers of seats, with Pullicino Orlando in the middle playing the role that Harry Vassallo and Arnold Cassola so coveted.
That is one reason why I cannot, for the life of me, understand why some elements in the Nationalist Party are insisting on escalating the matter and attempting to create public hysteria about this case, aided and abetted by the Labour Party and AD. Nor can I understand why newspaper columnists and other commentators who should know better are insisting that Pullicino Orlando ‘should do the right thing and go’, when he does not represent their interests in parliament, nor is he their MP.”
if this was a labour MP how would you react?
which elements within the nationalist party that want JPO to resign?
@Daphne & Moderator
If since the eighties our politics have developed from one of physical and psychological intimidation to a more democratic alternative, what is so utopian in hoping for a cleaner way of doing politics?
Comparing the “shaming” of politicians committing politically unethical acts to the Salem puritans hanging the witches is a bit extreme. Proving such a politician’s guilt is something which can be achieved with sufficient proof, given that we trust our judiciary in the first place.
Ok, maybe it won’t act as a deterrent. But neither has convicting murderers and thieves for their crimes stopped more people from killing or stealing. So what should we do? Let convicted murderers and thieves roam freely and unpunished?
[Moderator – We should try them in a court of law – which we already try our best to do. The only legal and ethical way to expel an MP in the absence of a criminal conviction is by general election.]
We are all acting as the jury here. Its a court of law which decides if there was an irregularity in the JPO case. A court of law here his actions are compared to what the law says. Punto e basta.
So lets wait for it. in the meantime, JPO can continue to be the otherwise excellent MP he always was. Come on people, a mistake does not make one a mass murderer.
JPO did what any MP would do. the reason they do this is because the Civil Service is far from the perfect efficent machine it should be. All MP’s trade in influence. Period. Even business organisationa and unions do this. Its called Lobbying. Its not a bad thing to lobby. Otherwise life would be just a sterile parody of itself. DO we want a parliament of Automatons or Robots like North Korea or Cuba? No. We want MP’s to help us personally beause thats why we elected them. Come on. Seek out this truth in your hearts and you will see the light!
JPO should resign full stop. Protecting him in a manwel chsuchieri type manner will only damage the party and your reputation which is already fanatical to say the least.
@ Matt Spiteri – you brought up the argument that MPs are answerable to all Maltese, because they are paid by the taxes of all Maltese. That’s an argument that Claire Bonello used in her column in The Sunday Times yesterday, and I am going to include it in my blog later on today.
MPs are not paid by the taxes of all Maltese. Technically, they are paid by the taxes of their constituents. Even in certain districts (the second?) where the vast majority of people are low-income earners and probably below the minimum income tax threshold, there are still enough tax-payers to fund the salaries of four or five MPs.
No, you certainly should not give up and expect corruption as a way of life. First, distinguish between lobbying, trading in influence, and corruption. If I receive a telephone call from a prominent member of the Nationalist Party, which I did, lobbying me to stop giving JPO ‘public support’, is that corruption or trading in influence? No, it is lobbying. Some people might regard it as (1) using undue influence or (2) an abuse of his position, as they have done in JPO’s case. But I know that strictly speaking it’s classed as lobbying.
Corruption (which involves paying bribes) and trading in influence (which involves the promise of advantage by the ‘lobbyist’ to the one from whom he seeks an accommodation or favour) were a way of life when I was growing up and a young adult under Labour. You couldn’t get anything without paying money or promising an advantage to a thug, a minister, a public official or a clerk.
Anybody my age or older who was involved in trade or commerce in any way knows exactly what corruption is because we touched it every day of our lives (and that is why we brush off the JPO business).
Importation was subject to quota and to trading licences, and to get beyond the barest survival minimum you had to pay bribes. Most people in food importation remember that bribes were collected on behalf of minister Patrick Holland by a notorious thug called John Bondin, known by his nickname il-Fusellu. But there were many, many more.
It filtered down through all levels. I remember standing in line (I was a shipping clerk) at Customs down at Pinto Wharf and noticing each time that practically every person in the queue had a tenner tucked between the pink, yellow, white and green copies of the documentation that we had to present. The person I worked for refused to pay bribes, so the clerks would put my documentation on the shelves behind them while others got theirs stamped and processed immediately.
I used to be left waiting at the Valletta Parcel Post Office for ages – sometimes three hours; I’d take a book – for our parcels, and not in the queue either. This was after the clerk had taken my parcel notice and all he had to do was run upstairs or behind the desk for the parcel. I was expected to slip him a ‘tip’ for getting the parcel, and like those others who didn’t, I waited and waited and waited.
Once, after the umpteenth three-hour wait in 1983, I got so mad that I burst into the ‘head’s’ office which was near the front door and bawled him out. Like Sant in the PBS studios, he cowered behind his desk and called for help. I got my parcel in two seconds after that (‘here’s that scary girl – make sure she gets her parcel immediately or she might start shouting at us again’).
And when I was arrested in 1984 by Inspector Anglu Farrugia and arraigned in court on 11 charges of obstruction and assault (after he made me sign a forced ‘confession’ which he had written, by telling me that I wouldn’t be allowed to leave the lock-up where I had been kept in the dark for 27 hours otherwise), I and all those charged with me were asked for three pounds each by the clerk sitting beneath the magistrate’s desk, in full view of the magistrate. He said it was ‘procedure’. I found out afterwards that it was anything but. The magistrate in question was (and still is) a known Labour sympathiser. Three pounds in those days was a lot of money – my take-home pay was 33 pounds a week.
The Constitution provides for the removal of MPs if they are found guilty of a crime which carries a sentence of one year or more. And we expect our party leaders to censure their candidates and officials for misbehaviour, and our prime ministers to tackle ministers and parliamentary secretaries who abuse their position or let the side down. Letting the side down – which is the essential argument being used against Pullicino Orlando – is not a resignation offence for an MP. Nor is it corruption or trading in influence.
So Matt Spiteri, do you think that Karmenu Vella and Charles Mangion should resign their seats in parliament because they were discovered to have been evading income tax when they were – and this is an important distinction – cabinet ministers?
Daphne,Mario & Moderator
if this was a labour MP what would your reaction be??
[Moderator – There’s an answer to your question in the last paragraph of the article.]
Me again, and this time it’s @ Freethinker: no, an MP does not legislate for the nation. He/she legislates for his/her constituents. This is a crucial distinction which you have missed. Each MP represents his/her constituents and votes on their behalf. That is why MPs can choose to vote against the instructions of the party whip (as Mintoff famously did in 1998) if they deem this to be in the better interests of their constituents.
This important element of representative democracy has been eroded by the narrow majorities that our governments have in parliament, which make it difficult or even impossible (as with Sant’s government and this one) for an MP to vote in defiance of the whip’s instructions because it would end up a mess for the government, and the MP would be metaphorically ‘sent to stand in the corner’. Where the government has a great majority in terms of seats – as in Britain – MPs vote against the party line all the time. They vote in the interests of their constituents, or according to their better judgement and their conscience.
Hi, Daph! So “il-fusellu’s” real name was John Bondin? I wonder if anyone can enlighten me as to whether he is in any way related to a certain Claire Bonello (nee’ Bondin)? Just wondering …
@Brian Hansford: you didn’t read the last paragraph of my article. I specified that I would have reacted in exactly the same way (apart from, of course, the bit where I am upset at having the person I voted for removed) if the MP in question were Labour.
As for your question about which elements in the PN, I am not at liberty to disclose that. My sources are my sources.
It is oh so comforting to know that “Inspector Farrugia” is now aiming to lead the MLP, and hence, possibly, may one day be prime minister.
I sometimes still can’t believe what we went through in those days. I was still young (I was 12 in 1987) but still remember being taught that talking politics outside was a definite no no.
My parents used to sacrifice and take us abroad every year and I remember the wonder and envy I used to feel when there.
Daphne, it’s good that you remind people about the conduct of certain wannabe leaders of the opposition. Such things should NEVER be forgotten. I’ll bet he too has no regrets!
Perhaps your wider audience (newspaper) ought to be reminded of the skeletons of certain PM aspirants!
@Amanda Mallia
John Bondin is actually related to James Bondin of Xarabank fame…
Wendy Chetcuti: If you read back through the discussion here, you will see that there are arguments made in Mr Pullicino Orlando’s defence, but no one in a position to provide protection. Most involved in the debate here see this case in terms of its wider implications for the exercise of democratic power. There’s much to be said for examining the wider and long term implications of a public call for the resignation of an MP. Your contribution “JPO should resign full stop” does not do that.
Daphne, reading your account of the dark days of Labour is harrowing indeed and I for one shudder at the prospect of Anglu Farrugia ever leading the MLP, however I believe that delegates cannot be so stupid (hope!)
Corinne, yes, you are right about the PN pressure on JPO, I believe it is pretty unwarranted and it is a case of two weights and two measures. What puzzles me is why Gonzi is letting these elements within the party have their sway. This could open up a whole new can of worms as STOM indicated in its leader yesterday.
Dear Daphne, What you say makes no sense whatsoever. A MP may legislate ON BEHALF of his constituents but he legislates FOR the whole nation. He is answerable to the nation because the nation wants to know that whoever legislates for it is worthy of doing so. If what you said were true, there would be one law for one constituency and one law for another according to what each MP legislates. He is therefore answerable to the entire nation and not only to his constituents. There is no way out of this. All MP’s constitute Parliament and there is one national House and it collectively legislates for the nation — that is exactly what having a majority means – the PM is able to command the support of a majority of MP’s in Parliament and can have laws passed for the nation through Parliament and govern the country. As soon as he no longer commands such a majority, the President will either call on another MP to see if he can command a majority instead or, if such cannot be found, dissolve Parliament. It’s useless trying it another way. Yes, an MP represents his constituents and yes he is answerable to the whole nation for whom he legislates.
Where in Maltese law is it written that the particular constituents of a MP pay the MP with their taxes? MP’s are paid out of the consolidated fund where every taxpayer’s taxes go and there is only one such fund. There is no distinction in the fund as to from which constituency the taxes where paid. Suppose, for the argument’s sake, that a constituency does not have enough taxpayers to pay the MP’s representing it, does the constituency remain without MP’s? This is nonsense.
I think that we are all contributing to this ‘mass hysteria’ and providing fodder to those who are stoking the fire.
I am interested in the outcome of this ‘saga’ but I prefer to wait for the verdict from the appropriate source rather than whipping myself into a frenzy. All of your contributions are valid but until we get the whole picture we are but speculating.
@ Freethinker – thank you for the explanation of how parliament works. However, you haven’t thought this through properly. Malta is not divided into constituencies only because it doesn’t make practical sense to have one district (the electoral candidate list would be like a roll of loo paper), but because MPs represent their constituents. They vote on their behalf (which means exactly the same thing as voting FOR them, incidentally) and they represent their interests, and theirs alone. This is why our Constitution never made any mention AT ALL of political parties until very recently, when the mechanisms for seat adjustment were introduced. Malta has had a long tradition of MPs voting as they please and according to their – and not the party’s – beliefs. With the consolidation of the two main parties in two separate trenches, this has entirely disappeared. Yet in the past (pre-1971), governments were sometimes dependent on the votes of MPs from other parties to get their legislation through, because their own voted against it. I’m thinking in particular of the country’s only coalition government, in 1953, when a government MP voted against the budget, and the government got the budget through on the vote of Mabel Strickland, whose party wasn’t in the coalition government.
Yes, our taxes do go into the consolidated fund – obviously. But you can still argue that the taxpayers in a constituency are funding their MPs’ salaries (opposition as well as government MPs).
So if JPO was “lobbying” and MEPA gave in to this … I’m sure JPO is not the only culprit here … who is the worst offender here? MEPA DCC board for breaching its rules to accomodate such lobbyist or the lobbyist himself who is abusing of his position to commit such lobbying? Probably, if there is anyone in this whole JPO case who will get the blame by our judiciary, it’s members of the DCC board at MEPA. But I believe this does deserve some serious thinking. Anyone who works in the public sector knows how much decision boards feel “threatened” when they know they have to treat certain people with velvet gloves while the usual set of rules apply for a Mr. Nobody. All it takes is a phone call, a “hudli hsiebu”. All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others. What’s worse … bending and breaking the rules because of external pressure, or the external pressure itself? Does our society protect anyone with the courage and decency not to bow down to these external pressures? Because both recent and not-so-recent history suggest otherwise.
[Moderator – All animals are equal because no active system exists that prevents people from becoming MPs and making phone calls. Not even meritocracy, as it seems with Anglu Farrugia, is an effective way of keeping people out of parliament.]
As far as I know, what traditionally constituted something serious enough to warrant resignation was not “lying to the PM” but “lying to Parliament”, vide the John Profumo case. Nobody can accuse JPO of the latter. If JPO did indeed lie to the PM all he has to do is to humbly bow his head and accept the fact that he has scuttled any chance of him making it to Cabinet; his right, legal or moral, to fill the MP seat he was elected to is not in question.
I have just read the 2 articles on Maltastar.com.
If what has been written is true- that is about the pressure on G. Micallef and the go-ahead for the villas in Safi – all permits granted during these last months should be reviewd.
Dr. Gonzi was right when he envisaged that Mepa is to fall under his guidance.
if JPO doesn’t resign now he will remain a trojan horse within the Nationalist camp and come next election he would be used by the MLP to drive a wedge into the campaign. Whether what JPO has done is legal or illegal is irrelevant, public perception is what counts and unless he takes the honourable step and resigns NOW he would be increasing the chance of us having Labour back in government in five years time. Should he resign now he would be giving out a clear signal that the PN means business and would not tolerate ANY form of corruption, whether it is in the form of a “phone call”, “brown envelope” or even a subtle hint at a costituency office. The PN stronghold will forgive and forget, but i assure you that floating voters like myself will not.
@Fausto Majistral – as a great admirer of all your comments on the Maltese political scene I am so glad to see you here. Yours is always the voice of rectitude and sanity (and cast-iron knowledge of every last bit of parliamentary history). Readers, this is the link to Fausto’s blog: malta9thermidor.blogspot.com
“Hello Mepa? …. I want to inquire about application number ‘xyz’….. I’m JPO…. oh I see… it’s still in deliberation…o.k. thank you.”
This type of inquiring call can only be classified as ‘lobbying’ because the inquirer happens to be an MP. No way, it is just an inquiry.
Allura what should one do, give a false name?
Do away with inquiries?
I think the pertinent point here is whether JPO has committed a crime or not, and for that, we have to await a trial and judgement, following the police concluding investigations. Until then JPO has only a political burden to carry. Lest one should forget, a fraudulent crime committed by two ex ministers (while in office) has been conveniently rectified through a provision in income tax laws. It was not a ‘non-event’; and that to me makes the hell of a difference, provision or no provision. Why all these premature discussions about a crime which may not even materialize.
Alfred Grixti is back on The Times list of bloggers…Long holiday ej Alfred?
http://www.timesofmalta.com/blogs/view/20080323/alfred-grixti/starting-on-the-wrong-foot
His post is a treat…
I think an important point to make is that with a parliamentary system there is no such thing as ‘running for prime minister’, as there is ‘running for president’ with a presidential system. This means that the only real check on a prime mister is exercised by his constituents, and it is technically possible to elect a prime minister who is popular in his district but unpopular across the rest of the nation. This is not a weakness: it is how the interests of minorities are protected – despite what AD argue.
There are two other ‘soft’ checks: a vote of no confidence in the government; or to vote against an entire party in your district because you dislike its leader, as people did with Alfred Sant.
Those checks are rarely exercised against a single MP, because in practice MPs do not have the kind of influence on legislation that a prime minister does (people rarely vote against an entire party in their district because they dislike an MP who is contesting in another district). Now, if you argue that all MPs are answerable to you because your taxes contribute to their salary, then you are arguing for the creation of a single national district and a ballot sheet printed by Karta Converters. The electoral process does not take taxes into account because the logical conclusion of doing so is that students, housewives, priests and pensioners do not have the right to vote. So, taxation or otherwise, all members of parliament are approved or rejected once every five years at the whim of their constituents, and no one else.
@ Meerkat :)
Nice…. it’s not Gonzi who started on the wrong foot, it’s Labour…
Actually, The Grix did not have a long holiday, he was busy mending his car… he had a car accident on Thursday b4 the election whilst going to the Lab meeting…
A little something I forgot to mention: the George Micallef who resigned is a Labour sympathiser. Maybe that’s why the Labour media are not going after him with their special weapon Charlon Gouder. I suppose this is the wisdom of leaving Labour supporters in prominent public positions under a Nationalist government. You never know where their loyalties truly lie. And more to the point, you have to question the judgement of somebody who was a Labour supporter in the last couple of terms (to say nothing about the terms before that, of course).
@ amrio
eh good to know that Mr Grixti is good with his hands…besides wielding the pen (or the keyboard…nahseb his computer malfunctions too cos his convoluted reasoning is a treat) he can wield a spanner (in the works…) or whatever one uses to mend cars… :-D
Some more herbs and spices in this boiling cauldron:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080324/local/george-micallef-reveals-meeting-with-pullicino-orlando-and-dcc-officials
you should read George Micallef’s press statement on the JPO saga. I think it’s a coupe de grace for Jeffrey. Pls watch tonight’s news and then comment.
this story is turning out to be a novel!
what do you make out of this Daphne/ mario and Corinne ??
Another interesting Times article. If Poodle Joe gets the MLP leadership, we would get either Glenn Bedingfield or (God forbid) Joe Debono Grech as MEP’s.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080323/local/vote-joseph-get-glenn-or-debono-grech
@ Brian Hansford
Alas a novel is a work of fiction
Dear Brian…
Is your interest in the JPO saga emanating from your position as an ‘independent’ journalist or as a staunching Labour supporter?
Or just trying to emulate DCG??
;)
Brian Hansford: I’ll give you a kneejerk reaction. What we have here is a rather lengthy statement by a consultant who is accused of wrongdoing and, quite understandably, wishes to clear his name. He could have used one word much earlier on: “NO”.
fiction can be a way of revealing !
[Moderator – That is the worst comeback in the history of this blog.]
Brian,
Why has George Micallef offered his resignation to MTA?
Hi all – I thought I’d look in and do a bit of gloating with an “I-told-you-so” expression. :)
[Moderator – Victor, most of what you told was that Alfred Sant would be sitting in Castille.]
Oh hello Victor Laiviera: I remember you saying you’d be in Valletta with a red flag. Is that where you’ve been all this time?
Hi Victor Laiviera,
Where’s your flag? :-D
It looks like the chickens are coming home to roost though. If one reads GM’s statement carefully (Labour sympathiser or not, it becomes crystal clear that JPO’s involvement was not just working the phones but downright coercion. The meeting with DCC board members called by JPO himself reminds one of those dark days when Lorry Sant WAS the PAPB and anyone who didn’t ram a permit through risked getting a visit from good old Lorry who would open the windows and prepare to shove him/her out of the window (This really happened at Xandir Malta.
I really think that this is the coupe de grace for JPO and I have to add that I am really extremely disappointed in him.
@ Brian Hansford
I wonder, purely out of curiosity, how far along are you with your investigative work re Charles Mangion/Karmenu Vella saga?
Are you in a position to reveal whether these two paragons of integrity will offer their resignation as soon as parliament convenes for gross ministerial misconduct?
Or is it OK to hit on JPO just because he belongs to the PN camp?
Gerald Fenech: I didn’t recall any mention of open or closed windows in George Micallef’s statement published on timesofmalta.com. Is there another version that’s only been circulated to heads of broadcast news?
Welcome back Victor…. I was desperate to see you on the way to Castille with the red flag among all those blue flags.
Why is it that I did’nt see you?
You dissapointed us…. very much….
@Corinne: i thought you could distinguish between a fact and a comparison. and, no the same version was distributed to heads of broadcast news.
Gerald Fenech: Thanks for confirming that we’ve read the same statement. I was wondering where the fact of a death threat in the Mistra case had been reported. Now it appears that yours was a comparison between like and unlike.
My interest in the JPO saga is from a Journalistic point of view.
i fail to understand your point what does a staunching Labour supporter has to do with this story?
you asked if i am trying to emulate DCG? for what reason may i ask?
[Moderator – Brian, before claiming to be a journalist you should try and improve your writing. High rising terminals have fallen out of fashion even with the teenagers that introduced them.]
on Realta’ we are going to discuss the audit officer’s report re-mistra saga.
[Moderator – saga: a long story of heroic achievement, especially a medieval prose narrative in Old Norse or Old Icelandic. – Oxford English Dictionary]
My dear Brian,
Oh, I see….. It’s from a journalistic point of view eh?? Good…
While you’re at it, why don’t you also investigate the Freeport scandal and who was behind it? Or maybe the Mangion/Vella saga too? That makes some interesting journalistic information.
PS. emulate – to try to equal or surpass somebody or something that is successful or admired
trying to emulate DCG… try try… who knows… maybe some day your program will be seen by 1% of the population… maybe!!!
good luck though. It’s quite a difficult feat to surpass DCG….
@ Brian Hansford
For starters a journalist does not compare any piece of news however big or small with a novel…since a novel implies making up a story and not reporting it. Harldly Realta’…
Brian get a life..remember once i met you in a rental DVD shop @ Lija and we talked about Smart city …you told me it was all fake ….so, still believe it….
now why all this fuss about JPO ..again i agree 100% with DCG , if some pressure will be for JPO to resign from MP, i will protest with all my might …by the way i’m from Paola i didn’t vote JPO and still support him …
again not to be too long i support the issue rasied by DCG ..about the subject …
JPO to resign then all these MP’s needs to resign…
Journalistic interest as you call yourself
i am not after trying to surpass DCG as you wrote, i dont need fame or glory .
for your information this is a survey done recently by dail it .
When compared to local TV stations, Smash TV viewership during the time when
Realta programme was being aired, compares at 30%. however this has nothing to do with the arguement! i am sure DCG can assure you that realta is watched by many!
@ Brian Hansford
Your comments are looking more and more like a bad novel written by a hack.
When in a hole stop digging.
(Since your English is a bit sparse let me translate…Meta tkun f’hofra tkomplix thaffer…:-D)
kenneth i have a life and a mind to think between right and wrong !!! the question is do you ?
@ Brian
I am going to be rude, and ask directly without mincing words.
Who cares about your program? We are talking about JPO, and couldn’t care less for advertising of some program.
Sorry but if you have something to say, you should say it here, and not plug your program.
George Micallef seems like he is hiding something.I am sure that we will be hearing more about this guy in the future.
Brian,which one you prefer as your leader? Poodle Joe or Lion Micheal?
Brian Hansford: If your story is incompatibility of private interests with public duties, you’ve a broad church to draw on. Why limit yourself to Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando? He wasn’t acting alone, nor is he the only MP whose private interests are allegedly in conflict with his public duty.
Actually, Vanni, Realta` is viewed by many. Maybe you are one of the many viewers! And may I add, that Brian’s guests are not only from the Labour Party’s side.
Keep up the good work Brian!
to Gerald,
How can you come to a conclusion which whom is telling the trught by just hearing one side of the story ie GM version
@ M Cutajar
I have never in my life watched his program, and I do not intend to.
However that is not the crux of the matter.
That somebody goes on a medium to advertise his program smacks of a lack of courtesy, that has been answered in like manner.
How can one ‘think between right and wrong’?
And what about JPO? Why is everyone getting
his/her knickers in a twist over a storm in a teacup?
Why all this speculation?
Why all this gloating over JPO’s bit of dirt – if indeed that’s what it is?
Let the man be, for God’s sake; there are others to watch the pot and they probably know what’s in it more than us.
@ M Cutajar
Oh now I get it! It was Realta’ scared the bejeezuz re the VAT on Education that you’ve been harping so much about :-)
In a tick I shall be watching BONDIPLUS
According to most of you here, no one seems to watch Smash TV. The same can be said for TMID which barely has what can be termed as circulation. DCG writes on Thursday if I’m not mistaken. So lets not turn nasty and try to belittle others.
Gerald Fenech: Most people here did *not* say that no one watches Smash TV. To my knowledge, the station’s audience ratings haven’t been mentioned at all except in the exchange about Realta’.
Thanks Corinne Vella re your ” Most people here did *not* say that no one watches Smash TV.”
As far as I know, I was the only one who mentioned that I did not watch a particular program on Smash. Apart from the fact I was speaking for myself, I never said I do not watch Smash.
BTW, I notice that Peppi and Lou do not resort to making adverts on the sly on popular media for their product. Only amateurs or beginners tend to resort to cheap advertising.
Corinne, Realta’ happens to be quite a popular programme and tonight it has definitely trumped Bondiplus who only brought three journalists to discuss the JPO case while Brian at least had Robert Musumeci from the PN, Astrid Vella from FAA and Kurt Farrugia from maltastar. Robert bravely stuck to his guns and brought up very interesting arguments which should definitely be taken up on this blog.
[Moderator – Well done Gerald: a cheating scumbag, a NIMBY housewife and a journalist who can’t even string two sentences together.]
Brian Hansford. Do you have a scoop for us lately? The last scoop you had was called Jo Said, and it blew up in your face. You were so proud of your scoop. Actually, you ended up creating the Nationalist’s Trojan horse in both MLP and AD’s camps.
BTW, who owns Smash TV. Isn’t it the same guy who set up Super 1 in the early 90s? Is he the father of one of the MLP candidates?
Meerkat – Maybe the one with Capital Letters where they shouldn’t be no punctuation where it should be
and small letters at the beginning of a sentence
not to mention the atrocious grammar, is the same person who “wrote” Anglu Farrugia’s website. The gaffes are strikingly similar.
Vanni wrote !! I have never in my life watched his program, and I do not intend to.
well i never asked you too either,
feel free to switch to other stations you have the remote at your fingertips.
Meerkat :) oh well i didn’t know you are a teacher :)jaqa fil-hofra dak li jimxi mighajr ma jhares fejn hu sejjer maybe you know what it’s like ? or maybe you are one of those that thinks you know it all?
“feel free to switch to other stations you have the remote at your fingertips.”
Thank you most kindly for your permission, Brian. Verily you have become the dean of journalism in Malta. In the meantime some more advertising eh? Heq next program, (you know the one wherein you extract the resignation from parliament from Mangion/Vella) is just round the corner, and we have to start advertising from now, mhux hekk?
Gerald
Thanks! Now I know who that guy who looked and sounded to be straight from a Harry Potter book was.
I tried to watch both Bondi+ and Realta all at once. Can someone explain how Labour Party newspapers and electronic media journalists are chosen? Most probably like Italian stations chose their ballerinas and showgirls – definitely not chosen for their grey matter up there…
In my opinion the Net guy didn’t actually shine also – the part I watched, he was repeating the same 2 sentences like a tape recording. Give us Amanda please!!!
@ Brian Hansford
yes I know better than you:
1. not to plug my wares shamelessly (time after time especially when my fellow bloggers keep telling me it’s tacky);
2. not to compare the JPO story with a work of fiction and a saga – and I am no journalist(someone already gave you the definition from the Oxford Dictionary so I spare you the trouble to go to the library and look it up);
3. I have a better command of the English language than you do (and apparently even of the Maltese language since in spite of being told that your English er…sucks, you didn’t reply in Maltese [tista’ tikteb bil-Malti hawn, kulhadd jifhem]);
4. I can discern between good and bad – I prefer Bondi+ to Realta’ (sic)
To to conclude, yes, I know more than you so by default I know it all :-D
I see that Vanni likes to be sure that he only hears what he wants to hear. I suppose that ensures peace of mind.
Brian,
For sure I have ….not the same as you but…I have a wonderful life being raised mostly under PN Government, that since 1996 I always voted for…not the same as you I guess…
You have a wonderful life either especially with that great program Realta, you are in the Guinness for the most pathetic program of the century….cheers your great…
Even when you talk you have that charisma, in think MLP needs you for their leadership…why don’t you contest the poodle…..
Cheers…
kenneth thanks for the compliment , it shows how some in here have nothing more than hatred in your blood. You can’t call a spade a spade.
you won the election and i applaud the pn for that.
Meerkat hiding behind a nic is very wise i thought the dark days have passed ( guess not)
Hi Brian!
Nice to see you this morning! I have a choice and I am exercising it…You wanna invite me to your programme?
@ Victor
“I suppose that ensures peace of mind.”
The only peace of mind that is ensured is by the fact that for the next few years, we won’t be seeing any red flags in front of Castille, my dear Vic.
Brain,
You need a slight correction here, we have hate in our blood are you kidding….an MLP sympathizer addressing us with hatred in our blood
Really unbelievable …. Did you forget way back 2003 in your programs how you presented yourself to the electorate, your arguments were full of hate towards PN.
By the way Manuel Cuschieri is part of your party, Jason the prima Donna is part of your party, and the list goes on and on…
Not to mention again the 70’s 80’s years …
IF MLP were elected we have seen who really posses the devil in his veins……
Dazgur li applaud PN for victory, what else you can do now…
I would like to ask Daphne or Mod: What happens if an MP is brought to court, found guilty and convicted while he is still an MP? Is his seat lost or can it be replaced by a by-election?
@ D. Fenech – a conviction that carries a prison sentence of a year or more give grounds for the Speaker to remove the MP from the house. So we can conclude that there will be no grounds for the removal of JPO. Whether he wishes to go of his own accord is another matter. But then we would have to expect most of the other MPs on both sides of the House to do the same.
“But then we would have to expect most of the other MPs on both sides of the House to do the same.”
A vivid image springs to mind, of a horde of stampeding MPs, pushing and elbowing in their haste to exit Parlaiment, led by the DNA expert. In the same image, there is BH, trying to pin a MP (tal PN, ma ghandniex xi nghidu) with a view of dragging him off to his program.