What Clyde did on his summer holidays
It’s a good thing the Olympics fell somewhere around Santa Marija, because that was Clyde Puli’s summer holiday sorted. He’s going to have lots of interesting stuff to write about when the school term begins and he’s given the obligatory essay title, What I Did on Holiday. In his role as parliamentary secretary for sport, he set off for China and spent 16 days there with his wife and son, whose airfares he paid out of his own pocket, we are told, though no mention was made of who paid for their hotel accommodation and meals (the Chinese?).
Nobody would have a problem with a parliamentary secretary for sport going to watch the Olympic Games, but Clyde has made it seem a little too much like he grabbed the opportunity for an extended family jaunt dressed up as work, funded by somebody else.
Perhaps he has merely followed the example of our former president, who when invited to China on a state visit, took along his extended family of offspring, spouses and adult grandchildren, with no questions asked by a silent press as to who was footing the bill – the Chinese taxpayer or the Maltese taxpayer – and certainly no questions by The Sunday Times. No, definitely not The Sunday Times.
Christian Peregin, who is getting lots of the good stories and who is one of the most promising faces in the Maltese media, would never have been able to question the former president’s extended jaunts bir-razza u r-radika in the same way that he has questioned Clyde Puli’s so pertinently.
“It was a good opportunity for networking,” the ministry said. Funny how that’s invariably the excuse.
Take my advice, Clyde: if you want to go on holiday with your wife and son, take leave of absence from work and do so privately. A 16-day working trip to China for the Olympic Games when you’re the mere parliamentary secretary for sport for Malta (where?) is a little pretentious, though it might be considered crucial to maintain a presence while our national athletes trail in last. You know, for moral support. It’s good to know that Clyde’s watching.
Read the story here:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080824/local/parliamentary-secretary-spent-16-days-at-the-olympic-games
Sunday, 24th August 2008
Parliamentary Secretary spent 16 days at the Olympic Games
Christian Peregin
The Parliamentary Secretary for Youth and Sport, Clyde Puli, spent 16 days in Beijing watching the Olympic Games on a trip that cost the public coffers €7,728.
He was joined by his wife and son, though when contacted yesterday his spokesman said their airfares were paid privately.
Sources said that some senior government officials were angered by the length of Mr Puli’s stay in Beijing, especially considering that top officials of various countries – even those with prominent and successful athletes – limited their visits to a few days.
The Office of the Prime Minister declined to pass judgment on whether Mr Puli’s stay was excessive and said that the decision was taken by Culture Minister Dolores Cristina and the Parliamentary Secretary after they received an invitation from the International Olympics Committee.
Mr Puli’s spokesman defended the visit. He said: “The Parliamentary Secretary travelled economy class and not business class as any minister and high government official is entitled to do. The ticket of the chosen flight was bought after a call for quotations with the cheapest being chosen.”
He added that the type of room chosen for the Parliamentary Secretary was the second cheapest out of five choices provided, as the cheapest type was already fully booked.
“Reservations followed a minimum stay period policy which was to be observed if one wished to be present for all of the Maltese athletes,” the spokesman said, adding that this was a good opportunity for networking.
In fact, he said, the Parliamentary Secretary’s stay in Beijing was not exclusively dedicated to the Olympic Games. He also attended a Commonwealth ministers’ meeting as well as an informal meeting of EU ministers, the spokesman said.
During his stay the Parliamentary Secretary also expressed his support to each of the Maltese athletes, the spokesman said, adding that this presence was deeply appreciated by the athletes and members of the Maltese contingent.
However, sources contrasted the Parliamentary Secretary’s trip to Beijing with Lawrence Gonzi’s visit to Australia last year, during which the Prime Minister visited five cities and met members of the Maltese-Australian community in just 13 days. “He didn’t have a minute to himself,” the sources said, “and didn’t stay an hour longer than necessary.”
15 Comments Comment
Reply to Paul Borg Click here to cancel reply
Good stuff, Daphne. And hats off to Chris, and folks like him. If only he’d started writing a tad earlier!
In any case, with people like Chris writing this stuff in what is supposed to be quiet season, God help our politicians in winter!
I know Christian Peregin at university and he had always struck me as a journalist (comme il faut) in the making. Now that he is making his mark (he was the one who uncovered the fraud taking place at the Serenea Hotel in Gozo). Christian was the one who organised the famous On Campus debate just before the General Elections.
next mission —> to support the maltese clubs at UEFA champions league. We hope that this isn’t an indication that he’ll abuse the system as the years pass. This was his first opportunity. (from another point of view, one can see that the goverment has a family friendly working environment). Would like to know how much the goverment spent on this one.
Maybe the fact that he paid for his wife’s and child’s airline tickets himself is the only reason he flew economy class…
Ditto the “cheap” hotel
Mr Puli, on the Malta Olympic Committee’s request accepted the International Olympic Committee’s Invitation to accompany the Maltese contingent in Beijing.
Mr Puli was the only Maltese Government official in Beijing amongst representatives from over 200 nations.
Mr Puli chose not to take any staff compared to other Countries’ representatives who were all accompanied by delegations paid thru public coffers.
Mr Puli took his wife (who was also invited) and paid for her expenses.
Mr Puli travelled economy class and not Business class as any Maltese top civil servant is entitled to do. As said already by someone else his travelling costs were cut by 75%
Mr Puli attended all Ministers meetings he was expected to go…like any Minister or Junior Minister normally does.
Mr Puli left immediately after the Maltese athletes finished competing during the second week of competitions, but not before the last one competed. A true gentleman.
Now the Sunday Times in a tabloid style sensationalist mode (fearing competition hehe) misled the readers and made the visit look like it was an over stay.
Now guys. Mr Sarkozy might have left Beijing immediately after the Opening Ceremony. But his Minister of Sport did not. Mr Gordon Brown was present for the last four days. But his Minister of Sports was there from the beginning. Mr Berlusconi left immediately…but then he has a private jet…and maybe he gave a lift back to Minister Frattini who also there…and who knows maybe he also gave a lift to their assistants and security!!!!! OOOOOH that’s costly. The queen of Spain is a real royal. She was there from beginning to end. Supporting each and every one of her nationals. But then she might have been waiting for her Basketball Team to repeat Nadal’s success. You might tell me our athletes are not worthy of that support. They don’t win medals.
Come on guys…. cut the crap.
Three cheers to Journalist Peregin. The guardian of the truth!!
Mr Peregin could you please ask your editor (or should I say source) whether he enjoyed his 13 day visit to Australia funded by tax payers’ money? How much did it cost us tax payers? He might tell you that he was only doing his job after all? But then following the same logic wasn’t Mr Puli doing the same thing?
Mr Peregin please advice your editor that there are some of us…..who know what he did last summer.
[Daphne – Threats, now, eh? Blackmail attempts? Come on – if the editor of The Sunday Times joined the prime minister’s entourage to Australia, a trip paid for by the ‘government’, along with the editors of other newspapers, it was because the government wanted the publicity. Perhaps the government should cut out this habit of dragging the press along on major trips. If it’s of news interest, the press will pay their way. If it’s not of news interest, they won’t, and if it’s not of news interest, then they shouldn’t be there in the first place, wasting all that time and money to film the prime minister hugging old men who left Hamrun 70 years ago when they were 10.]
Paul Borg – You said “Mr Puli travelled economy class and not Business class as any Maltese top civil servant is entitled to do. As said already by someone else his travelling costs were cut by 75%”
As I already stated in a comment above, the only deciding factor in him travelling economy class is the fact that his wife and child were travelling with him, and that he/they paid for their own tickets.
Can you imagine him travelling all the way to China in club class whilst wifey and child travelled in economy class? That wouldn’t have been quite right, would it? Somehow, I think that had he travelled alone, he would have grabbed the opportunity to travel club class. People with that kind of mentality (“ha niehu safra b’xejn!”) would normally do such a thing.
Paul Borg – “Mr Puli took his wife (who was also invited) and paid for her expenses.”
“Took” his wife? Did she not go of her own volition? Did he have to drag her there? Is she a possession to “take” with him as he would, maybe, his underwear?
hmmm…. paul does it make it better or worse the fact that,
“Mr Puli chose not to take any staff compared to other Countries’ representatives who were all accompanied by delegations paid thru public coffers.”
I know that taking a delegation may have been more expensive, but then Puli would have not come through as taking advantage of his position. I think these are vital things to stay away from for start-up politicians, especially for clyde puli who started in politics presenting a propaganda style radio show and who haven’t really done anything so far to prove that he is worth these luxuries.
Politics is about perceptions, and the perception here was that he surpassed what was deemed to be necessary.
And honestly, Peregin was not that bad in his article, he could have, for instance, said that the Maltese athletes competed all their competitions within 6 days. The first athlete, William Chetcuti, started on 12/08/2008 and the last athlete, Nicolai Portelli, finished on 18/08/2008. And the flag raising ceremony being held on 11/08/2008. One week would have been enough for dear clyde and his family to support our brave athletes.
If you need all this confirmed have a look at the Malta Olympic Comitee’s website, actually here is a link for you – http://www.nocmalta.org/
no threats there, just pure facts.
No idea who you are, Paul Borg, but do you think that imitating the threatening stance adopted by Labour exponents and apologists in the ’70s and ’80s is going to help anyone? Just be quiet like a good little wannabe-thug, why don’t you?
I have no idea who Paul Borg is either but, to play the devil’s advocate, I don’t think he is actually being threatening or thuggish. I think this is merely an all too common case of attempts at humour on the internet coming to grief because of some fundamental misunderstanding of a popular culture reference. When Paul Borg says that he knows what the editor of The Sunday Times “did last summer”, I don’t think he intends to conjure up some underlying menace by suggesting that he is holding back some incriminating evidence on him. I think that he is merely stating that he knows what the editor of The Sunday Times did last summer. That he went to Australia.
@Paul Borg
I would also go to Beijing to support our athletes if the goverment pays for it. So there’s nothing patriotic about it.
I would not expect a PS to travel economy.Business class is a decent place for a PS. Club class is for a President or a PM .
@ Jim : if you want to go to support our athletes for free ….. first you have to get elected.