Ah, I see it’s time for a bit of lanzit

Published: May 1, 2012 at 6:00pm

The Times has published the mandatory declaration of assets by ministers and parliamentary secretaries, and the comments beneath the story are absolutely hilarious.

Or sad – whichever way you look at it.

One man, whose comment I am showing here, sceptically talks about the prime minister’s ‘declared’ income – you know, because the prime minister can under-declare his official salary, which is a state secret – and wonders sarcastically whether he’s expected to believe that the prime minister earns less than the Enemalta and MEPA bosses.

Errrr, yes, Mr Attard, that is in fact the point. But I imagine you were so carried away by the tempo and general sense of outrage pumped up by Joseph Muscat and his troupe about the ‘zieda’ that you forgot to examine the numbers.




36 Comments Comment

  1. Likki says:

    Labour never denied the re-introduction of the “zieda fahxija” when returned to power. They simply denounced the way it was introduced. Ahhhh Joseph lecturing on good governance on Super 1, giving the obvious impression that Labour will renounce the increase. So much on transparency and Stil Gdid!

  2. Antoniette says:

    Hilarious! I just cannot believe these people. Do they ever make use of the little bit of grey matter they must have somewhere in their brains?!

  3. Canon says:

    I also expect that the salary of Joseph Muscat as Prime Minister would be something like that, if not less.

  4. ta' sapienza says:

    Sadattant il €5000 fix xahar li kienu qeghdin ihallsu lil Cushcieri ma tawhx f’sormu.

  5. Sowerberry says:

    After brief leave of absence, Charles J Buttigieg – unedifying protagonist of one of your recent blogs – has meekly started commenting again, choosing this news item in The Times for his return.

  6. Peter Mallia says:

    Deducting 35% tax, the Prime Minister takes home 3,683 euros a month. A 21-year-old Maltese translator in Luxembourg or Brussels takes home circa 5,000 euro a month.

    • Anthony says:

      An Italian MP takes home 16000 euros per month plus several other thousands in perks.

      Malta’s PM takes home what an ‘usciere’ at the Palazzo di Montecitorio does.

      • Qeghdin Sew says:

        The article specified that their average income was €64,000. I’d say that’s triple the average Maltese salary.

        Yes, you’ll earn much more in banking / senior management roles, but how representative of the population is that?

        Besides, we can keep comparing ministers to senior managers as much as we like in terms of their designated role, but certainly not in terms of experience and proven competence. How is a minister responsible for a grave oversight (that led to EU funds being suspended) deserving of a high salary due to ‘hard work’?

        A senior manager can very easily be chucked out if s/he’s not performing. Unfortunately we’re stuck with a minister for at least 5 years before they’re given the boot (for the sake of stability in Parliament and what have you). And even then, the foolish electorate will re-elect the clueless poor performers.

    • GD says:

      People like plumbers, plasterers and electricians earn a hell of a lot more than the prime minister.

      • Qeghdin Sew says:

        But do they have the same leverage? Do they have the same influence? Are their contacts as resourceful?

      • Sowerberry says:

        Off course they have the same leverage. Ever need a plumber on a weekend?

    • Neil Dent says:

      Peter – the 35% tax rate, assuming the FSS ‘joint’ tax bands are applied, are only charged on the portion of the salary over the €28,700 mark, with lower rates charged further down the scale, with no tax charged on the first €11,900.

      In fact a €68,000 would incur €17,025 in tax, for a net €50,975 – or €4,248 monthly. Naturally the maximum rate ‘bolla’ has to also be deducted from that.

      However – you still make a very valid point. This is the Prime Minister we’re talking about here.

  7. Frankie Narcono says:

    Maybe this fool thinks that the Prim Minister is doing a spot of private work in his free time.

  8. Lilla says:

    Jgħidlu ‘Bongu Malta’. Idiot.

  9. maryanne says:

    Daphne, hope you are watching this evening’s news.

    Jason Micallef min hu?

    And these people have a vote.

    • Jozef says:

      The scenes were vintage Labour, as was the official statement issued by the party:

      ‘It was GonziPn’s fault if journalists risked a lynching, they shouldn’t have been there’

      That’s all your fans need to hear Joseph, can we go into Valletta now, or is it still off limits?

      And will you please tell Yana not to drape herself in the party flag while slurping a granita? She looked like a Welsh tourist dragged from the hotel pool.

      • Dee says:

        I gave the news a miss as I do not need any further reminders of why not to vote for Joseph’s Labour party in the coming general; elections.

  10. TinaB says:

    When I remember that these people have a vote I seriously feel like crying.

    Joseph Camilleri

    Today, 18:09

    Cannot wait for Labour and Joseph Muscat to be leader of this country!!! As he is promising, i’m sure that we will start paying less then 1 Euro per litre for both Diesel and Petrol, bringing the good old days back.

    GONZIPN sejjah elezzjoni please ghax bik dejjem joghola, u b’Joseph Muscat se jorhos bil KBIR… so please, WARRAB ASAP!

    http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120501/local/fuel-price-revisions-diesel-kerosene-up-1c-petrol-down-1c.417879

    Joseph Camilleri actually believes that once Joseph Muscat becomes Prime Minister he is going to be able buy fuel at a much cheaper price. He wants the “good old days” back – I am sure that by “good old days” he means the late seventies – early eighties.

    X’injoranza ta’ nies.

    Veru tal-biki.

    • Antoine Vella says:

      Joseph Camilleri was being sarcastic.

      • TinaB says:

        Oh. Was he?

        Thank you, Antoine.

        My apologies to Mr Camilleri, then – I guess that my fear of a PL government in the near future is making me paranoid.

  11. Matt says:

    The ministers work hard and long hours and yet they are underpaid. Their salaries are not proportional to their responsibilities.

    Malta is full of people with savings accounts greater than the ministers. It shows these ministers are in government to help all Maltese. These ministers can leave the government and in the private sector can make some decent money.

    • Qeghdin Sew says:

      Your reasoning is so flawed I don’t even know where to begin. Besides, in a culture where the “taħt il-maduma” mentality is very much predominant, you’d expect people to know better than to equate a person’s bank savings with their real wealth.

  12. Steve Forster says:

    Lots of professionals outside of Malta earn more….It’s called free market economy…..Read and be amazed.

    Stephen Forster

    Pointe Noire, Repubic of Congo
    Maltese HSE Engineer for ENI SpA via London

    Study/work hard/ make a dfference to the company et voila

  13. Karl Flores says:

    Even in Malta employees in high posts earn as much or more than the Prime Minister.

    • Qeghdin Sew says:

      The salary is just one component of any worker’s remuneration. You’d have to look at the whole package and consider the contacts you make while on the job and perks (car, pension, opportunity to travel etc.)

  14. Dads Army says:

    I would not want the prime minister’s job with the reponsabilities that come with it anyway, not even for ten times what he gets now.
    So why should I, or anyone grudge him what he earns now?

  15. Botom says:

    Joe Muscat and his Party are so obsessed with being elected to power that they are promising everything to everybody.

    Once elected they will be unable to deliver the goods and will end up disappointing everybody. The same thing happened in the 1996 election when Alfred Sant was elected. It’s amazing why we need a repetition to learn the lesson.

    • Anthony Briffa says:

      But the disappointed ones, and there will be large number, will have nothing to do but lump it, and hope to manage to talk to some PL god through the help of some driver or messenger.

  16. denis says:

    Perhaps Joseph is planning on getting fuel from North Korea.

  17. Etil says:

    Who said Lavour changed ? They will never change whilst the old-timers are still there, and the diehard labour parents and grandparents of labour are still alive. They still give the impression that the world owes them something, that they can have good wages/salaries without qualifications or any efforts from their side to improve their lot.

    Maybe, maybe, another generation that is more educated (and I do not mean only good manners but good schooling) will have a change of attitude and be able to decide clearly on who is really the best option for governing Malta seeing that the prospect of a third party seems to be out of the question.

  18. Etil says:

    The Times is practically day in day out finding some fault with government. What is their agenda ? Are they hoping that if Labour will be in government they will be safe ? The Times has poor journalism and seems to be making do with inexperienced journalists but then I suppose it is the Editor who finally decides on the policy.

    • Anthony says:

      The Times insurers must have warned them that unless they toe the PL line they will not cover them against arson.

      Once bitten, twice shy.

  19. Michelle Pirotta says:

    Even a bank branch manager earns more than the PM.

  20. silvio says:

    I sincerly hope that this miserable salary,does not give credence to the old saying:

    ” Pay peanuts and you get monkeys”

  21. JoeM says:

    Could it be that you might have misunderstood the guy?

    Might his statement be interpreted to mean that no other civil servant, regardless on which board he heads or position he holds, should earn a salary bigger than the Prime Minister?

    Might he be saying that this fact is unfair on the Prime Minister, and that he deserves being paid a higher salary?

    I didn’t check Mr Leo Attard’s posting history, which means that I might be completely wrong in my assessment. But I’m just trying to be objective and give him the benefit of the doubt.

  22. J Abela says:

    What nonsense! A Maltese prime-minister earns less than the heads of Enemalta and Mepa?

    I mean, I would understand how some private citizens might be earning more money than the pm or even the president, but I can’t understand how two publicly appointed officials are earning more than the PM! Only in Malta!

    [Daphne – You can’t understand? Where were you when the Labour Party was busy instigating the population about the ‘zieda li ha l-prim?’ The prime minister is NOT ALLOWED to earn more than the chairmen and CEOs of state boards.]

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