Here’s another one with a sense of entitlement: what hamallagni, honestly. Trid tkun il-vera peasant bil-poter.
On timesofmalta.com this morning:
A Gozo ferry was forced to turn back to base to pick up the Gozo Channel chairman and his family from Mġarr harbour after they had missed the boat, The Sunday Times has learnt.
The ministry said Joe Grech had apologised and would like to extend his apologies to Gozo Channel customers. Joseph Grech, a Gozitan, was on his way to Malta with his family on November 12 aiming to catch a ferry at 7.30 p.m., not realising that the winter schedule of the company he is responsible for dictates that the ferry leaves port at 7.15 p.m.
Baffled commuters found themselves being taken back to Mġarr, after Mr Grech demanded that the ferry be turned back.
The ferry moored again, lowered the ramp and allowed Mr Grech to drive aboard. Another patron in a black Jaguar who missed the ferry also benefitted from the vessel’s return to base. Mr Grech could not be contacted despite several attempts, but the Finance Ministry, which is responsible for the national ferry service, confirmed the incident.
A spokesman for the ministry said the detour caused a delay of five to 10 minutes, but added that the minister deemed the behaviour unacceptable.
“(Finance) Minister (Tonio) Fenech expressed his disappointment with Dr Grech at such behaviour and emphasised the need for more exemplary behaviour in the future,” the spokesman said.
The ministry said Dr Grech had apologised and would like to extend his apologies to Gozo Channel customers.
Day the ferry chairman ordered his ship back
The Sunday Times also asked if Mr Grech had offered his resignation and if the minister felt he should be sacked in the circumstances. However, no response was forthcoming.
Prior to contacting the ministry, The Sunday Times had sought to confirm the information with Gozo Channel’s own management, but operations manager George Borg kept insisting he knew nothing about the case, though he asked for the source of the information.
————-
When his minister makes a public statement that this kind of behavour is unacceptable, this chairman has no choice but to resign. But I wouldn’t expect somebody common enough to order a ferry to turn back to pick up his family to understand this.
This is real arrogance, and it comes from a mixture of stupidity and a poor upbringing, coupled with suddenly finding yourself with power over others where you had none before.
Stars of the stage and screen behave like that, and the children of new money.
He should be sacked, for what he has done and before he causes more trouble. Attitudes like that don’t go away overnight.
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Where do they find these people ?
Their attitude is ” Resign ? For what ? No way !”
This is not the first time such arrogance was displayed to all and sundry and won’t be the last. The only difference is that this incident, somehow, got in the newspapers. Maturity and professionalism seem too difficult to attain on these islands.
I literally spilled my coffee this morning when I read the opening line of the news report. Il-vera tal-biki. This man must bow his head and resign unless he seeks to lose what is left of his dignity.
Tonio Fenech’s fault.
Do you think for a moment that the chairman would have defied the minister if he was asked to resign?
Tonio Fenech must have expressed his disappointment, and stopped there.
And after all by Tonio’s standards getting free rides on a private jet and free tickets to watch Arsenal, what’s wrong with calling a ferry back? Fades by comparison.
Apples and oranges. A private jet is private. A ferry is public transport.
BOLLOCKS! The fault lies with Grech’s self-inflated opinion with regards his position. Obviously. Joining people on a beano, paid for or otherwise, to watch a football match abroad is not in the same league, let alone division, as what Joe Grech did in this case.
I wish YOU’D been on the boat that was forced back, and missed, say, an important job interview or appointment due to Grech’s sheer arrogance. Then, I think, you would be drawing rather different comparisons.
Not only should he be made to resign, but he should also foot the bill for any fuel costs incurred by Gozo Channel because of his abuse.
It is disappointing to see that the Chairman did not publicly apologise but did so through a ministry statement.
And if the operations manager, Mr. George Borg, did not know of this, he should be sacked as it makes him an incompetent.
If however he did know, it follows that he and was being extremly flexible with the truth. Either way, his position is untenable.
I don’t agree with the words peasant and “hamallagni”.
There are peasants and “hamalli” who are not arrogant.
This is a typical case of arrogance and superiority.
[Daphne – They are figures of speech and they are accurately used in this context.]
So true. The minute someone like this obtains some power they develop the God complex. I can’t understand Minister Fenech’s logic though. If he finds the actions unacceptable why doesn’t he sack him?
Gozo Channel is in the business of transporting people. It cannot throw its Chairman overboard…figuratively speaking, of course…
Well, Ciccio, seeing as it’s their business – he should be transported to Australia for his misdemeanor . . . . figuratively speaking, of course.
John, is that a punishment or a reward? I hear Australia is a beautiful continent.
It is a punishment. It might be a beautiful continent – but just consider the torture of having to endure that awful accent day in day out for the rest of your life.
You can be sure that the only reason he apologised was because the ministry put pressure on him to do so.
He probably hasn’t got a clue what all this fuss is about and why on earth he should apologise. It is his boat and his company after all. He is doing the passengers a great favour taking them all the way from Gozo to Malta on his boat so what are they complaining about.
Unbelievable – he should not even be given the opportunity to resign but should be kicked out right away.
But why should he resign ? When his boss accepted a free flight to a Chamions League match by a leading businessman ? Shouldn’t it start from the top ?
Months of hard work on the 2012 budget have just gone up in smoke. Thanks a bunch, Mr Chairman. If you want to know how PN struggles to win elections in spite of its excellent policies, look no further.
‘Baxxter’, should you think that such an episode should tarnish the ‘months of hard work on the 2012 budget’ you really cannot see the wood for the trees.
It’s not I who’s seeing it, but the electorate. When they say “l-arroganza tal-PN” they actually mean the sum of many small incidents of this kind. I bet you that by tomorrow morning this story will have displaced the budget from the front pages and we’ll have another saga on our hands.
Were it not so, how would you explain the touch-and-go electoral results, with PN winning by a hair’s breadth when it should be winning by a landslide?
I see the wood, the trees, and the whole goddamn forest. If you want to level that accusation at anyone, addess yourself to PN strategists, who seem to have their heads up their arses when they should know that many a brilliant general’s plan has been undone by incompetent lieutenants and captains.
Well he did say sorry, didn’t he, poor man.
For crying out loud, if he doesn’t have the decency to resign, minister Tonio Fenech should kick him out immediately.
Such a twerp does not deserve to hold any office of authority.
Tonio Fenech will never sack or ask one of his board appointees to resign.
Grech is Gozitan. Fenech or anyone else has absolutely no say where Gozitans are concerned.
Whoever is the political “parrinu” of this bighead must be really cringing at the moment. Let’s hope he does the right thing.
Why be surprised?
All one has to do is to take a look (a proper look) around themselves to see how things are done in this country.
Those who have travelled (and I don’t mean those who go on package tours to fill their stomachs on low-grade Italian pasta dishesand undrinkable table wine in restaurants looking more like refectories, calling back home every evening to report in the “kemm hawn sabih” type of jargon) and who return to this rock with that sinking feeling of coming back to an over-glorified village with its backwards backwater mentality, will know exactly what I mean.
The way that people drive (and stop on the side on some main thoroughfare) is the first thing that makes one frown.
Maltese society is plagued by mediocrity and the very aptly coined expression ‘Minn wara l-muntanji’ says it all.
Whilst the government has introduced equal opportunities for all with free education, free healthcare and the lot, the masses insist on keeping themselves backwards for all the wrong reasons. And then we (and I don’t really mean WE) remain in perpetual awe whenever we visit any city north of Rome.
In too many respects this country has gone to the dogs despite all the assistance and persuasion to the contrary.
To those of you who live in some fantastic bubble that we are coming of age in any kind of sensible way, I’d hate to burst your bubble, but . . .
By eight o’clock tomorrow he should hand in his resignation and the minister should accept it.
If he does not resign he should be SACKED forthwith.
Intolerable behaviour that cannot go unpunished. The man has to go, no question about it.
Ma tarawx li lagħqi galoppin ta’ Giovanna se jirriżenja? Għaliex? Tgħid joħorguh kandidat?
And this sort of attitude is evident in some members of the police force and senior civil servants.
If it wasn’t another ”only in Malta” I’d hardly believe it happened. He should be ashamed of himself taking advantage of his position.
Bloody hell! So unbelievably banana republic(ish). Being Maltese can be so embarrassing at times.
It might be banana republic(ish) but these things happen in many countries.
Something similar happened to me in London when the flight to a European city was left waiting because some bighead had phoned that he was running late. Tutto il mondo e` paese.
If tutto il mondo were paese, I’d have a Swiss GDP per capita and a Swedish standard of living.
If possible… I find the fact that the chairman does not know the winter schedule of the company more damning than asking the ferry to return to collect him.
Someone seems to have got too big for their boots.
Just be a man and resign.
I mean, seriously, who on earth does he think he is, ordering the ferry to turn back, and for what, so that he wouldn’t be late for a meal at a hotel with his wife?
Being the chairman (of Gozo Channel) I would have assumed that he would know the winter timetable, and the the ferry leaves at 7.15pm instead of 7.30… hmmmm, not a very good chairman then is he?
Only a couple of days ago we had a director at MEPA, Mr. Piscopo who had secured a car allowance while making use of a government car, a privilege he is not entitled to.
Mr. Piscopo’s actions are now imitated by Mr Grech, Chairman of the Gozo Channel company, who’s acted like a god juggling with the prescribed order of things while we mortals have clear parameters set for us by the same government-appointed pantheon.
These occurrences of omnipotence are happening at an alarming frequency in this country, so much that they are confusing us mortals who always believed that power comes with responsibility and the humility to serve. There are two things I can discern from all this:
1. That there is no one at the helm of this country or he/she is totally ineffective (or has gone on indefinite holiday paid by taxpayers), orelse,
2. The example set by those in the upper echelons of power is so poor that their subordinates feel they can do the same, that is abuse of their power. However, these lesser gods fail to realise that they are much more vulnerable than immortal Ministers who have an umbrella of sycophants to cover their moves.
Whichever is the case, someone IS responsible. Can the responsible deity please come forward?
[Daphne – We are all responsible for our own actions, Farrugia. It was Grech who demanded that the ferry turn back, and so Grech must resign, failing which he should be removed. You seem to have a very authoritarian mindset. I suspect you come from a Mintoffian background?]
Under Labour such abuse would have been swept under the carpet.
[Daphne – Bit difficult, given the many witnesses.]
I would have said that under Labour such abuse would have been encouraged.
Such abuse………… mela taht il-Labour kien hawn xi abuse?
We have a a tenet in my company which is kind of a mantra during meetings and reviews of operations.
“The lowest standard you maintain, is the highest standard you can expect your personnel to achieve”
Point made.
I have an authoritarian mindset? From where do you get these ideas? What I have written above shows the opposite, that is the omnipotent powers given to some people who are not capable of serving the public.
It is your verdict that Mr Grech ‘must resign’ that sounds very authoritarian to me.
As for having a Mintoffian background, I wonder what that would be about?
[Daphne – All that talk about responsible deities and one person being responsible for everything.]
So by analogy you are saying that Mr Hitler was not responsible for the millions that died in Europe some 70 years ago, or that was Mao Tse Tung was not responsible for the deaths of millions of Chinese? Most people would not agree with you.
[Daphne – God, how exhausting. I am saying nothing of the sort. Mao’s policies were Mao’s policies. The Gozo Channel chairman’s decisions are his decisions.]
Power comes with responsibility. Then, there are those who were given power on others, and therefore are as culpable for the actions of their subordinates, who may include Dr Grech or Ing Piscopo (Dr Grech is even more culpable, if, as I hear, he is a lawyer and should know what is permissible or not in society).
Although each one of us is responsible for his/her actions, there is also a person who was given responsibility to oversee and rule the country, who is ultimately accountable.
[Daphne – I see that you are not yet accustomed to life in a democracy, hence the comparison between Mao’s responsibility and the responsibility of a government minister/chairman in a democratic society. Prime ministers do not ‘rule the country’. ]
If not, for what do they get such inflated salaries, privileges and free creature comforts? Or have they truly become deities, who by nature are immortal and beyond reproach no matter how many blunders or suffering they inflict on others? Austin Gatt springs to mind.
[Daphne – What childish reasoning. Inflated salaries? And you say this just after talking about levels of responsibility? Why do you think a surgeon is paid 20,000 euros for a complicated operation when it takes ‘just six hours’. Using your reasoning, he’s paid 20,000 euros for six hours work.]
He should go. Not the minster – as I expect the PL to fault this on the minister. Reminds me of the eye specialist – the smaller the land the smaller the mind and the bigger the ego.
How can you judge people without geting your facts right. 1.he was not with his family 2. If you know Dr. Grech he is neither a peasent nor a hamalu but the total opposite, unlike some of the high society kids he worked his socks to acedemically achieve more than what you achieved in your life time! This story has been pumped up out of epic proportions but then again I expect it from you. I pledge my full support to Dr. Grech
That makes two of you then.
‘pumped up out of epic proportions’ oh really! The story ‘pumped’ itself up without the need of external forces.
Dr Grech is just an arrogant big-headed man whose power got to his head and thinks he is above the law and other minions.
Poor misguided soul. As it seems you may, possibly, know Grech personally (or just wish you knew him, or moved in his circles maybe), it’s best not to comment at all, Warren.
Especially when he’s acted so inappropriately, appearing to have abused, seriously, of the position entrusted to him.
Laghqi
You see this is the problem in this country, arrogant people like this guy are always associated with the government in power when they perform a ridiculously selfish and ignorant show of power.
He has to go. The government must show that it can not tolerate this kind of self-centred behaviour.
It has also shown that the top man in this company (Gozo Channel) has no respect for the paying customer as he put himself and his interests above all.
This kind of behaviour will reflect in all this man’s decisions. He MUST resign.
Agreed.
The chairman embodies the culture of a company. He has to go.
Actually he embodies the culture of Gozo Channel very well: L-Ghawdxin specjali.
@warren
His academic acheivements do not seem to have taught the man anything. Being with his family or not makes no difference: he did the wrong thing and he should resign.
Make him walk the plank.
To me, it seems that the Minister threw him the life-jacket and wiped him dry.
Make them walk the plank.
So Warren, are you suggesting that Grech was not in the wrong? FFS, he ordered the ferry to turn back! It’s ludicrous.
Gozo Channel supposedly runs on a timetable, and I’m sorry , but if the chairman does not even know that timetable, then what does this tell you?
Hamallu or not, what he did was not something that I would expect from someone in his position.
There is no need for the likes of certain individuals to tarnish the government with the same brush as Grech.
What happened is the act of ONE individual, who I may add has a HUGE ego (and small mind) to do what he did.
He should resign. Full Stop.
I dread to think of him being the chairman of Air Malta… just picture the scene, a plane returning back to pick him up, as he didn’t know the time. Shame on him!
Still waiting for a reaction about the magistrate’s car being used to deliver toys. Is that not a scandal? But yes, Dr Grech must consider his position and resign.
So in the morning we see a shining example of a prime minister who goes to great lenghts to help the less fortunate, the needy and the sick while a chairman decides to turn back the whole bloody ferry for his own selfish needs.
This government has been undone by many chairmen over the last few years, people who earn much more than a minister and usually embarrass the same minister who appointed them in the first place.
One hopes that we will start referring to Mr Fenech as the ex-Gozo Channel chairman from tomorrow morning.
We have his apology and now we expect his departure in a real hurry.
The Prime Minister is sailing the Malta boat with great courage and in the right direction while the Gozo Channel chairman opts to make a U-turn and ask the boat to return pier side. Does he pay the ferry fuel from his own fat pockets or what?
This story reminds me of magistrate Mizzi and the delivery of toys.
Are we going to see another resignation?
Oh please Warren, how can you even contemplate justifying Dr. Grech’ s actions?
It’s ridiculous to even contemplate ordering the captain to turn the ferry back to collect Dr. Grech and his family when it wasn’ t even an emergency.
How disrespectful to the commuters on board and mere mortals who have to wait for the next ferry should they be so remiss not to verify the time of departure beforehand. And this, from the company’s chairman!
[Daphne – Annoyance to commuters is just part of it. The rest is: waste of company time and resources, incurring costs, impinging on efficiency and damaging the company’s reputation.]
Veru gemel, man.
Not only he, but whoever appointed him chairman should resign to make amends for a very gross error of judgment.
Between him and Franco Mercieca they will have Gozo Channel on private charter.
Despicable peasants, the lot.
Joe Grech should be apologising personally and not through the Ministry and he should not be just apologising, he should be resigning…
I wonder if some people were to be an “Assad ” or a “Gaddafi ” they would act worse than them ! As soon as one gives them a tiny bit of power they honestly believe they are kings and so so important .
The chairman must resign. This man exercised bad judgement and abused his authority. Consequently, he is not fit for the job.
Gozo Channel Co is not his. It belongs to the state. Tonio Fenech must make this clear to him. This sort of stupidity is associated with Labour politicians and the Nationalists should never stand for it.
Typical political appointed managment! One question, does he knows what is the difference between poppa and pruwa of the ship?
[Daphne – You don’t know much yourself if you don’t even know what they’re called in English. Gejja bil-poppa u pruwa. PROW (OR BOW) AND STERN.]
The most honourable thing for the chairman and that idiot spokesman of his, to do is to resign or get kicked out of Gozo Channel. We cannot have arrogance dominating our public corporations.
Imma dawn l-affarijiet kif Malta biss jigru? tal-biki
Correct me if I am wrong – but isn’t the vessel the Captain’s responsibility? Couldn’t the Captain refuse?
[Daphne – No, not unless there was risk to life, limb and the vessel itself. Captains are subject to superior orders, except in those circumstances.]
Times of Malta:
Monday, November 21, 2011, 15:29
—————————————————
Gozo Channel chairman resigns.
Joseph Grech, chairman of Gozo Channel, resigned this afternoon, bowing to the inevitable after an outcry which followed a report in The Sunday Times yesterday that he had ordered a ferry to return to pick him up at Mgarr Harbour.