‘Franco, my father has just had a heart attack’ ‘Stenna, ha nghidlek kemm batejt.’
Published:
March 13, 2012 at 9:25am
My colleague at The Malta Independent, Stephen Calleja, writing last Sunday on the subject of Franco Debono:
While talking to him, I remembered another incident when, during a telephone conversation a few days before Christmas 2010, I kept telling him that I needed to rush to hospital as my father had suffered a heart-attack, but he was oblivious to what I was telling him as he kept blabbering on for a good 20 minutes. At the time of that phone call, I kept thinking to myself – “is this guy listening to what I’m saying?” But he wasn’t. Maybe I should not have been polite at the time, and I should have hung up and switched off the phone.
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Read the full article here:
http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=141062
Mr Calleja might have ended his article quoting Guze’ Diacono’s L-Ewwel Jien.
The punchline would have been stronger.
Brilliant. Made me smile :)
I simply can’t understand how you journalists did not see through this guy immediately, and slashed his arrogance, psychological ineptitude straight away!
Meeting him once would have been enough …. observing a constant pattern for months would have been superfluous.
Because his behaviour is perfectly average in Malta. In the legal profession, it’s even mandatory. And it gets you places.
Franco wasn’t spotted earlier because of the poor quality of journalism in Malta. Many Maltese have this serf mentality to anyone in high positions. Who is going to question an MP?
The only time I have heard anyone try to ask a tough question (apart from DCG of course) was The Times journalist when Liam Fox (ex Brit foreign minister) was leaving a meeting with Gonzi. Even then his voice cracked like a school boy and was said from about 6 feet away.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20111007/local/british-defence-minister-orders-probe-into-friend-s-role.388151
And don’t get me started on the ‘in your country’ comment.
Now he’s posting status comments on Facebook quoting — wait for it — himself.
“No one is greater than the party but no party is greater than the People – Franco Debono”
Sounds like Mao Tse Tung, unless he’s into clubbing now as well.
We need a T-shirt. NOW. In gold lettering on a black background. That’s one chick-mesmerising quote he’s got there.
What a good article by Stephen Calleja! Above all the sense of humour. It’s so lacking from Maltese journalism.
What I find most incredible in all this, is not so much that FD’s psyche is what it is. What is astounding is the fact that until such time as these traits did not create any hurdles for the PN government’s continued existence, all was fine and excuseable.
This is akin to another fact: another PN MP having a drinking problem. Can we imagine you Daphne writing anything about this and how unacceptable it is to have such an MP representing the people in the country’s highest institution? Of course not.
Obviously, it would all change if that same person were to adopt a similar position to that of FD. Then all hell would break loose and good luck to anyone trying to stop you from spewing your venom on him.
The hypocrisy that permeates your thinking leaves me speechless.
[Daphne – I knew a Labour prime minister who had a drinking problem, Mandango. And a wig. I didn’t see anyone questioning that, either…except me, of course.]
Which goes to prove what I just said. If it suits PN, then its questioned (at least by your own admission, by yourself), but if its a PN MP, unless he rams metal bars in the proverbial wheels of the PN government, the drinking problem need not be questioned, not even by your “good”self.
[Daphne – I wouldn’t bother about any MP who’s a drunk, Mandango, unless he’s creating chaos in parliament/the country. MPs in any situation other than that are answerable to their constituents. Prime ministers and potential prime ministers are a different matter. No doubt the Labour Party has its drunks (and worse). But I can’t see them causing any trouble. Can you? Franco had psychological issues right from the start, but until those issues began to obstruct the course of normal business, nobody cared.]
If it’s the same Mandango, we still need to be told how (s)he got to know the colour of Joseph’s pubic hair.
Interesting how Mandango mentions the drinking problem, could it be the familiarity due a precedent role?
Then there’s the timing of the latest comments.
Meanwhile on Facebook:
Jacques Rene Zammit:
Awguri Franco Debono. Here’s a zen thought for your birthday: “Do not speak – unless it improves on silence.” (Buddhist saying).
Franco Debono:
Hi jacques :) thanks. maltese saying : on certain important topics it’s almost useless to speak because the silence is deafening :P
Franco holds a ‘chatting with the popolin’ session on Facebook. You know you’ve hit rock bottom when you’re arguing with people on Facebook. Apparently Franco doesn’t.
http://www.facebook.com/whewittmalta/posts/403240579702204
[Daphne – Next time please email me a screen-shot at dcg@proximuspr.com and I’ll upload it, as somebody else has just done. Franco’s wall is open only to his 4,998 friends and that will exclude many people on this blog, including me.]
“Maybe I should not have been polite at the time, and I should have hung up and switched off the phone.”
Stephen Calleja has forgotten that Franco’s phone ‘makes magics’. It can probably get through to you when yours is off.
Even if he switched off the phone, chances are it would still ring …