GUEST POST: “Few are surprised by what has happened with John Dalli”
The writer is an observer of EU affairs.
Unfortunately, few Maltese peopleare particularly surprised by what has happened with John Dalli – which, in a way, speaks volumes.
The College of Commissioners, like a national cabinet, is a clannish affair. Its members usually stick together through thick and thin. A press release like yesterday’s shows that whatever the truth of the matter, the Commission is pretty certain that there has been wrongdoing.
That press release could have been worded very differently. It might have regretfully noted, for example, the Commissioner’s noble decision to resign in order to allow him the necessary space to clear his name. Instead it took care to mention that ‘OLAF did consider that he was aware of these events’. Put simply, the College of Commissioners hung John Dalli out to dry. This can mean only one thing: they have good reason to do so.
Now the ex-EU Commissioner is engaged in a pitiable and undignified fight to “clear his name”. One might be tempted to ask, cynically, what name?
He’s entitled to try to do so, of course, but this is not the way to do it. Saying that Jose Manuel Barroso asked him to resign, for example, is a mistake if he wishes to be convincing. First, this is one way of saying that he did not do so voluntarily, and secondly, it demonstrates that Dalli is not on the same socio-cultural level.
He does not understand that Barroso asked him to resign so as to leave Dalli with at least that bare modicum of dignity. It was clearly a case of resign or be fired.
But like a cornered, snarling rat, Dalli would rather rob himself of even that little comfort if it gives him the chance to put his former President, Barroso, in what he thinks is a bad light. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face. Talk about just not getting it. Talk about proving right those who said he should never have been made EU Commissioner because he isn’t fit or suitable, corruption or no corruption.
Dalli’s use of a fourth-rate ‘newspaper’ like New Europe in which to do it (this internet news medium rivals the Labour Party’s Matlasatr for editorial rigour), together with countless comments to camera, is also undignified and beneath the stature of an ex-Commissioner.
How should he have done it? He should have made one weighty and carefully considered statement, released in the correct manner to all media (rather than through one very minor outlet), or to one major international press agency, preferably by his lawyers.
This statement should have categorically stated his innocence, looked forward to his day in court, and made clear both his will to fight the allegations and the fact that he had resigned only to ensure that the European Commission, and the Prime Minister who nominated him, are in no way embarrassed by this incident.
As for that last bit, perhaps it too much to expect from a man who has made it his mission, over the last few years, to embarrass the prime minister at every given (or taken) opportunity.
The upshot of all this is that the European Commission is a loser. At a time when it is fighting to keep the European idea afloat, John Dalli’s failure to behave correctly gives ammunition to all the cynics who say the Commission has not changed from earlier, less careful times. But the European Commission will survive. It is too big to sustain much lasting damage from this, and Barroso’s swift action will help in this regard.
The real loser is Malta. Dalli has let us all down in a major way.
How often do we have a Maltese person photographed on the front page of the Financial Times? Not bloody often, I can tell you, but we do today, and it’s not because he won a Nobel Prize.
If anybody had a vague idea of the Maltese as Mediterranean types who are probably a bit sleazy, maybe a bit like the stereotypical Greeks or Sicilians – well, try and tell them that we’re not like that today, that only some of us are, that even in a tiny island like Malta there are vast cultural differences.
This is the type of deep, pernicious damage that will take years to go away. “A Maltese – what do you expect?”
Pity the Maltese now working in Brussels, where everyone parades their knowledge about the affairs of the different member states. Every time they say where they come from, for the next few years, those to whom they speak are as likely as not to say ‘what about that John Dalli guy?’
Yes, what about him.
At least they might stop mentioning our 12-1 defeat to Spain in 1984.
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What a peasant.
Actually I disagree. Having studied OLAF’s press conference and the issues of this case, I think Dalli has been scapegoated.
Either an attempt to bribe which went wrong because the Commissioner did not respond favourably to the proposals of the snuff company/association, or an attempt to kill the proposals in order to be able to negotiate a new one, perhaps with a more receptive Commissioner.
The proof will be in whether the draft Directive about to circulate for inter-service consultation makes new provisions for snuff or not.
I find it hard to see exactly what Dalli did wrong. I am in no way trying to cast Dalli in a positive light. I am merely going by my understanding of the Brussels political scene. Of course there may be more evidence, but OLAF has been too vague. If Dalli truly wants to clear his name AND is innocent, it’s not difficult.
I also gave him the benefit of the doubt, for a while – while listening to Dalli absolving himself of any wrongdoing.
I also doubted the wording regarding his ‘voluntary resignation’ soon to be followed by a ‘forced resignation’ version.
Or that OLAF found ‘no evidence that Dalli was personally involved’, but followed by ‘ evidence showed that Dalli had two meetings with the Swedish company lobbyists’.
Now, allegedly, the allegations are turning into proven accusations.
As the story unfolds, it appears that hiring top lawyers paying them top euros for their services, will be a waste of time and money for him. He might as well hire Franco for much less money since shortly, the latter will have so much free time on his hands and business being so slow…
If OLAF are proved right that Dalli was aware of the situation, then Dalli is guilty by omission. An incident like this has to be reported.
I guess we will find out if the matter is taken to the courts and OLAF’s investigation is laid out for all to see.
“Either an attempt to bribe which went wrong because the Commissioner did not respond favourably to the proposals of the snuff company/association, or an attempt to kill the proposals in order to be able to negotiate a new one, perhaps with a more receptive Commissioner.“
Well said. My thoughts exactly.
Let`s not rush into making judgmental statements about the case before all the facts have come to light – and before John Dalli has had a decent chance to defend himself .
I hope the same mistake won`t be made as the first time round, when that sleazebag of a private detective – who made such serious allegations of corruption against John Dalli and ended up in jail for his rotten efforts it should never be forgotten- was initially and most unfortunately given credence.
John Dalli never quite got over this traumatic experience ( who would really?), though he went about expressing it through the wrong channels and in the wrong fora.
I do hope this will be a chance for the party to stand behind him in his attempt to clear his name and to prove his innocence – if that is the case, needless to say.
Perhaps then the healing will set in.
So, whoever wanted to ‘scapegoat’ John Dalli, thought, ‘well, let’s see who can do this?’
They picked a random name from all 27 electoral rolls of EU members put together and, wonder of wonders, Silvio Zammit’s (Dalli’s canvasser by Dalli’s own admission) name popped up!
And all this being purest of pure coincidence, you conclude that it’s all an attempt to scapegoat John Dalli.
The author of the piece above got it perfectly right.
He might have added that there’s another part of Malta, gullible Malta, that swallows conspiracy theories hook, line and sinker.
Gullible Malta wallows in the collective paranoia peddled by MaltaToday and is an avid follower of what Jesmond Mugliett, John Dalli and Jeffrey Pullicino-Orlando have been saying lately on Super 1.
There`s another part of Malta which absolutely detests JPO , Franco Debono and Jesmond Mugliette because of the huge amount of trouble they have created for the Prime Minister, Austin Gatt, Carm Mifsud Bonnici and Richard Cachia Caruana.
This same part of Malta absolutely refuses to give a shred of credence to MaltaToday, to Super One and even more so, to the ludicrous conspiracy theory shamelessly alleged by Joe Grima.
HOWEVER, this part of Malta is ready to believe that the case of John Dalli is a different matter ALTOGETHER (wrong though he may have been a hundred times over for being a `Father Confessor` to the three dastardly MPs above).
John Dalli was wrongfully accused once and the wound unfortunately has never healed.
This part of Malta believes that to immediately jump to conclusions once more will be so wrong as it could very well be that it is the Swedish corporation with its big financial interests which is the wrongdoer. And therefore, let all the facts of the case emerge first before passing judgement.
[Daphne – Sometimes, trying to reason with people is like pushing an elephant uphill. Look, whatever your name is, get this straight, because you just don’t seem to understand it. THIS IS NOT THE START OF THE INVESTIGATIONS. THIS IS THE CONCLUSION. WHAT WE HAVE JUST SEEN IS NOT THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF INVESTIGATIONS AGAINST JOHN DALLI. IT IS THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE CONCLUSIONS. IT’S OVER. HE’S BEEN THOROUGHLY INVESTIGATED SINCE LAST MAY, THE INVESTIGATIONS HAVE BEEN CONCLUDED AND HE HAS BEEN FOUND TO HAVE COMPROMISED THE INTEGRITY OF HIS OFFICE AND THAT OF THE COMMISSION. There is nothing more to add. It’s over, done, bye-bye. Your comparison to the other case in Malta DOES NOT HOLD. With that case, Dalli was asked to resign at the start of investigations. With this case, his resignation was demanded when the investigations were concluded. How hard is this to understand, for crying out loud? There is no scope for jumping to conclusions. The conclusions have been reached already by the investigating body.]
Barroso`s concern, rightfully so, is to keep the name of the EU Commission untainted and asking for John Dalli`s resignation was to be expected and not an indictment in itself.
[Daphne – If that were the case, my dear, he would have been asked to resign when the accusation first reached the Commission, or when the investigations began last May.]
Our concern should be that Malta`s name is not tainted – That means that our concern should also be that the Maltese ex-EU Commissioner`s name be cleared.
[Daphne – You must be f**king joking. The man has been sharking around for years. Finally somebody got him, and surprise surprise, it wasn’t pure and wonderful Malta, was it.]
Uff xi dwejjaq. MUST you get so angry?
And you didn`t put a question mark after the last sentence.
“How should he have done it? He should have made one weighty and carefully considered statement, released in the correct manner to all media (rather than through one very minor outlet), or to one major international press agency, preferably by his lawyers.”
You couldn’t have said it any better.
Well yes, right. But how long ago was it that Malta was going on about how kapaci/habrieki/minn taghna/jaf igib ruhu John Dalli was?
The author himself was probably among the admirers, and probably gave his assent to Dalli’s nomination by the PM, if not through words, then through his silence.
I am the first to admit that I rooted for Dalli in the PN leadership race though my motivation was far from ‘kemm hu kapaci u habrieki John Dalli’.
It had more to do with my perception of Gonzi’s ability to drive secular reforms at a reasonable pace.
Dalli’s comments on the Libya uprising finally changed my attitude towards the man. I cannot trust a man who does not believe in freedom.
Mea culpa – lesson learned.
Which part of Malta was “going on about how kapaci/habrieki/minn taghna/jaf igib ruhu John Dalli was”?
Dalli had been carrying on and scheming since he lost the Party leadership and especially since he lost his job as minister. He couldn’t keep his mouth shut even after being given a prestigious job at the EU on a silver platter by the very man who he had held in contempt for so many years.
Dalli is repeating what Mintoff had done for 16 years – dredging Malta’s name through dirt, filth and ridicule.
Never has Malta owed so much contempt as it did to one and does to this other living dope.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Dalli now starts badmouthing Barroso, and talking of ‘”apartheid” in the Commission.
The part about Dalli revealing that how he was asked to resign mirrors my exact thoughts, when I heard him say it in the video posted on timesofmalta.com earlier today. I thought, ‘What on Earth is he thinking?’
He’d been handed the ‘easier’ way out by Barroso.
“At least they might stop mentioning our 12-1 defeat to Spain in 1984. ”
True.
The only other event worth talking about since 1984 was Franco’s Form 2c report, but I understand that PBS is not broadcasted in Brussels.
If what this EU observer is completely true – which at this moment I do not agree with – it follows that the PN had this man as the star minister for so many years. He could have been the PN’s leader. He was nominated for this post by Dr. Gonzi.
So, again if what this observer said is believed, then the PN is hopeless when choosing its ministers and EU officials.
I still hope that John Dalli succeeds in clearing his name – as he did about the frame-up he suffered at the hands of the evil-clique a few years ago ! After all Malta’s name is at stake !
For the last five years I have lived in Sicily and have a few honest friends who feel betrayed and embarrassed by their politicians’ behaviour.
Today I know exactly how they feel, just like being drawn through a drain-hole.
How befitting some chaps’ description of the ex-commissioner is.
This post is a good analysis.
The general opinion, in Europe at least, about Malta and the Maltese will be formed on the behaviour and reputation of our man in Brussels for the next decade.
This situation is identical to that in the fifties, sixties and seventies when our men in London gave us the image we then had.
That we were a country of pimps.
The PM was right to choose a small cabinet after the last general elections.
He listened to the people. According to various opinion polls, it was then clear that most members of the cabinet were not popular!
If one were to examine the latest polls published in The Sunday Times, one would see that Gonzi is only trailing Muscat by 1% in the Trust Barometer, and that he is much more popular than his own Party. He is turning out to be the PN’s greatest asset as he was before the last general elections.
This bit is absolutely spot on. I work for an investment bank in London, and have been fighting this perception ever since I joined. Malta has slowly (emphasis here) been picking up momentum as a serious jurisdiction in peoples’ minds – these things take time. This incident has wound back the clock several years.
“If anybody had a vague idea of the Maltese as Mediterranean types who are probably a bit sleazy, maybe a bit like the stereotypical Greeks or Sicilians – well, try and tell them that we’re not like that today, that only some of us are, that even in a tiny island like Malta there are vast cultural differences.”
And then the parliamentary vote is abused to throw a reputable man like Richard Cachia Caruana out of office while someone like Dalli basks in the limelight on ONE TV.
Where has this country come to?
“Every time they say where they come from, for the next few years, those to whom they speak are as likely as not to say ‘what about that John Dalli guy?”
The same thing was done to Maltese people outside Malta in the 1970s but the question was always “what about that Dom Mintoff guy? “.
Dr. Gonzi was right in saying he has very little talent to choose from.
I am no Dalli fan. On the contrary, I despise him for the manner in which he let no opportunity escape him to put our Prime minister in a bad light.
No wise aspirant for leadership of the party would do that for he knows or should know that others would do to him what he tried to do to others.
However I am convinced that although Dalli did nothing wrong Barroso took the first opportunity to sack him because he proved himself unfit for the position he was occupying.
Who was hacking his email?
Dalli is guilty of wasting the lobbyists’ time, and obviously pressing forward with his new tobacco directive.
For this he is being framed and OLAF is simply playing for the tobacco industry. Who is watching OLAF?
Perhaps Maltese politicians are not attuned to the way of doing politics in Europe where trading in influence and favours is wrong, if not a crime.
In Malta, such practices are commonplace and actively encouraged by our politicians who pocket the ‘ínterest’.
I do not specifically blame Dalli because any Maltese poltician would have done the same as this the modus operandi in Malta. The ‘habib’ system (sounds Arab rather than European, doesn’t it?).
This is a stern warning from the Commission to corrupt little Malta.
Sweden has a grudge with Malta in Brussels for a long time. Especially with regards to the legal institutions. And hey! Somebody just gave them a good reason.