Herr Flick would have us know that he is not a cripple
Mela hsibtni xi mankat, FadeRRR Joe?
At the Malta Environment and Planning Authority consultation conference, held this morning, Leo Brincat began to speak from the floor.
Moderator Fr Joe Borg asked him whether he would please stand up when speaking.
Herr Flick replied sarcastically that standing would be no problem “ghax jien m’iniex disabled”.
What a tw*t (and it’s not the vowel you think it is, either).
This is a transcript:
Leo Brincat: L-ewwelnett bongu lil kulhadd, Leo Brincat kelliem Ewlieni Labour Party
Fr Joe Borg: Jekk tqum bil-wieqfa Sur Brincat, jekk ma jimpurtax ghalik ta …
Leo Brincat: Lanqas xejn
Fr Joe Borg: … ghax dak li jkun… (Leo Brincat stands up)
Leo Brincat: M’inix disabled, qed tifhem..
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Does it really make much difference if he stood up or not? He is, shall we say, height challenged…
Maybe he was already standing! He’s small right? Disabled che centra?
Just wait for it. Next week Joseph Muscat will visit some DPO (Disabled People Organisation) accompanied by Herr Flick.
Is this true? If it is than I am lost for words.
[Daphne – Yes. I’ll see about uploading the audio-clip.]
Yes, I was there. To be honest I don’t think he intended to offend anyone. It sounded more like he was looking for a quick witty retort to Fr Borg and blurted the first thing that came to his mind.
X’ghandhom id-disabled aghar minnu? jew ahjar x’ghandu hu ahjar minnhom. Tal-inqas hafna minnhom jafu jgibu ruhhom ahjar minnu. Kiesah.
Do these people have no shame? What an a*sehole, m*donna. Ara vera tal-lejber irridu jkunu.
Forget about Bahrija. This is how it’s done if the property is in Bari (allegedly):
“He also did not pay her to sleep with him, but instead promised to resolve an issue over a building permit, she said.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8179048.stm
Click here to listen to Leo Brincat’s comment on disability. Imissu jisthi !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkDv_vlAQIM
There’s a Facebook Group about Leo Brincat’s ‘disabled’ comment:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=525716719&ref=ts#/group.php?gid=253484640304&ref=mf
Dear Daphne, veru m’ghandekx xi tghid illum.
[Daphne – Actually, Carmel, I have lots. I’m just trying to pace myself.]
Just wondering – was he being sarcastic or did he just do an Obama and say the first thing that popped into his head? Wondering too, will he know get all huffy or just make light of an unfortunate use of words? I’m betting the former, which would be par for the course.
I’m really surprised. I only met the man once and he came across as a well-spoken, well-mannered and educated chap. I was always under the impression that he was one of LP’s better representatives, having gone out of his way to clean the party of its filthy elements. Again, I’m surprised… and a tad disappointed (especially when this came so soon after that ‘we’ll consult the people on environmental issues’ guff).
He should have stuck to the muzika pwogwessiva.
Mr Farrugia, your comment is as disgusting as Brincat’s.
Could it be he was already standing up?
A comment like that would normally call for a resignation. Too bad Leo has no meaningful position from which to resign. One wonders whether such a comment had a subtle but specific target.
Honest to God – on hearing him I waggled my lower jaw in disbelief…. u m’inix partiggjan.
I remember this guy clueless on TV trying to explain CET on Xarabank. The camera caught him off guard looking for an answer in a bunch of papers together with his assistants.
I will never forget that look on his face. It was embarrassing and hilarious. Poor guy, he had no clue what was going on, and he was in charge of introducing CET. That image has remained imprinted in my memory.
It is not my intention to jump to his defence, but it was Alfred Sant who was dictating his whims and fantasies to his cronies a’ la Hitler, so much so that it wasn’t only Leo who was clueless with that look on his face but the rest of the country, Labour supporters included, when he introduced the infamous drainage tax, CET and most worryingly, relegated our pole position EU membership bid to third division behind another nine countries. So say ‘poor guy’ all you want. I say poor Malta, we would have been a member circa three years before the other nine. Think about the potential benefits Sant lost for us. Doesn’t it make you want pull your hair out?
Dear Daphne,
I have known Mr. Leo Brincat for 40 years and it seems to me highly unlikely that his comment (M’inix disabled, qed tifhem) to which you referred, was sarcastically motivated.
Either way, it was still said.
He was decent enough to apologise.
[Daphne – Yes. Well done.]
Big deal!
Well, why is anyone surprised? Good manners and tact are hardly the trademark of the political party he belongs to, are they?
Undoubtedly a momentary lapse of attention on the part of a sensible and moderate politician. The tone of voice does not indicate sarcasm; it sounds more of a rather feeble (hope that will not be considered insufficiently PC) attempt at a light remark.
Is it fair to pillory someone on the basis of an ill-considered remark which however was manifestly not intended to insult, hurt or demean?
Maybe it would be fairer to ask disabled people how they feel when such remarks are made, rather than condemning someone who condemns tactless remarks.
Indeed. The President of the Kummissjoni Nazzjonali Persuni b’Diżabilità ‘s considered views on the matter
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090803/local/disability-commission-head-defends-mp-after-insensitive-remark
P.S. 1. By the same token, should DCG not have expressed her view, but waited until disabled people had their say about “how they feel when such remarks are made”.
P.S. 2 Condemning?? Is a simple expression of disagreement, and then posing of question tantamount to condemnnation? Didn’t realise people are so touchy.
[Daphne – Please stop referring to me by my initials. I never refer to people by theirs. There appears to be a common affliction preventing people in this country from writing more than one surname, forcing them to use initials for all those who have two surnames. Perhaps it’s just the usual laziness-cum-rudeness.]
“Fair”? What has fairness got to do with this blog?
[Daphne – Exactly. This blog is not a public service announcement.]
I am more interested to learn why and how Fr Joe Borg was moderating a MEPA consultation meeting. Was he earning some pocket money for the time he gave to this job?
[Daphne – X’mentalita baxxa.]
Mr. Borg: That’s hardly of national import, is it?
Let’s say that’s probably because he does a better job of moderating a meeting than Ray Borg is capable of doing.
Sinjura Daphne
Mentalita baxxa ghandu min jaqa f’taghjir stupidu u min jivvinta laqmijiet lill kull min tobghod jew ma taqbilx mieghu jew maghha kif thobb taghmel int. Nithassrek f’liema livell baxx waqjat.
[Daphne – You have no sense of humour ‘Ray Borg’; it’s a common factor in people who 1. lack intelligence and 2. vote Labour. And yes, querying whether a priest is earning pocket money by moderating a conference is something only a person of your mentality would do. Why don’t you query the transfer of James Piscopo from the national airline – a state entity – to the Labour party, with his job left open for him whenever he chooses to return?]
Ray Borg is right. Fr Joe Borg should really decide whether he wants to be a priest or a politician. By trying to be both, he is harming both categories. To say nothing of his credibility.
[Daphne – He does not belong to an order. He can do as he pleases. If you think that a priest’s place is in the confessional, rather than out and about in public life, I don’t. It’s a shame more priests are not like him. Active participation in real life can only give a priest a better perspective on things. If moderating a MEPA conference makes him a politician in your view, then I hardly know where to begin. The expression of political views does not make a person a politician. I express political views for a living. That doesn’t make me a politician, even though Super One seems to think so, and imagines that I am obliged to answer its questions.]
If it was just “moderating a MEPA conference”, you would have a point. But we both know it goes much further than that. And why, of all people, get him to moderate that particular conference?
[Daphne – ‘We both know it goes much further than that.’ Actually, no, I don’t. Please enlighten us. I imagine he was chosen to moderate the conference because (1) he has years of experience in dealing with people, (2) he teaches communications and has years of experience in communications and handling large classes, (3) he is an experienced broadcaster, and (4) nobody else would do it because it’s not remunerated and exposes one to the caustic stupidity of others.]
I hope that every conference I have to attend in future will be moderated as well as that of last Friday. Fr Borg managed to get everybody to respect a 3-minute time limit for their intervention and as a result all those who wanted to speak could do so, even more than once throughout the proceedings. Three minutes proved more than adequate for speakers to make their points and the conference progressed and ended exactly on schedule, so I’ll take this opportunity to thank Fr Borg for his work, in case he reads this blog.
IMHO I don’t think it was intended to insult, probably that phrase was more appropriate intended for the subject per se
The side-comment by the Hon. Brincat contains elements of bitter irony, and is an insult to all society. It cannot be acceptable, and the least Hon. Brincat should do is to make a public apology, a proper apology. Nothing less!
This is just to point out that I am only now aware that Hon Brincat had actually apologised prior to my remark in this blog.
If you think that name calling and denigrating respectable persons is humour then you would better have a closer look at the definition of humour in your dictionary before you end up laughing at your own jokes.
As regards transfers and postings I invite you to draw up a list of those previously employed with the PN media – sound vision and print – who landed jobs with ministries and corporations – well paid from your taxes.
[Daphne – I gather your idea of humour is a bunch of Italian clowns throwing cream pies at each other and finding naked ladies in their wardrobes. Your other point: it is entirely normal, the democratic world over – including Obama’s White House – for the government (as opposed to the civil service) to appoint trusted personnel to their secretariat, from outside the civil service. These people serve as personal assistants, communications directors, and similar. They are on a fixed contract and when the government changes, they leave and the new government appoints its own trusted communications advisers. I imagine that in 2013 that will be Glenn Bedingfield, Kurt Farrugia and so on. People in this position stay only as long as the minister stays – hence, if there is a cabinet reshuffle, they go. I have no objection to these people being paid out of our taxes. After all, they work long hours and are paid no overtime. I did, on the other hand, have serious objections to the many tens of millions of Maltese liri soaked down the drydocks drain. And I did have very, very serious objections to prime minister Alfred Sant naming Super One journalist Robert Francalanza as his driver, so that he could get a taxpayer-funded salary while working for Super One, while Sant famously drove himself around. Now that was a scandal and a half. Had Francalanza moved from working for Super One to a job as the prime minister’s chauffeur, I wouldn’t have said anything. After all, one’s chauffeur must be a highly trusted person. But to take the money without doing the job…..? That’s just plain cheating.]
They do not appoint party hacks to head national broadcasting.
[Daphne – Natalino Fenech is not a party hack. He has worked in news for the last 20 years at least – the non-party media – and because he doesn’t do the naff thing and insist on being called DokteRRRRRR Natalino Fenech, very few people know that he holds a doctoral degree.]
And the system in the USA is different from ours.
[Daphne – Really? How so?]
For one thing, major appointees are grilled by Congress before they are accepted – not appointed with a nod and a wink from LG.
[Daphne – Communications coordinators and personal assistants are not major appointees. You’re talking about appointments like that of the attorney-general, and they are not ‘grilled by congress’.]
Ried iserrah il-kuxjenza Herr Flick!
Mela la niggzitu sinjal li jaf li ghamel xi haga hazina
http://www.illum.com.mt/2009/08/02/t5.html
I have been working for a disabled group for the last 28 years in Malta and I have just read your comments in this group. Personally I think before you cast the first stone, you need to take a look at the comments you are writing and see you are by no means perfect. I don’t support any political party here so I am not taking sides but to condemn a man for saying something and then put comments about his height and even bring in Alfred Sant’s hair. Come on GROW UP you’re not in the school playground now.
[Daphne – Did I mention his height? No, I didn’t. Lack of height and lack of hair are not disabilities. You work for a support group for disabled people, you say. Do you take in short people and bald men?]