Darleen Zerafa had her course paid for, after all – by the Italians
Darleen Zerafa (centre) and Lydia Abela (right): as Mick Jagger once sang, ‘Under my thumb’
A few days ago, I put up a post called ‘Is Darleen Zerafa paying for her course? The thought just occurred to me that she might not be.’ The link is below.
I’d thought about the situation for a few minutes, and realised it made no sense at all to conclude that Ms Zerafa is paying for her own course when she has been selected for the job, without a call for applications, by the Community Chest Fund in liaison with the Italian clinic.
In a situation like that, the anointed candidate would be trained at the expense of the organisation – and no, not the charity, because this is unacceptable for all the reasons recently outlined, but the academy/clinic.
And it turns out that my rationale was correct, because the President confirmed earlier this evening on TVHemm that yes, Darleen Zerafa is not paying for the course herself, after all, but the Italians are picking up the bill.
So they still managed to wangle it for free, and this over and above the fact that she has been handpicked for the job of working for the eating disorders centre that has yet to be set up by the Community Chest Fund.
Really, it’s not what you know but who you know. Look what you can get for yourself if your sister is married to the President’s son: a salaried job as palace courtier (lady-in-waiting to the First Lady), plenty of influence in the Community Chest Fund as secretary to the board and PA to its deputy chairman (the First Lady), free training in the management of eating disorders, and then a salaried position, obtained uncompetitively and through anointment, at the eating disorders clinic being set up by the charity which you serve as secretary to the board.
This is just so unbelievable. Perhaps Nestor Laiviera and Julia Farrugia would like to take it up and ring the President’s office 10 times a day with questions about how Darleen Zerafa got her job? They’ll know exactly what I mean, even if my readers don’t.
Hey, Franco – always assuming you haven’t been castrated – that’s another word for neutered – by your car, driver, salary and Importanza – this is what an oligarchy really is. Get onto it, will you.
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Nestor has found his calling in life and is now communications coordinator for Edward Scicluna.
Xi hlew.
Dan jigi min Victor Laiviera jaqaw?
Mur obsor hux.
Skond is-sigra, il -frott jghidu.
Hi Daphne, perhaps you might have missed the part where the President led us to believe that Darlene Zerafa did not want to apply and will not apply for the jobs at the new hospital.
If I were the presenter, I would then have asked:
So why the hell were you going to pay her Masters for?
I’m a bit confused and maybe I’m wrong…. but how can she be lady in waiting while studying abroad?
[Daphne – Distance learning. Hence all the flights…]
The President was in panic mode this evening but if the tuition fees could somehow be explained, he let it slip that “miskina” she had difficult flight arrangements.
This begs the question – so did the Community Chest Fund actually fund the flights after all?
Exactly Tanka. I will only take the word of the auditors (world-renowned KPMG and PwC) after they analyse the cheque payments one by one. Come on George…stand up to be counted and invite the auditors to do their work. Only then will we believe you.
Don’t hold your breath on this one …
Is this the thrill that the Maltese wanted by voting in the amateurs?
I understand that life under the PN, the dull-normality taken for granted and the lack of struggles and worries, must have been extremely boring.
They all have an over-eating disorder! They can never have enough.
They look like the hungry obese buffet diners we see heaping their platters every Sunday, not to mention the desserts wrapped in paper napkins ending up in the big handbags of the wives.
Two Maltas, the president is classified with the above-mentioned buffet diners, then there are the others.
The expression “you can’t have your cake and eat it too” has just been proven wrong.
SHAME ON YOU GEORGE! You duped all those who didn’t know you well enough.
The president this evening didn’t convince me at all, nor did the other two guests who were his puppets.
Dear president that’s why you shouldn’t employ family members with you because you see what happens now that the minutes of the meeting came out? Most people said till you are there they won’t give. Your repution is finished.
Your intentions were that Darlene would manage the centre. It’s obvious now and that’s why the Italians are paying for her masters so than she will run the centre.
The goverment should have done this project alone. What’s two million euros when the goverment has to pay yearly for its running?
I think the idea was that Darlene would have this centre free from our donations, a small kingdom for her to rule.
Our thanks to the person who had the guts to pass the minutes to this website. It must be he couldn’t take it anymore.
H.E. is not correct when he have us believe that a call for the sponsorship was not required because Darleen will not run the hospital.
It’s a sponsorship with public funds so a public call is a must! Then once granted the masters who else can beat darleen for the job on qualifications? The two are extremely linked.
‘public call is a must!’…Insejt li qedghin taht il-lejber issa?…
Malta Taghhom Ukoll siehbi
All this was not decided overnight. And it all went according to “their” plan … until now when it all leaked.
A terrible mess.
The Community Chest Fund should not be helping people who “inflict” pain on themselves with that enormous amount of investment.
When we were asked to contribute on the Christmas telethon we were shown cancer victims with tears in their eyes asking for help. We weren’t told about this “hbieb tal-hbieb” eating disorders project.
Peppi’s “Kif tista’ ma ccempilx?” in a cracked voice will now turn to “Kemm tiflah tkun cuc?”
Donations should not stop, but they should be directed to Dar tal-Providenza, Puttinu Cares Foundation, and The Good Shepherd Home – causes people want to give money for.
Eating disorders go beyond ‘inflicting pain on yourself’ and are in fact a form of psychological illness which does require help, but I will agree that since the telethon never mentioned them, the money simply should not be used for such.
Besides, the money is better spent helping those whose pain we know we can alleviate through our help, rather than a potential course (there’s always the possibility that Darleen may not pass after all), for one person to maybe help set up a potential eating disorder centre whose details have been shaky at best.
All in all, it’s just better to give money directly to the charities and organisations which deserve it.
Qabda mejtin bil-guh.
Jew b’xejn, jew xejn.
Palace courtier? We never saw her before in public. Palace courtiers usually run about their lady. She was never spotted before this story came to light.
[Daphne – It’s not that. It’s just that you never noticed.]
Two examples
http://mt.china-embassy.org/eng/xwdt/W020120608030571639480.jpg
http://gov.mt/en/Government/Press%20Releases/Press%20Photos/PublishingImages/2012/October/day09/OPR_09102012_01.jpg
This is a connivance, a tacit consent to wrong doing.
Game over, George.
Labour have been accusing the PN government that it’s not what you know but who you know. Actually they have always done this while in opposition.
Now it turns out that at the very highest levels of the state, any Labour politician will do the same. You couldn’t have put it better, so I will quote here:
“Look what you can get for yourself if your sister is married to the President’s son: a salaried job as palace courtier (lady-in-waiting to the First Lady), plenty of influence in the Community Chest Fund as secretary to the board and PA to its deputy chairman (the First Lady), free training in the management of eating disorders, and then a salaried position, obtained uncompetitively and through anointment, at the eating disorders clinic being set up by the charity which you serve as secretary to the board.”
George Abela (I suppose we can drop the formalities as he has appeared on TVHemm – to defend his name/self?) has discredited himself and the office he holds. The more he talks about it the more he exposes his untenable position.
The people, not just Nationalists, have lost faith in him. Whatever he has done in the past for the CCF can only be seen as part of a hidden agenda to promote the career of one of his in-laws.
Investigative journalists are a rare species in Malta. We have more than enough reporters, who just regurgitate what they are told and put it in print or just ask the questions the interviewee wants to be asked.
Today I heard George Abela the lawyer speaking and not George Abela the President.
Every time Norman mentioned the word controversy, George the lawyer would go off on a tangent and talk at length about the project in general to avoid answering.
Exactly!
And, truth be told, not even a very good lawyer!
Didn’t Gorg Abela’s legal office represent MEPA whenever it got itself embroiled in some public controversy – and at a time when he was one of the top guys leading a Malta Labour Party that was supposedly up in arms against MEPA’s modus operandi during the Sant years?
A slippery customer if there ever was one.
The decision to make him President of the Republic wasnt such a great idea after all.
OK, so Darleen had her course paid for by the Italians. I imagine that the Italians are not paying her course without a reason.
George Abela said that she has no intention of running the hospital, or seek employment there once it opens.
So I ask, under what criteria was Darleen chosen to undertake this free of charge course?
George, you have to do much better to convince us.
I can’t believe how much the president risked for Darleen. He must really respect her.
If she is a lady-in-waiting to the President’s wife, why does she still accompany the President on State visits when the first lady opts not to go?
Crieki go crieki tac-crieki.
Apparently Franco and co are only flustered by the oligarchy. Monarchy is acceptable to their moral high standards.
Those girls look stunning. I’m not being sarcastic, but considering that many Maltese girls their age, can’t be bothered about the way they look, because they’re married with kids now, have busy lives working 9 – 6 husband, family and all, these three are an exception.
…and let’s face it, there’s nothing wrong with letting go of your highlights, makeup and general look, once other things have taken more priority over everything in the looks department.
But this does not seem to be the case for these girls.
May God bless them.
Did she accompany the Pres to Peru too?
Outrageous hypocrisy!
My niece, 32, has applied to the Malta Community Chest Fund for help with an expensive cancer drug (she has secondary breast cancer) which costs 650 euros a month.
With the application form, they ask for medical reports, a report by social worker, bank statements…and rightly so.
BUT then you hear THIS – smacking of the reeking under-belly of nepotism at the highest level.