Jahasra, dawn l-irgiel ukoll
The Zerafa sisters, left to right: Alison, whose husband is the President’s chauffeur, Darleen, who is personal assistant to the President’s wife, and Lydia, who is married to the President’s son. Il-Palazz huwa taghna lkoll.
Did anyone else notice the President’s facial expression (to say nothing of his tone and words) when he said on TVHemm yesterday, about Darleen’s flights to Italy on low-cost airlines:
“Taf kif kienet tivvjagga din? Tat-twerwir….”
And if I heard right, there were also a couple of references to “miskina”.
The President should know better than to reveal that extent of personal interest in an employee, in public and on television. An employee is an employee is an employee, and here, staring at us in the face, is one reason why the President should never have a personal relationship, either familial or friendship, with those engaged for work at the Palace – because then it is impossible to disengage afterwards and maintain the correct distance.
So now we have had the President making a fool of himself over Darleen Zerafa on an early evening interview show. Just fabulous.
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It seems that the Zerafa sisters took over the presidency.
That must have been pretty easy with this sort of incumbent..
Ir-Repubblika ta’ Zerafa.
Daphne, Dan Albert Gauchi Cunningham l-istess wiehed li deher fuq il-billboards tal-Labour? Mela dak mhux teacher?
http://www.orizzont.com.mt/FullArticle.php?ID1='Ahbarijiet'&ID2=105781
Skond il-President, Darleen ‘miskina’ ghax trid tivvjaga ma xi kumpanija ta’ l-ajru ‘tat-twerwir’.
‘Msieken’ dawk li jidhlu fi spejjez ta’ eluf ta’ ewro, kull sena, ghal numru ta’ snin, biex ihallsu ghall-istudji ta’ uliedhom.
‘Msieken’ dawk li jibqghu lura minn hafna affarijiet biex ikunu jistghu ikopru dawn l-ispejjez.
Dawn huma ‘l-imsieken’, Sur President. U jien wiehed minnhom.
Tassew maqtugh mid-dinja.
Tlift kull rispett lejn il-President George Abela. All in the family.
With hindsight I can now see why many within the PN Parliamentary Group did not agree with Dr. Gonzi at the time to nominate Dr. Abela as President of the Republic.
http://vitaliquida.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/1256922139533_f.jpg
On second thoughts
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BVbcNcXrio4/TQsoOtGZ5DI/AAAAAAAABOs/oZ6HZheIGUQ/s1600/Jan%2BToorop%2BThe%2Bthree%2Bbrides%2BDe%2Bdrie%2Bbruiden.jpg
I used to stay overnights at airports Mr. President to save money whilst studying abroad…..hadd ma thassarni lili..
So what? Is this guy for real? What happens when you have to catch a cheapo flight every evening?
I must be a super miskin then. Some serious wussies on this island.
If I was Ryanair (assuming they’re the low cost carrier they used), I’d sue the President.
Meantime,
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-05-21/news/frederick-testa-on-contract-for-service-basis-at-pbs-1643249675/
Yes fine, and what exactly is it he’s doing?
Imissu jisthi jitkellem hekk fuq it-television.
Ippakkja u itlaq please u kaxxar lil dik il-marmalja li dahhalt mieghek u zbarazza il-palazz u nehhi dawk il-porkeriji ta’ plakek li ghamiltu mal-palazz ta’ Verdala.
Hemm wiehed il-Marsa jizbarazza id-djar u anke palazzi b xejn. Cempillu wahda illum halli ghada tkun barra.
The best advice I can give to Simon and the PN is this:
You get nowhere being reasonable with shite.
The moment I got to know that the President of Malta will be on TVHemm to answer questions about his (mis)behaviour, I thought to myself that this is not how the nation should be seeing its President.
If he had a shred of dignity left in him, he would have resigned and declined from appearing on national TV, making a fool of himself and dragging his office down to such lows.
I did not have the opportunity to watch the show, but I did watch the news and the short excerpt that was aired. I was appalled at the manner in which the President was answering questions and trying to justify his actions.
Where can i find the TVHemm interview of the president pls?
Watch it in this link..
Playlists videos: Monday :- then click on “TVHEMM”.
http://tvm.com.mt/live/
The President of Malta should never even consider appearing live on TV to personally ‘defend’ the Community Chest Fund. That’s the communication coordinator’s job to clarify and disclose facts. No more no less.
It’s either that the President was not sure with his PRO’s ability, or that the PRO did not want to defend the Zerafa’s oligarchy.
The president must be getting mellow in his old age.
I don’t recall him being either so generous or so considerate when he used to mark our homework and assignments during his short stint as a teacher before he became a lawyer.
Miskina ux…like all the other msieken that we donate money for during the fundraising campaigns…kif tista ma ttiehix!
Was she starring in “Snakes on a Plane 2 – The Presidential Sequel” by any chance?
“Tat-twerwir”… or is it all right for us common mortals to travel in that manner, but not so for the dear relative of the president?
So let me get this straight…travelling low cost is reason to say ‘taf kif kienet tivvjaga din?’
How does our President think the rest of us studying abroad fly?
Yes, you have to catch trains to get to the obscure airports which are miles away from where you live. Big deal.
Anzi, studying in Italy can’t be that bad as far as flights are concerned, as Ryanair flies to 7 places in Italy from Malta.
Ili nghid, jien:- F’Malta kollox taghna (cioe’ taghhom)!
The President should never, ever have appeared on TVHemm to try and justify his faux pas.
From my perspective, all he did was confirm how right the original criticism was and how justified was the public outrage that followed.
Flying low-cost is truly terrifying – what with being strapped in to your chair, and having the airhostess on call, and a pilot who ensures that your destination is reached (even giving a fanfare at the end)…
Simply heart-stopping terror all the way!
In the real world if one is sponsored by an organization for the purposes of obtaining a degree or a particular qualification, the recipient of the award is contracted to pay the organization in kind for a specific period, failing which, he/she has to refund to the organization the amount of the sponsorship.
President Abela mentioned in yesterday’s TV program that 3people have in recent times benefitted from MCCF funds, two for a masters degree and another for a qualification related to wheelchairs.
Have these three persons been contracted to serve the MCCF with no remuneration for a specific period?
Miskina kif kienet tivvagja:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3dYS7PcAG4
The Times news banner is that Abela Zerafa presidential family do not want a second term. The real news is that the public would thank them if they packed up now.
The TVHEMM appearance was a dismal and sickly attempt to pull the wool over one of the worst breaches of public trust seen in this country.
As usual, post facto, the seeds of this failure are evident. The President as head of state should not be personally involved in the administration of public charities. Honorary positions were invented to cater for these situations.
I thought that President George Abela was a different person from the rest of the Labour Party members, but I was very wrong.
To tell you the truth, after all this, I just lost hope in this man. What a let down. They just don’t learn and don’t change, once a Labour always a Labour.
Yes we heard him perfectly well. “Tat-twerwir”.
Unlike most students who take loans for their Masters abroad, she has it all paid for by the Italians and not only.. she works, meaning she earns a living too.
So what’s the problem? Her flights to ITALY on low cost airlines?? BIG FRIGGIN DEAL. She must be absolutely terrified…miskina.
“Tat-twerwir” because she uses Ryan Air?
Most Maltese try to use this airline when they travel because it is cheaper.
So maybe, the Community Chest fund should pay the airline fees of all Maltese when they travel so that they can use AirMalta instead… ghax Malta Taghna Lkoll.
So low cost airlines are tat-twerwir are they?
I wonder whether Michael O’Leary will consider suing.
I suppose George Abela is used to travelling on his father’s Learjet 85.
Perhaps the Zerafa’s grandfather owned one too.
Kemm qed naraw kbir.
Kemm nifilhu naqghu ghan-nejk.
Nghid jien il-flus li jingabru fl-istrina u attivitajiet ohra tal-Community Chest Fund mhux ghal dawk morda u fil-bzonn imorru?
Tajba din jingabru ‘l fuq minn miljun Ewro u minnhom jithallsu s-sangisuki tal-bord u issa wkoll jithallas xi course barra minn Malta.
U halluna b’min tridu titnejku. Illum in-nies m’ghadhomx cwiec.
Min jaf kieku jien irrid niehu course barra minn Malta, u maghhom ukoll it-titjiriet u forsi wkoll il-lodging u ghal ftit indahhlu l-ikel, tghid jghini l-president mill-flus tal-CCF.
Jien inhoss li l-flus tal-CCF ghandhom ikunu biss ghal dawk verament fil-bzonn u xejn aktar. Ghalhekk issir l-Istrina inkella nibdlulha isimha u nsejhula “Community and Courses Chest Fund.
George’s angels.
True nepotism.
This is why ethics are to be followed.
Of course it depends on the ethics.
The Labour Party has its own and have nothing to do with what is acceptable in the democratic world.
Of course they would be international in nature, as international as North Korea can be described to be.
It’s almost as though they have a special relationship.
Tivvjaġġa kif jivvjaġġaw eluf ta’ nies kuljum, u tirringrazzja ‘l Mulej li, bil-liberalizzazzjoni, hemm l-għażla li ttir bl-irħis, inkella tħallas u tivvjaġġa xi ftit aktar komda.
Meta kont nistudja barra, ma kienx hemm budget airlines u forsi kont niġi Malta nara lil familti darbtejn fis-sena.
Kont noħlom bihom il-budget airlines mhux neqred dwarhom.
Tal-misthijja ghalih u ghal familja tieghu kollha.
Fl-ahhar ta’ hajtu tilef il-kreditu kollu li hafna Laburisti jghdu wkoll li qatt ma’ kellu.
Middle-age crisis?
[Daphne – The President is past middle age and into old age now, MF. Middle age is 35 to 60.]
What next? A stained dress in her closet?
Cosmo would love to be able to interview these women in the context of twisting men round their fingers .
I know of students who went as far Australia for their masters. Sur president, what do you call this? Twenty four hours flight.
Imsieken, yesterday your true colours with whom you make charity came out, all in the family.
Well it was Gonzi’s idea of Malta taghna lkoll much before it was Joseph’s tieghu biss.
And now what do we have?
U kif kienet tivvjagga din li kien tant tat-twerwir? Jaqaw kienet tghumha sa Reggio Calabria imbaghad titkaxkar gharkubbtejha?
Il-familja Zerafa kollha tgawdi bis-sahha ta’ Lydia ghax mizzewga lit-tifel tal-President tar-Repubblika.
Kullhadd b’xortih.
Minn mejjet fis-sakra u min mejjet ghall-qatra, jghid il-Malti.
The fourth Zerafa sister (for there is one) must be feeling terribly left out.
The President seems aghast at Darleen’s mode of air travel/accommodation even though it is the norm for students and many others.
In his eyes it must contrast deeply with his daughter Maria the soprano who studied in some Italian conservatory who apparently must have had a cushier time. Did his daughter always travel in business class then?
Students not related to George Abela the President take late night or early morning flights, make connecting trips on coaches because trains are more expensive, so spend considerably more hours on the road, catching their sleep as they can, they spend nights in airports so as not to pay an extra night and wait for hours in rain or snow if necessary to get the cheaper travel options.
They collect vouchers and search for own-brand products and rarely buy meat and on these rare occasions go for the cheaper cut.
Their mums and dads work hard, and they do not have a cook or a maid or a secretary but they still chip in for their children’s expenses.
But then anyone who has come by a silver spoon cannot possibly understand that, can they?
That facial expression and obvious pulling back was deafeningly loud and it spoke volumes.
Pity that we were never told why a pharmacist AND nutritionist decided to work as a personal assistant to the First Lady, whether she has kept her place as a pharmacist with the department of health, and whether there was a public call for applications for her present job and to be on the committee overseeing the whole project.
Is she qualified in project management as well?
Power should never be absolute because we know what is said about absolute power don’t we?
The highest office in the land not registering its signature organization as a charity should have gotten our attention but we were caught napping.
Some people will look at the person and not the deed, that is why we allow a certain type of personality to be over-represented in management/leadership positions. Babiac and Hare would have had a field day.
What silver spoon are you talking about? The Abelas are from an average, working-class background.
Ditto the Zerafas. They’ve adopted a trolley-dash attitude because some is never enough when you feel entitled to more than you’ve got.
Those really born with a silver spoon in their mouth behave completely differently.
The Zerafization of the Presidency of the Republic of Malta is unfolding before our eyes.
The official holder of the Office has been turned into a pathetic laughing-stock.
At least Giovanni Leone pocketed millions from Lockheed and then, even though he was a super furbo, did the honourable thing.
In the Maltese scenario the head of state is manipulated by a bunch of young ladies and gets nothing in return but opprobrium.
Instead of following Leone’s example he goes on national television and digs himself and his office deep down into a cesspit.
MOB WIVES.
You know I noticed.
My daughter is studying in London.When she comes here for holidays she travels by Rynair to save money.
She goes to the airport and stays there all night waiting for the flight.
Miskina, jahasra taf kif tasal? Mejta. But she cannot afford it to travel by any other airline. Any help?
One thing which Joseph Muscat and George Abela have in common:
They are only children born to middle aged parents.
The trait with these kids is that they have anything their way from their parents for every snap of the finger.
Little princes who grow into unscrupulous emperors.
The President was trying to make fools of us, the citizens, when in his Speech from the Throne he said that the time for arrogant administration and cliques are over while at the same time he was orchestrating a connivance to grant unmerited benefits from the CCF to a member of his family.
The president has lost the trustworthiness that his office and the citizens expect of him. What now?
PASTIZZERIJA ZERAFA (ex-Verdala Palace) just opened limits of Buskett…saqsu ghal Gorg
‘Tat-twerwir’ is, in a manner of speaking, an apt description of Ryanair – but it’s hardly on a par with crossing the Med in a leaky boat.
Qabda qniezah imfissdin. No bloody wonder progress is slow to non-existent.
I suggest that for the next Community Chest Fund fund-raising marathon, instead of broadcasting the usual promos showing sick people and their families (il-vera msieken) asking us to donate, they show a terrified Darlene at the airport, crying her heart out and begging us to donate so that she can fly club class with Air Malta.
At least we will be given the real picture of how our money is being used.
They should now start asking “Kif tista’ iccempel?” instead of the usual “Kif tista’ ma ccempilx?”.
To get an education I left Malta when I was 16 on my own, worked at a dockyard to earn a living and pay rent and upkeep, and I had a second-hand bicycle to go to work on, come rain and come snow.
I saved some money to go to Newcastle University where I paid some fees and rented my accomodation, working through Christmas, Easter and summer holidays.
To travel to Newcastle from Chatham I had a 30cc moped and it took me 15 hours of driving on a moped to return to University.
I got all my qualifications during 15 years abroad living and paying my upkeep.
I returned to Malta fully qualified with my Ph.D and postgraduate experience after the local government authorities came to visit me at Newcastle.
Their promises were never honoured, but I came back to build a family.
Some people are luckier than I am, it seems. To get an education people should spend 10 years abroad fending on their own steam.
So bloody insulting! Especially to all of those hardworking students who sacrifice a lot to try and get further qualifications from a decent foreign university.
I mean, seriously, the shred of respect I had for this man is long gone. My family and I will be boycotting this year’s L-Istrina because I don’t want him to administer any of our donations. We will be donating directly to charitable institutions instead.
L-aktar President kontroversjali fl-istorja ta’ Malta s’issa, hlief ghal Agatha Barbara.
Imbaghad jigi ibnu qabel l-elezzjoni f’meeting tal-Labour jghajjar lil PN or lil Gonzi. Certi nies lanqas jafu x’inhi misthija.
Hasra li zgur ser ikun hemm riperkussjonijiet fl-iStrina ta’ din is-sena.
Jaqaw George Abela ma kienx mar jifirhilhom il-low cost airlines meta gew l-ewwel darba Malta biex issa qed iwwerwruh?