The missionary position
The President of Malta has announced that he will be leading a team of volunteers to carry out “missionary work” in Peru in July. Is this appropriate? I think not.
George Abela is the head of state. He is not George Abela. When his term is up as head of state, and it’s not long now, he will be free to do whatever he pleases in the way of missionary or any other work.
Surely this can wait. If it can’t wait, then the president lays himself open to the accusation that he is using his position to drum up publicity for this project. That is totally inappropriate.
He has long dreamed of doing something like this, he told a press conference. Well, he hasn’t been installed at San Anton Palace to make it easier to fulfil his dreams. And I was appalled to see that he is using Community Chest Fund monies to make it even easier, by offering to subsidise the flights to Peru of Maltese people who can’t afford to pay for them themselves.
If they can’t afford to buy a ticket to Peru, they shouldn’t go. The homegrown pressure on that Community Chest is such that the president really shouldn’t be disbursing funds for jaunts to Peru for individuals who wish to work out some Edina Monsoon fixation (“It was such a lovely experience! All those poor, poor people! They have nothing and they’re so happy! Blah blah blah).
Charity work is fine for the head of state, but then only when restricted to home turf. This is because, when he ventures outside Malta, he does so as the head of state. Malta’s head of state – any country’s head of state, really – should not be entering other states to perform charity work.
The fact that he calls it ‘missionary work’, rather than charity work – even though, strictly speaking, it’s charity work that involves working on practical projects – makes the situation worse. Missions are by their very nature religious. Most definitely, Malta’s head of state, or any other head of state, should not be performing religious-affiliated work elsewhere.
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Well written!
Not to mention security issues.
I suppose ‘Tista’ Tkun Int’.
“Trid tkun Laburist” would be more like it.
Sentiero Luminoso are still active in Peru though their activities are suppressed because of the tourist industry.
If he wants to go, I say god speed. This will hopefully spare us his rants about festi, il-familja and the loss of our Christian identity. For such small mercies, we ought to be grateful.
I heard about this on TVM’s news bulletin some days ago and I couldn’t believe my ears.
His Excellency will be embarrassing himself and all Maltese citizens on taxpayers’ time and money.
Don’t we have any idea about protocol?
I had just read the blog post and rushed with my comments. Now I have also read the write up AND watched a video clip on tom.com.
That Rachel woman doesn’t seem to miss much, does she?
Doesn’t His Excellency have an ADC or whatever for situations like this?
The perception of charity on this island is a very warped one.
What I meant was that people in Malta usually tend to give to charity only if there’s something in it for themselves, such as self-publicity, etc. (Those who appear on L-Istriina with oversized cheques come to mind.)
I believe in doing and giving when and where I wish, without feeling the need for anyone else to know.
Odd, isn’t it? They’re planning to use Community Chest Funds to provide employment to the unemployed here by paying for them to go to Peru.
Why doesn’t the mission in Peru engage workers in Arequipa? I don’t imagine there’s full employment in any area that needs bathrooms to be installed by the president of an island on the other side of the world.
A bit like climbing up a mountain in Tanzania to raise funds for a school in Kenya.
It’s exactly what I thought when I read the article in The Times.
Kenneth Waine was right all along about the Community Chest Fund.
Will he be donating his salary earned (on taxpayers’ money) during the time he’s on this missionary trip? It is indeed inappropriate that he’s paid to do the Fr George thing in Peru.
Charity begins at home, and Malta is our home.
[Daphne – I don’t agree at all. That’s not why the head of state should stick to charity work at home. It’s because a head of state can’t patronise another state by hand-building lavatories for its people. George Abela can do whatever he wants. The President of Malta can’t.]
That’s it! “Patronising”. As I was reading the news article, that is exactly what I thought. How patronising.
If Napolitano had to come to Malta to carry out missionary work (or charity work or voluntary work or whatever) I would feel deeply offended as a Maltese citizen.
But don’t these people think?
Lomax, you are very right. I hope that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will advise the President on legalities and niceties when a head of state visits another country, even if it is a private visit.
What I mean is that when we donate to the Community Chest Fund, it should be used for Maltese, and when we donate for missionary work it should be used as such.
Even so, what was the purpose of setting up the ‘Community Chest Fund’?
Which ‘community’ was it intended to help? Indeed George Abela the private citizen can do what he likes, with his own time and money, but George Abela the ‘President’ should respect his office and not transform it into some sort of a trench diggers’ club.
I have nothing against helping the unfortunate and the poor, but for our President to start thinking ‘makku’ style is totally unacceptable. He should not be mixing his charitable traits with his duties as Head of State.
Veru kas ta ‘z-zejt jitla f’wicc l-ilma’ and what we see is ugly and the smell reeks of political involvement which his predecessors avoided at all costs.
Leave it to some Laburist to screw things up! This must be a first Presidential faux pas of the first degree.
“He has long dreamed of doing something like this,”
Correction, though I don’t know which version is worst:
“Dr Abela said that SINCE HIS FIRST DAY AS PRESIDENT, he had always dreamt of carrying out missionary work in a poor country.” ( http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120413/local/president-to-carry-out-missionary-work-in-arequipa-peru.415312 )
The ghost of Agatha Barbara might have inspired him.
Just goes to prove that bih u minghajru xorta. In football grounds they’d be singing, “What a waste of money”.
It looks like the President has fallen into a trap and is being used as a publicity stunt.
If he really wanted to go and help in Peru, which we all agree is very commendable, he should have waited until the end of his term of office.
While we Maltese are renowned for helping, I doubt if it is, shall I say ethical, for money collected with the specific intention of helping Maltese good causes to be used in this way.
The only ones to reap the real benifit out of all this will be Rocs group. It’s a shrewd way of advertising.
You can criticise ROCS all you like, I’m sure Rachel can take it on the chin.
You are completly wrong. I am critising no one. I am just expressing my opinion. As a of matter of fact I admire and respect the President so much that I do not feel that he should allow a commercial company, whichever one, to use his position to help in advertising it.
Nasty!
Even from the limited presidential budget he abused his position by employing a lady for his PR, and bought over her failed production studio. So today the president’s office has an under-utilised production studio.
Insomma, Lejburist ta’ Veru.
Condivido !
I urge everyone to look at these pics – doesn’t seem too bad a place to do missionary work.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotos-g294313-w6-Arequipa.html#24200209
Seems not too many starving children around. How can I get a free ticket to do some ‘missionary’ work?
Pictures of Princess Diana hugging the landmine victims come to mind. Perhaps our president is trying to emulate her.
Daphne, I disagree with you on this one.
I am no fan of George Abela but I think it is a good idea. There are many people who go abroad to do charity work. Very often they discover that they receive more than they actually give.
With this initiative, the President will encourage more people to go abroad to do charity work. There may be people who never considered doing charity work overseas but with the President’s initiative they may now consider it.
The initiative is also recognition of those who dedicate their lives to do missionary work overseas.
We are a nation of moaners with a propensity to complain about anything and everything. People who spend time in a different social reality, whether by means of doing charity work or otherwise, will have a broader outlook of life and hopefully refrain from complaining at every triviality.
Aren’t there more deserving Maltese causes who would benefit from Strina money donated to the CCF?
What happens if there is a serious attempt on him, as president of the Republic of Malta, when he is in Peru?
If he wants to do charity work or missionary work, why cant he wait until he retires as President of the Republic of Malta?
Does he not think it undignified that his missionary work is seen to be too intertwined with the interests of certain commercial companies?
Hasn’t he realised that the average Maltese cringes every time he hogs the media headlines with yet another attention- seeking stunt?
For heavens sake! Can’t you see the benefit, in this insular country of ours, of having the Head of State doing something like this? Most people had never heard of Arequipa before this became news! Even for that alone, this should be applauded!
When I first saw this news item, I didn’t realise that he would be making use of Community Chest fund money. I just thought it was odd that a head of state would do something like that.
When I realised that he would be using funds from the Community Chest fund for this fool’s errand I was outraged. George Abela as a person has every right to go perform missionary work wherever he wants to, as long as he does it as George Abela and not as the President of Malta, but he has NO RIGHT WHATSOEVER to take money meant to help people in need in MALTA to fulfill his dream.
I must admit that this is the most useless president that this country has ever had the misfortune to find itself encumbered with. He is prone to gaffes, shoots his mouth off in public without thinking of the consequences, and can hardly put a couple of words in English together and make sense doing so. I remember his speech during the pope’s visit for example, and the delivery was positively embarrassing – not to mention the content.
In which – as head of state, mind you – he lamented the separation of church and state. I couldn’t believe my ears.
I hope that the PM has a quiet word with him on his duties as Head of State and that swanning off to Peru to perform “missionary work” whilst seemingly promoting a private business and using funds collected by the presidents charity to subsidise trips is just not the done thing.
Has he lost his marbles? The past scandal involving the media company and the shabby treatment of a senior civil servant is still fresh in a lot of peoples minds.
Everybody is entitled to a break, especially a fully-paid break.
I personally see little wrong in having a president who volunteers for missionary work. I think President Abela is trying to change the idea of the president. He’s been trying to do things differently from the very beginning. He takes part in the President’s Fun Run, for example.
The only thing that I question is why does he have to go to Peru? It’s a bit controversial. As a president of Malta, I would have volunteered for missionary work in Malta.
Skond In-Nazzjon Taghna, iL-Maggur Mark Mallia diga zar il-post fil-Peru biex jahdem fuq il-logostika. Jista xi hadd jghidilna min hallas ghal din il-mawra tal-Maggur Mallia fil-Peru?
I want to crawl under a rock and hide. While I fork out thousands of euros to give my son the therapy he needs, because our income exceeds by just ten euros a year the cut-off point to be eligible for help by the Community Chest Fund, the president seems comfortable paying for a holiday for all these ‘volunteers’.
‘opportunists’ in other words
“If they can’t afford to buy a ticket to Peru, they shouldn’t go.”
According to The Times –
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120414/local/-It-s-not-a-vacation-.415363
This is one of the Malta Community Chest Fund’s projects. Sponsored by Rocs, volunteers will be expected to pay €1,500 to cover the flights, accommodation, food and transport. Those aged between 18 and 30 and who do not work full-time will pay a subsidised rate of €750.
The President pointed out that all those on the team – including himself – would be paying for the trip, which, he added, was not some vacation.
No further comment –