It was inevitable
The chairman of the Malta Council of Science and Technology, standing on the counter of a public bar, shouting political slogans on March 10 to a drunken crowd. And then allegations of impropriety were made against the CEO – what is this if not gross impropriety?
My column in The Malta Independent today is on the subject of the chairman of the Malta Council of Science and Technology, Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, and the real scientist who was the organisation’s actual CEO, Nicholas Sammut, who packed up and left last month – saying that he would not stay on even if they asked him to – though the story didn’t make the news.
These are the opening paragraphs – you can read the rest in the link below.
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Isn’t life ironic?
The chairman of the Malta Council of Science and Technology has spent the last three years or so behaving absolutely abominably, in parliament and out of it, on Facebook and in conversation, parading himself all over town bringing the MCST, which he represents, into disrepute.
He was photographed standing on a bar, apparently the worse for wear, leading the assembled crowd in a chant during the Labour Party’s victory celebrations on March 10.
The jury is out on whether it is appropriate for the chairman of the Malta Council of Science and Technology to celebrate the victory of one political party over another (particularly given the complications of his seat in parliament). But the jury should not be out, and isn’t, on whether a chairman should be standing on the counter of a public bar, wearing orange trousers and shouting, while doing so.
That, apparently, is not considered improper behaviour, by the powers that be, who felt comfortable reconfirming Pullicino Orlando in his post because “they worked well together”. Yes, we know that.
Whether they worked well together in the public interest is another matter. It certainly had nothing to do with services rendered to the Malta Council for Science and Technology.
The person who was bound to be mainly affected, and negatively, by his unfortunate appointment as chairman of that organisation was its (now ex) chief executive officer, Nicholas Sammut, who was a bright spark of 27 when he accepted the position shortly before Pullicino Orlando was dumped on him.
Sammut had made the news here in Malta when he worked on the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzerland. But his age and the fact that he is rather a quiet and unassuming sort meant that he was never going to be able to stand up to a domineering and attention-seeking personality like Pullicino Orlando’s.
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http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-05-16/opinions/it-was-inevitable-1608122371/
“Such a waste, really: Malta’s idea of meritocracy has never changed much, not in the private sector, nor in the public sector – dumping the mediocre on the heads of those with real merit, who are generally seen as either dispensable or a threat to the status quo, so that the latter seethe in frustration, then explode and leave, while the mediocre are left behind to rule the roost alone, dragging everything down to their level, the only level they can understand and the only one at which they are comfortable.”
This paragraph should be enshrined in the Constitution, etched on the walls at the new Valletta Gate and tattooed on the forehead of every CEO, GM, head of department and any other assorted plonker promoted to this level of incompetence.
Not for nothing is Joseph Muscat aspiring to invisibility. That was also foretold with hindsight.
Coconut Arrest warrant – timesofmalta.com
The head of communications at the Office of the Prime Minister, Kurt Farrugia. was this morning found in contempt of court and fined €300 for failing to turn up for a libel hearing in the case instituted against him by Richard Cachia Caruana.
The case was over the allegations that Mr Cachia Caruana used the Security Service for his own means.
A warrant of arrest was ordered against Mr Farrugia.
Moments later he was fined another €300 in the libel case instituted against him by the former head of news of PBS, Natalino Fenech.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130516/local/opm.469945
Communications Head at OPM in contempt of Court for not turning up for hearing….twice.
What a pity. We always export diamonds and get stuck with mediocrity.
Issa jarah il-qamar fil-bir, Jeffrey. He will soon realise Sammut’s worth.
Maybe it doesn’t mean anything and I may be wrong but Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando looked too complacent when interviewed on TVAM. He said that he is willing to work with Sammut shoud he wish to renew his contract. I didn’t like it one bit.
It was a grave mistake by the Gonzi administration to appoint Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando chairman of the MCST. It was an insult by Joseph Muscat to re-appoint him.
Nicholas Sammut, ‘quiet and unassuming?’ Pull the other one Daph! You’ll be calling him ‘shy and retiring’ next! From my experience of the MCST Sammut was always very forthcoming and obliging … when the press was in attendance! It has been the sorry lot of the MCST that the Gonzi government saddled it with a dentist and an engineer instead of scientists at the helm. And matters can only get worse under the Muscat government …
Unlike you, I have no experience at MCST but since Ing. Sammut was the CEO it was a must for him to be ‘forthcoming and obliging when the press was in attendance’.
I would expect him to explain technicalities and details rather than the chairman or any other subordinate.
If one fantastic thing came out of last March’s defeat than that has to be that the PN has rid itself once and for all of the JPOSs, Debonos, Mallias, Muglietts and the rest of the scum who have now thankfully been wholly and fully integrated into the Labour skip and scheme of things.
JPO has always been a problem and now he will be a problem for Labour.
What irks me no end is the fact that nobody picked up yesterday’s seminar, piloted by JPO, posing the question about whether stipends should remain.
This is a rehash of 1996 but now Varist uses JPO to start of the debate.
I bet my bottom cent that within a few months students will have to wave goodbye to their stipends unless they want to use it for research.
Just hope those switchers who have children at Uni, MCAST and benefitting from stipends get what they voted for.
Funny how the media never specified where the “allegations of improper behaviour” were coming from.
Even funnier (ironically) is the fact that it was JPO who was guilty of improper behaviour, should it come to that. Being seen in that state in public would constitute “improper behaviour” in any civilised country and we’re supposed to be civilised. But, then again, the mediocre rule here.
Nicholas Sammut was described in The Times as a ‘physicist.’ I believe that this is incorrect. He is an engineer.
Although he worked at CERN and made a valuable contribution, that contribution was to the ‘hardware’ not to the science of the experiment.
He nevertheless is a most capable individual in his field and having JPO thrust upon him must have made life unbearable.
I think that Nick took a very bad decision when he accepted to become the CEO of MCST. He had just obtained his Ph.D. and thus it was the beginning of his academic career.
I think that he has now realised that and has returned o his roots. An academic needs to build up a portfolio of good research and publications as it is the only way how one can move up the academic ladder and proof oneself.
I think that the University is the winner here and Malta in general is the loser.
During the past few years, and looking at the various people making up the MCST, one quickly realises that it has become a nest of conniving Labour-leaning individuals, ready to stab each other in the back.
Nahseb li Dr Nicholas Sammut ma riedx jidher ma’ JPO, ghax in-nies ixxebbhu mieghu.
Ahna nghidu ”Ma’ min rajtek xebbahtek”.
Jiguni f’rasi nies fl-istess sitwazzjoni : Dr Vanni Bonello ma’ Franco Debono, il-Perit David Felice ma’ Jason Micallef u Godwin Grima ma’ Mario Cutajar.
Min se johrog mill-kamra l-ewwel?
I’d like to add that Dr. Sammut’s “stint” at CERN was part of his PhD that was obtained with the University of Malta. There is an agreement between UoM and CERN. I don’t know if it was an option to come back to Malta.
Can’t believe all this TMEXXIJA MAHMUGA and in just over 2 months of governing .
CAN ANYBODY IMAGINE 5 YEARS OF ALL THIS ?