Paranoia – never the best sign of a liberal government
Published:
May 10, 2013 at 1:26am
Prior to the interview requested by Dr Vella, the receptionist at the Foreign Affairs Ministry demanded the reporter hand over his mobile phone before entering the minister’s office. The foreign minister said this was a new policy.
I would have refused point blank, and walked out. After all, it was the foreign minister who asked to be interviewed, and not the other way round.
I don’t know why so many journalists cooperate with abuse. It only ensures that more sorts of abuse follow.
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http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130508/local/George-Vella-explains-why-he-still-sees-some-patients.468798
Oh, Ivan Camilleri is back on the offensive it seems, after not voting in the last elections. Have Labour not promised his wife the job she was after?
Bhal Franco, Ivan Camilleri deher qisu xi traditur miexi Strada Rjali din il-gimgha.
Ahh, someone at least noticed. I was worried it was just me who got upset at this ‘mobile-confiscation’ request. How obedient we all are.
Shades of communism. Next a strip search ?
Mobile confiscation seems to be across board. Public officers and also union representatives who had a meeting with Minister Godfrey Farrugia were also instructed to leave their mobile phone with the minister’s secretary.
What do we have here – a bunch of paranoid ministers?
No, not at all paranoid. For them that’s liberal. A bunch of idiots that’s what all the ministers + the prime minister are for sure. As for the journalists in Malta, almost all are a bunch of incompetent lackeys.
That measure will ensure that no mobile phone will start ringing during the inverview – even if switched off.
Remember that young twit from Ghaxaq (turned into an irrelevant non-entity) during Bondi + some time ago? His did!
What are they afraid of ?
The only place I know where one has to hand in his mobile phone together with other belongings, is the Corradino prison.
Where else in the civilised world does this happen?
The American Embassy, if you’ve ever been.
Yes and before boarding a plane. They have Gahan’s biometric pictures…in no time his details will pop up on the passport control monitor anywhere in the world , just by looking straight into the camera and pressing a finger on the finger print scanner.
In communist countries maybe.
I can’t imagine some BBC reporter putting up with that.
In old Western films, cowboys were asked to leave their revolvers at the door when entering saloons. People have to leave their shoes at the door when entering mosques.
And in Malta, everyone has to leave their mobiles at the door when entering a minister’s office.
Soon we will be requested to kiss the photo of the minister and pledge eternal loyalty before entering the ministry.
Would Franco leave it outside ?
Xerraqtni!!
I just wonder when the Nationalist Party intends to get its media machine going.
The most important role within the party is going to be that of heading and coordinating communications. Five years are very short when it comes to changing minds.
At the moment, the only available pro-PN news is your blog. No offence, but this is very worrying.
Where’s the PN on Facebook? Twitter? Where’s the PN’s official blog? Where’s the PN’s English language newspaper? What’s on Net TV other than people chatting about shoes, cake decoration and flower arranging? Where’s the PN’s iPhone app?
In two years, using the right media (and not television) Beppe Grillo’s party in Italy gained a 25% majority in Parliament. How? Online.
The Nationalist Party is surely not short of material when it comes to critising the government. The Labour Party and its illuminati are providing loads of that.
Hurry up, please.
The next step is to start frisking the reporters before interviewing the ministers.
It is not about mobile phones at all. Ministers cannot risk being photographed or recorded live making fools of themselves.
Just a few weeks into their job, they are already becoming conscious of their very limited capabilities.
Criticising in Opposition is one thing. Competently doing a ministerial job in another thing altogether. Seeing patients in this case is displacement activity, compensating for the knowledge of failure in one’s main job.
Jose’ Herrera’s office makes the same request. There’s a notice up outside to that effect.
There’s an easy way out of that, take two mobile phones and leave one (the fake one) with the receptionist.
Well, he’s getting a dose of his own (ghastly) medicine. With his non-vote, he helped them to take office.
The Labour regime judges other people by its own, very low, standards.
‘pimps, thieves and scoundrels’
Now this smells of arrogance.
There is no need for a mobile phone to record a conversation with a minister. There are other means. How paranoid….what next? Perform a strip search to ensure that journalists have no recording equipment before entering the office?
I bet the Law Commissioner with additional responsibility for coordinating the Convention to review the Constitution will not accept this new policy. He cannot do without his special mobile that rings even when it’s off.
Open government…get used to it.
I can picture them the day they moved in the building sweeping for bugs, checking for microphones behind frames and curtains.
Do you think this applies to individuals who aren’t journalists? I have a meeting with a minister soon – will I have to hand over my mobile? Is the minister allowed his mobile while meeting me?
What happens if it’s a public meeting?
I don’t understand. Can anyone explain why ministers are making people leave their mobiles at the door? It sounds very worrying but I can’t figure out why.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130503/opinion/Mintoff-remembers-1958.468137
“A substantial quantity of weapons” – to be used against whom? What happened to these ‘substantial quantity of weapons’ and who was trained to use them?
I think that Ivan Camilleri’s decision will haunt him for the rest of his life. It would be interesting to know whether his wife has got the job she wanted now.
The next step should be a thorough body search to ensure that no hidden tape-recorders are hidden in the interviewer’s private parts.
Gorg Vella qed jibza’ li jigrilu bhal Toni Abela u Tony Zarb.
Maybe he was worried they would take illegal shots of his eyebrows.
Dik transparenza.
What would one expect from the Minister’s own personal assistant
Peter Paul Sacco
Yesterday, 17:56
You cannot pin any corruption or arrogance on Dr Vella, he serves the people selflessly, prosit Dr Vella, no one can stick anything on you.
The only person who should be asked to leave his phone with the receptionist is the owner of the phone li jdoqq anke meta jkun mitfi
An angry George Vella… seems people don’t change, do they?
What baffles me with these people is the fact that they are acting as if the Code of Ethics came into force last week.
Didn’t they all know what would be expected of them once elected and appointed Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries?
This is blatant arrogance and very much in line with the Labour mentality of now we’re in power, we do what we like!
Trid tkun vera banali u bezziegh biex taghmel dawn l-affarijiet.
Minn jaf x’kienu jghidu l-gurnalisti kieku kienu jaghmlu hekk il-Ministri Nazzjonalisti.
Din il-bicca xoghol issir sabiex jekk il-Ministru jghid xi cucata jkun jista’ imeri u jdawwar il-kliem.
Tipikament Labour. Issa jkun jaf x’igifieri min ivvota Labour. U l’kbir ghadu gej!
X’misthijja !
Dawn l-affarijiet anqas f’pajjiz tat-tielet dinja ma’ jsiru.
Insomma telghu il-Labour u kof jghidu bil-Malti, ergajna koppi.
Riya , din dhalt ghaliha! Fil-pajjizi tat-tielet dinja ghandhom xorti jkollom x’jieklu ahseb u ara li jkollom mobajl li probabbilment lanqas network ghalih ma jkun hemm.
Forsi xi Turaya jkollu xi hadd, imma dak gewwa ma jahdimx ghax irid ‘jara’ is-satellita.
Where in the civilized world you ask….try the US embassy in Ta Qali…no mobiles allowed.
Suggestion. Bring two. One without a sim card. Give that to the receptionist. Probably a no nothing dumb Labour supporter. Keep the other, with a recording app, and voila.
Meanwhile, Dr. Vella has sent condolences to Emma Bonino after the death of Giulio Andreotti.
http://gov.mt/en/Government/Press%20Releases/Pages/2013/May/08/pr0922.aspx
How do they decide whether something like this should be handled by Louis Grech or George W. Vella? Do they draw the lots in the presence of Public Lotto officers?
But at least the Minister did not write something like: “This egregious death is all the more senseless on account of it targeting such a beloved and world-renowned political leader.”
http://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/letter-of-condolence.jpg
What’s next? X-ray and metal detector?
It’s not even done at the hospital’s ITU where mobile phones can interfere with medical equipment. This is shocking stuff …
While the minister speaks, others are busy vetting the message boxes on the surrendered mobile phones, perhaps? Paranoia setting in?
This new policy must have raised some eyebrows.
See what I just did there.