Follow the money
Hmm, I think I'll make Dalli my ministru tad-dawl u l-ilma
I’m tired of the Labour Party banging on about John Dalli’s apparently excellent suggestion that Malta should immediately buy a particular form of electricity-generation technology which he strongly recommends.
The Labour Party should be asking itself instead what an EU Commissioner is doing, acting as an unofficial consultant on which technology the Maltese government should buy.
I’ve not been comfortable with Dalli’s repeated recommendation of this technology. He should stop it at once, because even if there’s nothing untoward, he’s coming across as a salesman working on commission.
And before he gets hysterical, goes in for some more of that rapid shallow breathing, and reports me to the Blogs Authority for naughtiness and for seeking to undermine his pristine image in the eyes of the Maltese people (shouldn’t it be his Brussels peers he’s worred about, or is he planning a comeback?), I said COMES ACROSS and not IS.
And indeed he does.
This is a man who used his long years in the Maltese cabinet to build up a network of contacts in Libya among the Gaddafi regime and beyond, and who then shamelessly used this network as the basis of a private business, even boasting about it on his company website.
What guarantees do we have that he’s not doing the same in his current position, or is he one of those people who has one set of rules of behaviour for Malta and Libya and another for the stricter environs of Brussels?
If John Dalli had his eye on the main chance while he was a Maltese cabinet minister, we are justified in asking ourselves whether he has his eye on the main chance as a European Commissioner.
I’m not talking corruption here, let me make that clear. But you’re not supposed to use your government position to make business contacts for yourself. That’s why there was such a major hoo-ha over Liam Fox, and why Tony Blair is now constantly tracked by the British press.
By backing John Dalli, Joseph Muscat makes himself look like a gullible idiot. If he’s not that gullible, and is doing it deliberately to sow seeds of discontent and egg Dalli on further, then that’s worse. People who do this kind of thing end up hoist by their own petard.
Here’s Muscat, quoted in The Sunday Times yesterday.
“We have clear plans. There are realistic alternatives. This government ignores (EU Commissioner) John Dalli, who suggested investing in technology that would slash water and electricity rates by half. It’s one of the alternatives. If the government ignores Mr Dalli is it going to take note of what I have to say?”
The government must have its own very good reasons for putting aside John Dalli’s technology recommendations, and given that the government knows John Dalli a good deal better than Joseph Muscat does, I’d leave it at that.
The damn shame is that the only way he could be got out of the cabinet is by rewarding him with the post of EU Commissioner, which he appears to hate though the money doesn’t seem to bother him at all.
If that hadn’t happened, what we would have had by now is a rival prime minister within the same cabinet, with his own little mini-cabinet of resentful jerks.
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned? Most women I know will tell you that there’s nothing more frightening or dangerous than a man with a damaged ego.
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The thing is that even without a rival prime minister within the same cabinet, a little mini-cabinet is still present. Fenech Adami had to, once again, stick his finger in the pie and give his views on the matter.
Time and time again, the prime minister is showing that he does not have the leadership skills needed to run a party, let alone a government.
[Daphne – The real problem is that he has at least two people with actual psycho-pathological problems on his benches. Fortunately, he also has a psychiatrist in his cabinet. But I’ve been saying that for a long time. You can be the best leader in town, but in that situation, forget it. ]
How can you tell that these two “people” have “actual psycho-pathological problems”
Has their psychologist/psychiatrist given you the low down?
On a good day you provide extraordinary insights and analyses. On a bad day … *oh well*
[Daphne – Ask a psychiatrist, Reuben. I have. And if you have to ask, then “oh well”.]
Dr Cassar, the psychiatrist in the cabinet, is not allowed to see patients. But he sure gets the opportunity to observe them at close quarters on his backbenches.
Yes, people forget that there actually is a psychiatrist – and quite a senior one at that – in the cabinet.
It is safe to assume that he has diagnosed any such condition and briefed his prime minister and cabinet colleagues accordingly.
As to Reuben’s point, I have to say that while only a psychiatrist can give a correct diagnosis, one does not have to be a psychiatrist to see that certain behaviour points to psycho-pathological difficulties.
There is a difference between an otherwise ‘normal’ person who cracks under stress and somebody with more fundamental, and hence permanent, problems.
I hope we have not become so accustomed in Malta to abnormal behaviour that we have begun to think the abnormal is normal.
It is true that there are a lot of problems with depression, anxiety and so on, but this goes beyond that.
Wrong Daphne, not two people but at least three: Franco, JPO and Jesmond.
Does Joseph give any clues or details regarding this technology or will he tell us ‘when the time is right’?
He’s still tossing coins.
The government should call Dalli’s bluff about this proposal. I’m pretty sure it’s some nonsense or untried technology.
Once verified as unworkable they should take him to to the cleaners with some slogan just as he taunts the government with GonziPN .
Dr. Gonzi did just that yesterday. Here’s how it was reported by timesofmalta.com :
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20111106/local/gonzi-we-will-remain-focused-on-the-people-s-needs.392593
Are John Dalli Libyan connections going to be investigated now?
And what’s become of his brother Bastjan?
He’s probaby working on some new marijuana deals, only this time he’ll make sure he doesn’t get conned with a shipment of green soap instead.
http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=83133
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090204/local/bastjan-dalli-arraigned-on-drug-charges.243445
http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=82555
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090214/local/over-300-calls-recorded-by-security-service-in-cannabis-case.244889
Let us for one minute imagine that this technology is not feasible – highly likely given that the Government is not about to look a gift horse in the mouth…..what then? WHERE is Joseph getting the money from.
Even if it were viable should the Nationalists kick up a fuss and take the tender process through the courts on an unsubstantiated allegation and then what? Overnight Malta discovers what no one else has discovered and we fuel the economy with the 21st century equivalent of gold?
Halluna!
I think that what we should be looking at is who owns the company, who represents it in Malta, and John Dalli’s connections – if any – there.
@ Richard Borg. There is a big difference between Fenech Adami’s and Gonzi’s one-seat majority in Parliament . In 1987 the PN went into government after 16 (horrible) years in opposition, while now it’s been 23 years in government.
Had some MP been as disloyal as JPO or Franco Debono during the 1987- 1992 legislature he would have been “lynched”.
So after 23 years in government it’s ok to be apathetic?
[Daphne – Who’s apathetic, Richard.]
The PM with regards to the ‘rebellious’ back benchers.
I don’t think we are being fair with John Dalli.
The latest criticism is about the power station.
I followed what he had to say on television, and one of the things he said was that he had presented the proposals to the Prime minister, so if the P.M.has seen and studied them he should be in a position to tell us what was wrong with them and why they were refused, instead of having all this speculation.
[Daphne – He is not obliged to do anything of the sort, Silvio. Correct procedure dictates that an EU Commissioner has no place recommending to an EU state’s government what technology should be used and not used. Correct procedure also dictates that, when the EU commissioner breached that same procedure, the prime minister should have told him, firmly ‘Good day’. Which he did. I really CANNOT STAND the way all exchanges in Malta are treated like informal chats in a bar between friends. It’s one of the reasons we end up in such messes. This is not a chat between friends. This is an exchange between an EU Commissioner and the prime minister of an EU member state, on a matter that does not concern the EU Commissioner. John Dalli is in no more of a position to tell Malta what technology to use than he is to tell Britain.]
Even at the risk of repeating myself over and over again,I am of the opinion that John Dalli would be an asset to the government. It is a pity that people like him should not be used in the running of our country, we cannot afford to waste persons like him.
[Daphne – Silvio, we have been here before. No matter how good and talented a person is, if they have issues – see Fr Alfred Darmanin on the subject of ‘difficult’ people in The Sunday Times (Classified section) yesterday, nobody wants them around. The amount of time, energy and effort taken up in dealing with their personality issues, their paranoia and their egocentricity is not justified in terms of what you get in return. People like that are draining and sapping, and you’re forever waiting for them to flip. I don’t blame the prime minister for not wanting him around, at all. I would hate to have somebody like that in my workspace. Unless you’ve had to work with somebody who’s constantly fixated on bitching you and undermining you, to the point where you begin to wonder whether they’re all right up there, don’t speak. I know what it’s like, because for years I had a couple of women who worked for the same company after me to the point of obsession, and I wasn’t even physically in the same building. They spent more time plotting against me than they did actually working. ]
What’s wrong with building contacts as long as you don’t use them while you are in office? Are you supposed to go on the dole once your term in office ends?
[Daphne – For God’s sake, Silvio.]
Just one small example. Did Joe Saliba do anything wrong in joining a private company once he retired from secretary general of the P.N.? Is he to be accused of building his contacts while he was in office?
[Daphne – This is one of the reasons why democracy is so weak in Malta. People don’t seem to understand the basic principles that underpin European thinking, and look to the Middle East and North Africa for reference instead. Joe Saliba never held a position as the elected representative of the people. He was never a cabinet minister or a member of parliament. He was not on the state payroll. He was secretary general of a political party. There is a major difference.]
Silvio,
John Dalli wasn’t at all clear what sort of technology he was referring to, he mentioned both organic matter as well as a synthetic form of coal, presumably derived from the former.
To date these green fuels have proven to be a liability because of their production and harvesting, much like biofuel produced by plantations caused an imbalance in food production leading to an increase in prices of certain basic food commodities.
These resources require closed cycles in countries which have the necessary resources, geography and technology to innovate the mix. Joseph’s cheap shot is totally uncalled for and if he has to take on this subject he’d better be serious, instead of passing the buck in this manner.
‘I am of the opinion that John Dalli would be an asset to the government.’
Silvio, I can understand Labour Party officials cosying up to John Dalli but I sincerely cannot understand this sudden admiration by Labour Party supporters for John Dalli.
I distinctly remember that when he was the Minister of Finance he was often referred to as Johnny Cash and was often hit by corruption claims on the Labour media. He was the ‘Austin Gatt’ of the day, so to speak.
[Daphne – He was, in fact, known by the Labour press as HuBastjan.]
The Nationalist Party had also cosied up to such people as Joe Grima but Nationalist supporters never forgot who these people were and did not suddenly start to admire them.
You cannot even begin to compare John Dalli with Austin Gatt, for heaven’s sake! It would be a bit like comparing Fenech Adami with Mintoff. Poles apart; different backgrounds too.
Daphne,
You’re right. For a very long time, the Labour press ‘ad nauseum’ referred to John Dalli as Hu Bastjan, each and every single time they mentioned him. Now I think it’s alright for Labour to back lil HuBastjan.
That is exactly why I said that the prime minister should tell us why it was not considered, to stop the speculation. I never said that it was a good proposition, as we know hardly anything about it.
It is not a nice thing to spend years as a minister and than find yourself practically unemployed. As a matter of fact , Parliament had voted a sum of money which was given to ex-ministers, to help them set up again in, let’s call it, private life.
[Daphne – He doesn’t need to do anything, Silvio. The man is over 60 already. He can finish his term, hoover up his pension, and lie on a beach. His problem isn’t that he wants something to do. His problem is that he wants to run things and be relevant.]
Last thing that the prime minister should clarify is whether John Dalli presented this proposal before or after he was made EU commisssioner
You are perfectly right, Joe Saliba was never a minister, but the party sec.gen. and the prime minister are the MINISTER MAKERS.
[Daphne – Actually not – the party secretary-general has no say in who gets to be in the cabinet. There is separation between party and government.]
One should never underestimate the importance and power of a party secretary, and who knows, he might use his position to build up his future contacts for a rainy day.I see nothing wrong in that.
[Daphne – Apparently, the position is not important or powerful at all, so much so that Labour doesn’t even have a secretary-general.]
One thing people seem to be forgetting is that we should no longer be thinking of John Dalli as a Maltese politician, as long as he is an EU comminssioner.
Does John Dalli contact the prime ministers of Latvia or Portugal to tell them how to build their power stations? Why should he feel he has the right to do it here, then?
The EU commissioner for energy is Günther Oettinger who is German and would never dream of telling our PM (or Merkel) what fuel to use.
There is no difference between Oettinger and Dalli: they are both EU commissioners and have nothing to do with the political scene in their own countries. In fact I think they should not even answer journalists’ questions on the subject.
John Dalli’s outbursts on television (e.g. about the economy) are technically “EU interference” in Maltese domestic issues.
In any case Dalli’s suggestion regarding the power station was shot down by Prof Edward Mallia who is certainly no PN supporter.
I think it’s worthwhile quoting here:
” . . . he should steer clear of woolly statements about “green” fuels which may include “processed coal”; perhaps they have Alberta tar sands derivative as well. How many power stations are using this “green” fuel? Who has “accepted” this fuel in Europe and who has declared it “green”? ”
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20111031/local/dalli-economy-has-stagnated.391710
Dalli seems overexercised by the idea that his reputation and fine standing among the Maltese population was dented by Bondi’s legitimate questions.
He seems to have forgotten the shameful episode involving his rather unpleasant comments about Libyans and Muslims at a business breakfast held in Malta that had nothing to do with the EU Health Commission.
Those ill-advised comments, and the disciplinary action to which he was subjected, were reported by several news agencies around the world. Did John Dalli cittadin Malti, Ewropej, u tad-dinja, also write to the broadcasting authority – or its equivalent – of every country in the entire world?
John Dalli is guilty of ‘indhil barrani’. Let’s call KMB.
KMB has no power without the backing of Gaddafi.
@Antoine Vella – John Dalli himself thinks that he can distinguish between “John Dalli the EU Commissioner” and “John Dalli, Maltese Citizen”.
Maybe it’s high time the Nationalist Party started vetting its candidates properly before they cause further embarrassment or, worse, drag the country down for their own personal gain.
Maybe John Dalli can enlighten us on the “Azizija Glass Company 90 milion Scandal ” that the new Libyan administration is examining?
I believe that he will be in for an uncomfortable questioning one he sets foot in Libya.