Excerpts from my statement made during police interrogation
Il-Pulizija giet mitluba tinvestiga rigward anki ksur tal-ligi dwar l-istampa. Xi tghid dwar dan?
Nghid li kollox li hemm fil-website huwa verita tal-fatti u ghandi xiehda.
Hemm affarijiet li rajthom jiena personali b’ghajnejja u hemm affarijiet ohra li qalithom il-magistrata Consuelo Scerri Herrera hi personali fil-presenza tieghi u anki rajta tahgmilhom ghax ghamlithom quddiemi, u lesta nghidhom fil-Qorti taht gurament biss.
Nixtieq inzid li l-fatt li hija magistrat m’hijiex sempliciment figura pubblika bhal politikant, izda qeghda f’pozizzjoni ta’ fiducja u ma tistax taghmel li trid jew taqta linja bejn dak li taghmel fix-xoghol taghha u dak li taghmel fil-hajja personali taghha – ghax trid tgawdi r-rispett u l-fiducja tan-nies fi kwalunkwe hin.
Nghid ukoll li -l-fatt li ma tistax tigi imnehhija mil-pozizzjoni taghha titfa ferm aktar pis fuqha biex iggib ruha sewwa minnflok tiehu vantagg tal-fatt li hadd ma jista jnehhiha minn hemm.
Nixtieq ingib l-ezempju tal-Kummissarja tal-Pulizija ta’ qabel dan – jigifieri George Grech – li meta ghamel xi haga simili u f’ghajnejja ferm inqas, ghax naf li hija ghamlet ferm iktar, irrizenja minnufih mil-kariga tieghu u ma baqax fil-pozizzjoni tieghu jaghmel kawzi ta’ libel u kwereli bill-pulizija.
Huwa gharaf il-fatt li meta persuna f’kariga bhal dik jinqabad fil-gideb, il-pozizzjoni tieghu hija dik li bl-Ingliz nghidu ‘untenable’.
Jigifieri il-Magistrata Consuelo Scerri Herrera ghamlet affarijiet hziena hafna fl-opinjoni tieghek?
Din mihiex kwistjoni ta’ moralita personali. Li kienet semplici mara normali f’pozizzjoni normali ma kont nghid xejn u ma jimpurtanix, imma ma jistax ikollok magistrat/a li tigdeb jew li jigdeb fuq bazi regolari fil-hajja privata taghha jew tieghu.
Bniedem li jigdeb fuq bazi regolari fil-hajja privata tieghu huwa kapaci jigdeb f’kull sitwazzjoni ohra, anke professjonali. Giddieb huwa dejjem giddieb.
Ma tistax tghid li tigdeb biss fil-hajja privata taghha u li fi kwalunke sitwazzjoni ohra ma tigdibx, ghaliex in-nies jitilfu l-fiducja, u ma tistax tghid li gidbet lir-ragel biss u lil haddiehor le. Anke jekk veru li gidbet lir-ragel biss, xorta seta affetwa lil-fiducja tan-nies u jkolljom dubju dwar l-integrita taghha.
Nerga nghid li lil Kummissarju tal-Pulizija l-iehor George Grech kellu jitlaq ghax gideb u mhux ghax kellu sess extramatrimonjali.
Rigward Robert Musumeci, dan ukoll gideb jew jigdeb u tahseb li jista jinfluixxi fil-hajja professjonali tieghu?
Nghid li huwa ovvju li gideb lil martu zgur, imma f’sitwazzjoni bhal tieghu m’huwiex relevanti bhal fis-sitwazzjoni ta’ magistrat. Imma xorta huwa relevanti jekk huwa irid il-voti tan-nies.
Jekk hu jrid jipprezenta ruhu lil elettorat halli jivvotawlu, allavolja jafu l-istorja tieghu, dik l-ghazla taghhom in-nies. Imma jridu jkunu jafu l-istorja u mhux jivvotawlu ghaliex jahsbu li huwa ragel sew u tal-familja u wara li jivvotawlu jiskopru mod iehor.
Nghid li huwa dover tieghi li nghid dawn l-affarijiet u ninforma lil pubbliku in generali, imma ma stajtx nghidhom meta pprezenta ruhu ghall-elezzjoni sentejn ilu ghax ir-ragel tal-magistrat u l-mara ta’ Robert Musumeci ma kienux jafu – u b’rispett taghhom bqajt siekta imma hassejt li l-partit tieghu ma kellux jaccettah bhala kandidat.
Jigifieri inti ghandek allegazzjonijiet jew provi ohrajn kontra l-magistrat Consuelo u Robert Musumeci li lesta tghidhom fil-Qorti?
Minhiex nitratthom bhala koppja ghaliex huma persuni separati. Hu ghalih u hi ghaliha. Hi magistrat u hu politikant. Fit-termini tal-ligi separati huma.
Il-Pulizija ghanda kwerela kemm mill-magistrat Consuelo Scerri Herrera u anki minn Robert Musumeci, li hassewhom fastidjati bill-kummenti tieghek fuq il-website tieghek. Xi tghid dwar dan?
Jekk ma jridiux li n-nies jiktbu dwarhom, ma jagixxux b’certu mod. Jiena ma ktibtx fuq magistrati ohrajn. Huma qed jaghtu iktar raguni biex in-nies jiktbu dwarhom, u ma jippretendux li jagixxu b’certu mod u hadd ma jista ghalihom.
Nixtieq nghid ukoll li huma bl-imgieba taghhom jaghtu fastidju lin-nies, u mhux jiena tajthom fastidju.
Dan pajjiz demokratiku fejn ghandna l-liberta tal-istampa, u huma jridu joqghodu attenti kif igibu ruhom, ghax li ktibt jiena fil-website tieghi ma saritx storja ghax ktibta jiena – izda kienet ilha storja u jiena ktibt dwarha fil-website.
Li nixtieq nghid li meta tkun f’pozizzjoni bhal dik ta’ magistrat u ta’ politikant, u n-nies jitkazaq bihom, diga bizzejjed. Jigifieri ma kienx hemm ghalfejn nikteb dwarhom (biex jigu fl-ilsien in-nies). Diga waqqaw il-pozizzjoni taghom fil-baxx u ghar-redikolu.
Forsi ghalihom huwa accettabli li jaghmlu certu affarijiet, imma ghal hafna nies ma huwa accettabli xejn, u dawk in-nies ihossuhom offizi b’certu imgieba.
Allahares nergu nigu fi stat fejn dawk li huma f’pozizzjoni ta’ fiducja pubblika jaghmlu li jridu u imbaghad jippruvaw juzaw il-qorti u lill-pulizija biex jaghmlu sarima ma halq il-gurnalisti. Jekk ma taghtix raguni lil media biex jiktbu dwara jew dwaru, il-media ma tiktibx.
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“To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; to be credible we must be truthful.”
A giant amongst men said that – Edward R Murrow. Possibly the greatest journalist that ever lived. I have no doubt that this statement shows that Daphne has the same attributes. That’s why she will prevail.
[Daphne – I watched that film about him because it starred George Clooney. Go on, tell me I’m shallow.]
It’s full of spelling mistakes, but makes for a spiffing read.
[Daphne – Well, I don’t think you need to know how to spell to join the police force.]
No really, it’s a stirring read. When you think that we’re in 2010, and in the EU, and that you were being questioned by the police…. Call me sentimental but I shudder to think where this country is heading.
And “Il-Magistrat Consuelo”? First name terms, what?
[Daphne – Actually, it was ‘Il-Magistrata Conswelo’, with a very appropriate W, throughout, but I changed that so as not to make the police look even sillier at not even being able to spell the name of the person around whom the case centres. As for teh rest: I grew up in the 1970s and 1980s, Baxxter. It’s not like I couldn’t cope or anything.]
I know. You can cope, but the country can’t. I mean this isn’t just about you. It’s about press freedom, public accountability, the integrity of public officials, and ultimately about what sort of society we want to live in.
[Daphne – Agreed. In fact, I told the police – though this wasn’t something they took down as part of my statement – that it’s a good thing I’m an iron-willed 45 years-old raised under Mintoff, because I’d like to see them subjecting a 20-year-old student to the same treatment.]
The reaction of the press to all of this is straight out of some Sicilian omertà-bound village (jaqq). It’s like: everyone knows li kullhadd haxxej, but let’s not talk about it.
And the dots connect. The Realtà story = Let them see no Evil.
And when they grow up: it’s fine to do Evil, as long as They don’t see it. Omertà Omertà Omertà. Jaqq and jaqq.
The high-water mark of a liberal Maltese society was reached around 2005. The waters have been retreating ever since.
I think we reached the nadir yesterday: university students being interviewed about whether condom machines should be installed on campus.
Actually Daphne, I think, at least from the portion of the statement that you reproduced here, that you performed very well.
It’s a very defensible statement, in my view.
At least this time the police departed from their usual investigative jargon: “Nghid sew illi int ghidt hekk”, “Nghid sew illi int kont hemm”, “Ghandi nformazzjoni li int ghamilt hekk”… Never release a statement to the police, never, even if you’re innocent!
Kont hafna gentili fit-twegibiet. Ghaliex ma tajtx ismek u kunjomhok u fejn toqghod u daqshekk. Kont thalli lilhom ifittxu l-provi ghax żgur mhux forsi hafna minn dak li ghidt int se jingieb bhala prova kontiek.
[Daphne – L-anqas xejn.]
George Clooney happens to be one of my favourites as well. This was not one of his best films. But the story itself is enthralling……Good Night, and Good Luck. Its the story of one man who stood up to McCarthyism. I think we have a form of it here in Malta.
“Most truths are so naked that people feel sorry for them and cover them up, at least a little bit.”
There is anything but covering up in the stories you have been running about people who should know better.
Jesus – can I proofread that for you?
[Daphne – I know. The police can’t spell.]
I thought the same thing. I’m rather horrible at Maltese myself, especially when it comes to ortography, but that was downright painful to read.
I can understand how horrible you are in Maltese … and in English it’s “orthography”, Johnathan.
[Daphne – My Maltese is actually near-perfect and very idiomatic. You will never catch me saying ‘majtezwel’ or ‘just han mur nixtri sigarett’, for example. People who have an ear for one language generally have an ear for any other. The interrogating officer wrote that, and I reproduced it verbatim. It obviously doesn’t reflect the way I speak. This is the way an interrogation goes: you answer the question, and because the police officer is not a stenographer and can’t take it down second by second as you are speaking, he must listen, then ‘play it back’, ask you whether this is indeed what you meant/said, then put it down on his keyboard. For example, I became particularly irritated at his insistence on using ‘izda’ wherever I said ‘imma’. I never say ‘izda’ – not because it is incorrect, but because those who say ‘izda’ are either working-class or else they’re middle-class people trying to be PC and saying ‘izda’ because they think that’s what they should do, something about which I don’t give a stuff.]
Ilallu, Daphne! Brilliant answers. Well done!
Well done, Daph. It’s a pity you had to go through all this for the sake of upholding our freedom of expression. May it serve to set the motion for some much-needed change!
Are you allowed a recorder when being interviewed or do the police give you a copy of the report?
[Daphne – They type it out as your speak and then they give you a copy.]
Can I get your email please?
[Daphne – [email protected]]
Well done, Daphne. Did you manage to remain calm, cause I know I wouldn’t have?
[Daphne – Yes, I only raised my voice once – when they thought I am too damned stupid to work out that they were trying to get one particular answer by asking 15 different questions.]
Haha Daph, I feel sorry for the policemen! Ma jafx x’laqathom!
Twegibiet brillanti! Mistoqsijiet ta’ dilettanti tal-prima klassi. Dal-pulizija – ma nafx ghalfejn – ifakkruni f’ Mr Bean.
Ghandi tifel ta’ disa’ snin u bhala H.W. se nipprintjalu dan l-excerpt ta’ din l-interrogazzjoni divertenti ha jsib iz-zeghda ta’ zbalji.
You are shallow.
And you are a profound thinker.
Daphne, I dont know if you were saying “Politikant” or it is the contribution of the police typist however “Politiku” is more appropriate. To my knowledge you use politikant to demean – on second thoughts it might be what you were trying to do – however just for the record Eddie Fenech Adami huwa politiku ta’ stoffa u zgur mhux politikant.