Whose side is Labour on?
The way the Labour Party is behaving in Brussels over the BWSC investigation is painfully embarrassing and disloyal. There are not two Maltas – a Labour-faction Malta and a Nationalist-faction Malta – but only one EU member state called Malta.
When the European Commission investigates, examines or chastises Malta, it investigates, examines and chastises Malta – not the Nationalist Party, the prime minister, his ministers, gONziPN, or ‘the PN government’.
So it looks really weird when Maltese MEPs agitate and exert pressure on the European Commission to publish correspondence that might compromise Malta in any way.
The thinking is: why would an MEP want to undermine his own country?
Nobody sits down and says, as we would in a bar in Malta: “Eeeeeeh, but those MEPs are Labour and they want to embarrass and compromise gONZiPN.”
They just come across as sniping and disloyal backstabbers, undermining their own country to serve their narrow partisan interests.
I will never forget how Arnold Cassola came across once during a press conference about bird-shooting in Malta, which he addressed in Brussels several years ago. The impression he gave was of a man trying to create trouble for his own country, and this was quite apart from the issue at hand, on which I happened to agree with him.
But the pleasure he quite obviously derived from having ‘caught Malta on the wrong foot’ was deeply unpleasant, and I wasn’t the only one there who felt absolutely put off. Because he seemed malicious, he failed to get his message across.
Now here is Labour MEP Louis Grech, of all people (heaven alone knows how he can suffer the embarrassment of dealing with an intellectual and social inadequate like Muscat as his leader, but apparently needs must when the devil drives) demanding that the European Commission publishes all correspondence exchanged with Malta in the examination of the tender adjudication process for the power station project.
In doing so, Grech merely echoes an earlier demand which his leader Muscat made, and which was turned down too. Michel Barnier, EU Commissioner for Internal Markets, told Grech that Malta – yes, Malta, and not gONziPN – had responded to the European Commission’s request for information “in a timely manner”, that the Commission is now considering what further steps need to be taken, and that letters exchanged between the European Commission and Malta will not be published because “this is considered to be sensitive and confidential information”.
“We would be doing an injustice to Malta if we were to publish these documents, as we will be weakening Malta’s position in any possible future court litigation over this issue. The Commission has never published this type of correspondence with member states and has no intention of doing so”, Michel Barnier told Louis Grech.
This was a reprimand if ever there was one. Decoded, it means: your request for the publication of these letters will work against your own country’s interests.
Barnier confirmed that the European Commission has some difficulties with the procedure Malta used to award the €200 million tender to BWSC, and that EU procurement rules might have been infringed. But he said there has been no decision on further action, because Malta is still gathering and sending information.
Undeterred, Grech pressed on with his questions to Barnier, demanding to know why the European Commission had not taken action against Malta any earlier.
Imagine that: an MEP standing up and demanding that trouble be caused for his country at once, and will the European Commission please explain why trouble was not caused for his country sooner.
Louis Grech received another polite reprimand: that the Commission enjoys discretion as to whether, and when, to take action against a member state.
There is, of course, a balance to be struck. If there is reason to suspect that procurement rules have been infringed, then the Opposition has a duty to see that awareness is raised about this and that the necessary reports are made. But it should be aware at all times – and we should be reassured of this – that the Opposition does so in the interests of Malta, and not for its own narrow, partisan reasons.
It is deeply unsavoury to undermine your country so as to snipe at your political enemies, when there is no wider national interest at stake, and when your desire to create problems for your political rivals ends up creating problems for the country.
The politicians who do it should be aware that they don’t come across as heroes but rather the opposite. In much the same way that we are perfectly content to denigrate our country and our compatriots while here and amongst ourselves, but would never do it among strangers in a strange land, becoming livid with anger when others do so in our presence, so we do not like to see our MEPs strutting around trying to create trouble for Malta just because in their minds they see it as creating trouble for the government they want to replace.
Even if, on paper, we know these people to be right and we might even agree with the points they make, we still don’t like them for trying to create trouble. They are perceived as the national equivalent of the teacher’s suck-up crossed with the classroom sneak.
Strictly speaking, it should be a rival bidder doing all the agitating and exerting the pressure on the European Commission, and not – here’s the beautiful but sick irony – Malta’s government-in-waiting, who seem not to realise that they will be the ones dealing with the fall-out before long.
The government is the government is the government, no matter which political party sits there. If the European Commission acts against Malta on this one, the matter won’t be cleared up overnight. In two years’ time, Prime Minister Muscat may find himself defending Malta’s interests in this very procurement infringement case which he is trying so hard to instigate.
This article is published in The Malta Independent today.
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By questioning why the European Commission did not take action any earlier, Mr. Grech is effectively taking on the role of investigating the Commission, not just Malta.
I can suspect where he is coming from, but I cannot understand where he thinks he is going.
Welcome back:-)) As for the above, there is a very good saying in Maltese…”iddardarx l-ima li trid tixrob minnhu”. Never liked Louis Grech, and find it hard to trust a person of his ilk. This confirmed my suspicions. Enough said.
But he will be THE Prime Minister and that is all that matters (to him, or should I say them).
Well put, Daphne. I really hate those who rubbish Malta with tourists and foreigners. It shows how little they know about other countries and the rest of the world.
Between 1971-1987 and 1996-1998, somebody would have screamed “traitor” and “going against the national interest”.
So trying to get the EU to stop corruption in Malta is being a traitor ! With this I do not agree with you Daphne…it is one of the reasons we wanted (us the great unwashed ) to join the EU. Here corruption is EVERYWHERE and accepted.
[Daphne – No, corruption isn’t everywhere and only some people accept it. And in this piece, I clearly make the distinction between trying to stop corruption and trying to cause trouble for your own country because you can only think of it in terms of causing trouble for the political party and government you oppose. The Maltese government is the Maltese government. If Muscat is elected prime minister tomorrow, he will have to fight Malta’s interests in this investigation – FOR Malta and NOT against. The Labour Party is not trying to stop corruption. It is trying to cause trouble for its political enemies. You have to make the distinction. It is not a whistleblower. My point is that the European Commission does not distinguish between Malta and gONeZipn. Malta is Malta, whoever happens to be in government. An MEP trying to cause trouble for his own country comes across as precisely that: an MEP trying to cause trouble for his own country.]
In a way, this is similar to Joseph Muscat, as an MEP, trying to block EU funds for the waste recycling plant.
Jien nirraguna li din mhux kwistjoni ta’ Labour u PN. Mhux se nidhol fil-mertu ta’ dil-kwistjoni, ghax ma nafx x`gara u ma garax. Il punt hu li Louis Grech hu Malti, punto.
X`jigri hawn Malta suppost li nippruvaw insolvu ahna il-problemi taghna u nargumentaw hawn Malta, bejnietna. Mhux dan qieghed hemm, anki grazzi ghal dal-gvern ehh, ghax kieku m`ahniex fl-Ewropa, bil-paga li kellhu hawn Malta kien ikollhu jibqa.
Mentri, hemm, apparentament, jghixu hajja ta` rgejjen. L-ahhar sentenza li kitbet Daphne biex irrispondiet lil Silvio Farrugia, says it all. Poggewk Brussels u taqla` l-inkwiet ghal-art twelidek?
So there is no corruption in Malta. How clever, are you living in Malta or in some hole at Bidnija. HOW CAN YOU BE SO BIASED?
[Daphne – There is corruption everywhere in the world. Where there are people and favours or material goods or money to be obtained, there is corruption. The issue is how it dealt with and whether it is institutionalised or not. I grew up in a country where corruption was institutionalised at all levels, and no doubt, so did you. You should be able to tell the difference.]
It’s ‘forty’ not ‘fourty’.
carmel,of course there is corruption in Malta. Ask Lino Spiteri and George Abela how they tasted this corruption when contesting for the Labour Leadership.
carmel, how right you are about corruption in Malta. Ask Lino Spiteri and George Abela how they tasted this corruption when contesting for the Labour leadership election.
A very well put argument – however it will certainly be difficult for Joseph Muscat and his entourage to grasp the logic behind your point.
Such behaviour clearly illustrates the insularity of the Maltese political mind. Our purported representatives cannot rise above petty squabbling – not even on an international stage.
The reason only Labour MEPs are doing this at the moment is because the PN is in government. Just wait until the situation is reversed. We’ve already seen the PN backbenchers throw a couple of tantrums.
Dirty linen …
I must have read almost all your articles over the last twenty years and for once, in all your articles , I disagree with you on this. Our country is ridden with corruption, and any action that could cull this scourge on our country is welcome by my books, even if at the sword of our pathetic opposition party.
“ridden with corruption” – Lino Cert you clearly have no idea what ridden with corruption means. Try 1971- 1986 – that would be the time when one could really speak about ridden with corruption.
At the moment, though similarly to other countries and large organisations (any one heard of FIFA?), there will always be an element of corruption, I believe that at the moment we have a problem with perception of corruption.
In my line of work, I have had to deal with a number of tenders ranging from around 50,000 euros to over a million euros. I can assure anyone that our evaluation committee (composed of at least five persons, four of whom are technical and who were not involved in the the tender design) have always been very diligent when awarding these tenders.
Nevertheless, we had losing bidders insinuating that some sort of corruption (and the funny or tragic thing is that they never state how) has occurred.
They asked the headmaster to deal with them appropriately. That’s what they do in a serf ‘nation’ that’s subjected to dictats and fines. Brave stalwarts we’ve got representing us in the People’s Congress…
Imagine that: we live in times when whole nations get fined. Standard EU procedure. They punish the whole class.
Which class exactly Kev? The working class, the mittel kless, the new middle class, the upper class, or the reception class?
Class is something you surely do not possess cicccio2010.
The school class, ciccio1910.
Economy class for me. Kev is up in club class, with all the lifeboats.
You’ll love this, Baxxter – Gozo priest calls for a revolution from Qala to Gharb and beyond:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9vWAInltDs
Herbert, I thought it was you who suggested that we should be class-less.
Whoah, kev. You do know that this Coughlin is a hero of the anti-Semitic far right, do you? How exactly am I supposed to “love this”?
Unfortunately, Baxxter, my elaborate reply was dusted away by a bug. So I’ll change subject slightly – very slightly – by asking you: have you heard about the “Fusion Centres” set up across the USA to gather intelligence?
Read all about it on the Department of Homeland Security website (what a name – reminds you of both national and Bolshevik socialism mashed up with a pinch of Stasi and a drop of Robbespeare): http://www.dhs.gov/files/programs/gc_1156877184684.shtm
But if dry newspeak bothers you, just watch this four-part documentary: Jesse Ventura Exposes US FEMA Concentration Camps
The four Youtube vids are embedded here on this website: http://thefinalredoubt.blogspot.com/2010/11/jesse-ventura-exposes-fema-camps.html
Note to the prejudgmental know-it-alls: Forgive Ventura. It’s not about Ventura. It’s about the irrefutable evidence on which this documentary is based – evidence which, not incidentally, goes a long way into the last century.
Cup of coffee, anyone?
Kev, when your friends in uniform (and plain clothes) were busy arresting bullying, torturing and occasionally killing innocent Maltese, we would have welcomed an EU “headmaster to deal with them appropriately.” Perhaps the brainwashing to which you voluntarily subjected yourself in the Soviet Union has obliterated this dark past from your memory.
You seem oblivious to the fact that the abuses committed by Mintoff – your hero – and his thuggish police force were a major factor in persuading the majority of Maltese to want to join the EU, where such actions are not tolerated.
The redeeming feature of the issue is that Barnier put Grech in his place and practically told him to put a lid on it until the Commission decides whether to enquire further or not.
Why is the Labour Party infested with sour-pusses intent on power at all cost?
It is a shame that PL MEPS choose to side with the political party they represent rather than being loyal to their country. I am not saying that they should not criticise the government but that they should do so in Malta. Pushing the EU to take measures against Malta is something that I cannot for the life of me understand. This is tantamount to being a traitor to your country.
[Daphne – More crucially, they are taking sides when in two years’ time they will be on ‘the other side’ as ‘Malta’ (the government) and have to find the solution themselves.]
Or not!
What a laugh! The erstwhile Liberal has suddenly become a jingoistic “My country, right or wrong” nationalist (with a small n).
What a load of twaddle. Anything that helps to prise Malta from the grip of Gonzi Baba and the Fourty Thieves is GOOD for Malta, not bad.
[Daphne – The 40 thieves are in your alternative government, my dear, but have had the great good fortune of growing up post 1987, you are not in a position to recognise them. It is precisely because I take the liberal view that I object to the Labour Party’s stance on this. There are structures in place to deal with these things. Let them do their work. Pressurising them to act when if do not see any need to do so, purely to exact political vengeance on your rivals/enemies, is totalitarian and fascist. It means you do not recognise the rule of law or the separation of powers.]
ChavRus
For those of us who treaded this land before 1987 it is very evident that corruption is not a USP for the PL.
In essence this administration may be corrupt but certainly not anywhere “factually” near that before 1987.
You would be justified to say “but that was in 1987”, however if you take a look at the PL organisation chart, the media anchors and parliamentarians you will find that the most of that “marmalja” are still high up the echelons of today’s PL.
Where have you been living, Joseph? If you luimp together all that happened under Labour, it would not stink half as bad as the BWSC scandal stinks all by itself.
[Daphne – How naive and uninformed: it’s almost touching.]
Rather let me tell you when.
At one end I lived in times when you could not even speak of allegations without jeopardizing you wellbeing and in certain cases life (like maybe end up in pieces in some God forsaken well) at the other end I am living in a time when someone like yourself has all the freedom to make up whatever stories tickle their fantasies (usually in absence of sound argumentation). You have taken it a bit further to pretending that what you say is fact.
Without entering into the merits of the content of the questions themselves, it is standard and accepted practice for MEPs to ask questions to the Commission in order to clarify/establish facts which are in the public interest. MEPs sit in the EP according to political affiliation not according to member state.
The balance of powers in the EU system is very different from that at a national level. In short: national interests are defended in the Council, the EU’s interests are defended by the Commission and the people’s interests in the EP. MEPs (from all member states and all political hues) ask questions which could potentially embarrass their member state on a regular basis.
This is even done, sometimes, by MEPs from the same political party as the party in government in their own country (Simon Busuttil has done this on more than one occasion). There is nothing untoward or uncommon in Mr Grech’s asking those questions.
As for the content of the questions themselves, I cannot for the life me understand how Mr Grech let himself be convinced to ask those particular questions.
Ian, you whitewash the charade so expertly, you should be appointed chief apparatchik for EU propagation.
Thanks kev. Why do you assume I’m not?
In any case, unlike some, I hopped on the gravy train on the basis of my own merits and not through opportunism and misinformation of the gullible masses.
Yes, Ian summed it up very well. The Commission receives hundreds of questions from MEPs every year, a fairly large percentage of them highlighting perceived infringements of EU law and procedures by governments and local authorities. The questions often do have a political tinge to them, in the sense that the Commission is more likely to receive questions about Berlusconi’s immigration policy from liberal/socialist/green Italian MEPs than from MEPs hailing from his own party. And PQs are used across the board and a variety of subjects, there’s nothing Maltese about this.
Labour is on the side of righteousness and so should be every taxpayer who contributed, and will continue to contribute for a lifetime, to the dodgy purchase of that pollutant power station extension. Between our reputation as a country, possible future penalties and justice, I choose the latter. When the BWSC scandal arose, you and many of your fellow independent journalists not only didn’t bother exerting pressure on the government to come clean or on the authorities to investigate the matter appropriately, but also tried to deviate the attention elsewhere.
Since everyone in this country seems to have some sort of political agenda, it is clear that issues like these can only be solved if they are escalated and trumpeted at EU level, and yes, even at the expense of getting a reputation of a country full of crooked politicians and incurring hefty fines, as long as, in the end, justice is achieved and the ill-doers are appropriately dealt with. It is how the contract was awarded in the first place which should have pissed you off, Daphne, and not what Labour is doing in Brussels.
[Daphne – The way the contract was awarded makes no difference to my life or to anyone else’s, at all. I am not one to go on rumour and suspicion. I have been at the receiving end of wild rumours too often to ever believe anything about anyone else until I have actual evidence. Malta is a hell-hole of petty-minded, malicious gossip. There are too many bored and envious people about, living in a tight patch and fighting for every inch of space and attention.]
Joan Rivers: “I hate spreading rumours but, darling, what on earth are you to do with them?”
Well said Daphne, very well said.
Lejborist. What BWSC scandal?
If you respect your own integrity you should at least write of the BWSC allegations.
I understand that you as other PL followers are being dangerously inculcated into reassuming the dangerous pre 1987 one and all role of prosecution, jury and judge but I also think that you posses the mental ability to make your own objective call.
@Joseph Micallef.
The mere facts that a prototype plant was chosen, that laws were changed to allow that sort of technology to be eligible during the tendering process, that certain members of the PAC manifestly refused to allow said committee to run further investigations into the matter, are all pretty good reasons to call it a scandal, irrespective of whether said decisions were taken as a result of, or in an effort to hide, any alleged corrupt, or dishonest behaviour.
Reading from your comment: “PAC manifestly refused to allow said committee to run further investigations”
It all clearly boils down to:
“dangerously inculcated into reassuming the dangerous pre 1987 one and all role of prosecution, jury and judge”
I see old habits die (if ever) hard.
Min irrid jitkellem fuq il korruzzjoni?
Jekk hawn partit li ghandu ghax jisthi huwa il-Partit Laburista jien ghandi fuq sittin sena u niftakar sew dawk iz-zmienijiet meta biex timporta b’LM400 merkanzija min barra kont trid thallas LM1000 biex iggibulekk il-licenzja ghat telefon LM100 ghat television LM40 permess tal-bini mijiet jew eluf skond id-daqs anke biex tixtri qabar kont trid ix-xaham.
Ghal kuntabandu li kien hawn u li kienu jaghmluh tal qalba qed nghid ghal video recorders televisions li xi whud mil-ministri ta’ dak iz-zmien kienu jaqsmu maghhom.
U xi nghidu ghall-artijiet allahares taqbad issemmi il-progetti tal-gvern kienu jinataw 90% b’direct order mil-ministru dan biex ma nsemiex id-diskrimazzjoni u dawn li semmejt li kienu jigu ippruvati ahseb u ara x’kien isir min taht.
Jien ma naqbilx mal-korruzzjoni u min jinqabad ghandu jhallas ta’ ghemilu pero illum hemm l-istutizjonijiet apposta li jdejjaqni huwa li ma tmurx ghand dawn il-korpi biex tibqa tohloq id-dubju u dik ghalija hija dizonesta u korruzzjoni ghax tkun qed tikkorompi mohh is-segwaci tieghek.
Igifieri,skond int cikku l-poplu ghax dak iz-zmien li qed issemmi int(fi zmien Mintoff),kien haw il-korruzjoni,allura il-PL tal-llum ghandu jisthi jghid u jsemma lehnu fejn u meta jara l-korruzjoni!!!Nahseb li il-PL kien ikun ingust mas-segwaci tieghu u mal-maltin kieku jhalli kollox ghaddej qisu ma gara xejn.
Rigward l-istituzjonijiet apposta li qed issemmi,dawn ma jwassluk imkien hawn Malta,u naqbel li meta tkun taf li m’ghandekx cans lokalment,iddahhal l-UE.L-affarijiet jehtieg isiru b’aktar transparenza biex forsi dal-pajjiz jimxi l’quddiem cikk!!
Doubt is mankind’s greatest weakness.
To you, personally, what financial difference will it make if Labour were to win the next election?
[Daphne – It all depends on how a Labour government affects the economy.]
Dak li qal Cikku l-poplu niftakru anke jien. Bulijiet tal-ministri kienu jmorru Sqallija bil-vapur li kien jismu Ghawdex, jixtru il-videos u dak kollu li kiem ipprojbit, jahbu kollox fil-vapur imbaghad meta jmur fil-gzira ta’ Ghawdex ihottu kollox minn hemm ghax id-dwana ma tfittix minn Ghawdex ghal Malta. Hekk konna nghixu u biex tixtri video kont thalla LM700.
@ Riya whud minnhom kienu jmorru bil ‘yacht’ tahhom u jidhlu l’ghadira. Msieken kemm bghatew dawn il-bazuzli tal Labour!
Jien ma nafx ghalfejn qed nihduha bi kbira din il-bicca xoghol ta’ Louis Grech. Mhux kullhadd jaf li l-MEPs tal-Labour jissemmew biss fl-EU meta ikunu jistghu jaqalghu il-problemi ghal Malta il-bqija qedin hemm ghal xejn.
You should be a very brainwashed and full of hatred woman, all you write about is the LP and Joseph Muscat, I do not bother to read your articles, just the titles, but many people seem to have ample time on their hands to waste. May I ask you a question? Why on earth you never appear on public tv and voice your opinion and maybe ask questions like othe journalists do? You always hide behind your pen, what are you afraid of? Or do you suffer from inferiority complex? Many journalist were present last friday on the affari taghna programme asking JM all sorts of questions, but you were absent as usual, of course because you do not want to ask questions, you just want to form an opinion of your own, invent things, throw mud and dish out half truths so that a few bloggers who come from the “elite” party will gooble up everything. Let me give you an example, recently I read part of your article about Airmalta, for a change it was not about Joseph, the PL or Anglu Farrugia, and since my son is a pilot with the company I have direct interest in what is being said in the media. You blamed Labour for the disastrous state the airline is in, well let me remind you something woman, your nationalist govt has been in power for almost 25 years and had more than ample time to restructure the airline. Let me rimind you something else, labour left the airline with about Lm80 million reserves in the bank, owned eight aircraft which cost about 30 million USD each and also had about twenty subsidiary companies like Holiday inn, Hal Ferh complex and Selmun. Also you forgot to mention the purchase ( by the EFA administration) of four RJ 70s and three RJ85s which were not suitable for KM’s network ( at a price of 23 Million USD each) and the investment of LM55 million in Azzurra air which went banckrupt some years later, how convenient of you, half truth if you ask me!! Also this time you did not realise what a flop you made, attacking the workers represented by the GWU, only a handful of ground staff are Labour supporters, the majority either left because they reached pension age or took the VRS, the majority of the office workers, which are represented by the GWU as well, were employed by the present administration because they are blue eyed boys and girls and right now you are not in their good books at all!!! Section by section you’re irking the whole population and by that putting a big smile on Joseph’s face.
Also, woman, you forgot that the chairman for much of this disastrous time was – wait for it – Louis Grech.
Alfred Farrugia:
No one is happy about the situation our national strategic airline is in.
However, you seem to point your fingers at the PN administrations for all the woes of KM. Of course, Tony Zarb and the Labour Party are conveniently doing the same.
But I suggest you take a good look at the management’s own Annual Report of the company for the year ended 31 March 1999, which covered the last 6 months of the 1996-1998 Labour government (the “modern” and “managerial” one) and a new 6 months of PN government. At the time, the Chairman of the company was Mr. Louis Grech – surely not someone from the PN camp.
In that Annual Report, it was stated that:
“In the year under review AZZURRAair underwent a major change in its operation which resulted in a rapid expansion in its resources, turnover and flight programme. As a result of an agreement signed in March 1998 this company became Alitalia’s major franchisee. Its fleet was consequently increased from three RJ Avroliners to seven, and in October an eighth aircraft (BAe 146-200) was added, wet leased from a British company. In March 1999 AZZURRAair also leased in two new generation B737-700 aircraft which were delivered at Boeing’s facility in Seattle. These additional aircraft were procured to operate principally in the charter market.
Throughout Summer 1998 AZZURRA’s main operation was at Milan Linate Airport, with further flights flown from both Milano-Orio (Bergamo) and Turin Airports.
At the beginning of October 1998, with the opening of the new Malpensa 2000 Airport, its main operations were transferred from Linate and Bergamo to this airport. This necessitated a radical change in the pattern of operations with most aircraft overnighting away from base.
The franchised network consisted mainly of short-haul operations within Europe. In Winter 1998/99 five aircraft were based at Malpensa, covering a network of flights to Berlin, Hamburg, Copenhagen and Valencia. Two aircraft were based in Turin with a network serving Stansted, Zurich (code-shared with Swissair) and Alghero. Another aircraft was based at Linate and served London City and Paris.
Bearing in mind that AZZURRAair’s financial year
follows the calendar year, by end 1998 it had performed as follows:
• Losses reduced from Lit. 28 billion to Lit. 8 billion giving a gross operating profit of Lit 1.7 billion before net financial charges and amortisation of intangible fixed assets;
• the fleet increased from three to eight aircraft;
• staff increased from 130 to 201;
• 13,040 flight sectors were operated: 8,539 flights in franchising with an Alitalia flight number, 2,621 with an AZZURRAair flight number, 758 charters also with an AZZURRAair flight number and the rest, under lease arrangements, with an Alitalia flight number;
• 96.9% of planned flights were performed; the 3.1% of the flights were cancelled mainly due to difficulties encountered during the start-up of Malpensa 2000 Airport when airlines experienced massive cancellations;
• 500,000 passengers were carried on the network against 150,000 in 1997;
• the total network (scheduled and charter) covered 68 airports spread over 15 countries spanning from Portugal in the West, Cyprus in the East, the UK in the North and Tunisia in the South;
• the fleet registered a total utilisation of 16,201 hours for the year.
Today AZZURRAair is the second-largest operator at Malpensa Airport in terms of flight movements.”
In the same report, the Chairman stated:
“In my statement last year I explained the new operating strategies and alliances that were brought together and put in place for AZZURRAair in March 1998. 1998/99 was the first full year in which AZZURRAair benefited from these new strategies which effectively brought about a major turnaround that is being further sustained in the current year.”
So after you read the above, it seems the management of Airmalta, installed during a Labour government, believed Azzurra had a promising future. And they increased the number of RJs!
Now, I will leave it to you to judge if the above was an indication of good business prospects for Azzurra or if it was a sign of incompetent management.
Has it occured to you that Daphne is not in it for the glory!
Let Joseph and his hench- men go on TV , they’re the ones that need to, as most of their followers are illiterate.
Has it occurred to you, Troy, that you have just said that Daphne is preaching to the converted?
[Daphne – I’m not preaching, Reuben. I have no interest in converting anyone. I’m not in the business of religion or politics.]
Daphne, I refuse to believe that you misunderstood me. You know perfectly well that who needs to be changed – from your perspective – does not read what you write. And Troy – unwittingly and unwillingly – has just pointed it out.
What would you rather I had said? Hectoring the converted, perhaps?
[Daphne – No, I entertain. People don’t read newspaper columns to be informed, preached at or converted to another point of view, but to be entertained in various fashions. This piece of knowledge is my secret weapon.]
This article does not hold. It does not mean that because Malta joined the European Union, Labour MEPs have to give up their democratic right (and responsibility, may I add) to question the actions of their government.
What I find ‘painfully embarrassing and disloyal’ is the fact that a columnist such as yourself, is trying to silence and ridicule the use of democratic instruments in an institution which you so fervently promoted back in 2003.
Alfred Farrugia.
I am really sorry for your son as what happened in Air Malta is not his fault but it is the GWU who we should blame.
I have been hearing that the airline was not doing well since when Labourwas in government before 1987, and this was due to the huge perks the employees were given with the backing of the GWU.
But the Labour government always told the people that the airline was doing well. This is the same story like the Dockyard. Why don’t you mention the huge thefts that took place from the air supplies which amounted to millions of Euros yearly and no one evet took any action.
The same thing is happening at EneMalta.
I don’t know why all the fuss.
Have we forgotten abput Fenech Adami’s
‘Malta is Burning?”
What was the reason behind that publication?
What purpose was it intended to serve if not to denigrate Malta, its people and its government?
He who is without sin let him throw the first stone
Was Malta Burning? Definitely Yes! It was being burned locally and beyond, that is unless you where on the cooler side adding fuel (or was it coal) to the fire!
It transpires that Joseph N Tabone, a politically appointed Chairman of Air Malta by a Nationalist Administration,
decided and approved the transactions regarding both
the RJ AVROLINERS and AZZURRAIR aircrafts.
His decisions and approvals burdened Air Malta with
heavy losses.
@ H Mizzi – people don’t care whether it was Joseph N Tabone, Louis Grech or Albert Mizzi who brought Air Malta to this mess.
People like me always made good for Air Malta’s failures by paying exhorbitant travel fares and taxes.
We voted to join the EU so that it can breathe down the neck of our governments. I wonder how Joseph’s ‘team’ would work under such conditions.
There are no more stop-gap solutions; solutions must be sustainable.
Stop pointing fingers and thank God that people like me voted for Malta’s EU membership. At least our politicians can be controlled.
Stopping haemorrages is Gonzi’s forte: Mater Dei, the Dockyards, kerosene subsidies, social security abuse, transport reform, W&E subsidies for all (rich and poor) and now it’s Air Malta’s turn.
The heavy losses of Air Malta were incurred by the high salaries to many illiterate people such as loaders, and others who did nothing at all for the company except stealing from luggage and elsewhere. Not even in places like the UK and Germany do airline employees have the benefits and luxury of those of Air Malta. These were all brought in with the glory of the GWU. Why does an air hostess need to be driven to work by taxi, and get paid for her hairdressing, nail polishing etc?
Not to mention the high rate of pilfering from Air Supplies (was Air Malta subsidiary) which used to stock wines and spirits, perfumes and fragrances, tobacco products and such like for the duty-free shops; xalata shiha kien hemm u kieku biss inqabad xi gurdien.
Today’s gem from Maltastar….
‘The National Audit Office does not have the power and the means to look for hard, conclusive evidence of corruption, as do the police, NAO officials told the Public Accounts Committee yesterday’.
The AccountantGeneral declared that there was smoke . If there was smoke there was fire. Am I wrong?
Dak li qal l-Accountant General kien, li kampanja tal PL fuq korruzzjoni kienet kollha duhhan.Min jaf ghalfejn kienet din il kampanja feroci forsi riedu li xi hadd tal-qalba laburist li jiehu il kuntratt biex jaqsmu mieghu jew kienu mwedin xi flus ghal partit min xi kumpanija barranija jekk.il malti jghid lill min tafu tistaqsiex ghalih u min jitwieled tond ma jmutx kwadru.tal-PL dejjem hekk kienu jew naqsam mieghek jew insalbek u hekk qed jaghmlu b’din il kampanja ta’ korruzzjoni.
The fire came from Labour’s torch.
If the NAO deduced that there was smoke in his investigations regarding BWSC, there was definitely fire somewhere. What is evident and worrying is the smokescreen our Prime Minister LG and his parliamentary group, especially Dr Austin Gatt,
have surrounded the source with, attempting by all means to hide it from the electorate.
John Doe, Labour created the smoke. This is public knowledge now as this done with every tender. If they knew anything, or had some sort of information, there was nothing to stop them from going to the police themselves.
The Prime Minister told them this on several occasions but they opted to continue to throw mud without any concrete evidence. This clearly confirms that their allegations were unfounded.
Why did not inspector Gadget do the same thing as he did with the issue of the buying of votes in the last election?
Well the double face are GONZIPN my dear you forgot in the 80’s they use to go with the maltafile and telling the germans not to invest in malta you forgot all the disloyalty the PN did to us as a maltese nation what you pretend that we The labour supporters be part of all this corrupt contract the difference between GONZI and JOSEPH is GONZI wants and mebrasses corruption and JOSEPH does not allowit one bit stop and think before you talk for one time in your sorry life do the decent thing and f— off
Keep on entertaining us Daphne.
tony10. Can you please explain what Maltafile are u talking about? Was it about corruption?