So which is the ‘wrong’ Alfred Mangion?
You have to read this story. It’s just unbelievable. Alfred Mangion X (the one in the photograph) got a telephone call from Darleen Zerafa in 2009, asking for a meeting.
He turned up to the meeting and Ms Zerafa informed him that the President of Malta would like him to sit on the Community Chest Fund board. He accepted.
Shortly afterwards, Alfred Mangion X met the President, who he knows personally, at a reception hosted by the prime minister.
The President thanked him for accepting to sit on the board.
Months passed, and Alfred Mangion heard nothing further and never received so much as a telephone call or notification of a meeting. When almost two years had elapsed, he got in touch with the President to see what was happening. The President rang him back, they had a long conversation, and then the President told Alfred Mangion X that he would soon be receiving news of meetings and so on.
Meanwhile, his name was appearing and still appears on the Community Chest Fund website.
But Alfred Mangion X never heard anything at all.
When the Darleen story broke this week, journalists began calling Alfred Mangion X because they knew him in his former incarnation in the prime minister’s secretariat and saw his name on the list of board members at the fund. Did he have a comment to make?
Alfred Mangion X certainly did have a comment to make – he explained all of the above and said that not only had he not been present at that meeting, but that he had never been asked to attend a single meeting since 2009.
That story broke.
And it led to another one: it turns out that there actually IS an Alfred Mangion on the board, and he’s been attending meetings of the Community Chest Fund. He’s Alfred Mangion Y, not X, who is in the pharmaceuticals business.
So what happened here? Which one really is the case of mistaken identity? How did Alfred Mangion Y end up attending meetings of the Community Chest Fund board, when it was Alfred Mangion X who was asked to sit on it, who spoke to the President about it twice and to Darleen also twice?
There are some important questions to be answered here.
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http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130516/local/a-tale-of-two-alfred-mangions.469859
Seems like Darleen and Mr President are totally incompetent, at best or co**up*, at worst.
Can’t be incompetence. The President spoke to the guy and didn’t tell him “sorry, we made an extremely stupid mistake” or “what are you saying? You were at the last meeting. I saw you!”
He just strung him along. Which begs the question, whose idea was it to choose X and who actually wanted Y on the board? Ħawwadni ħa nħawdek.
Funny how this comes to mind, the (original) Pink Panther scene with the two identical gorillas and the old Italian man!
A farce in the making!
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/1996/panthere.png
I think it is neither incompetence nor a co**up (to quote you). I think it is a case of collusion. To what end remains to be seen.
I would tend to agree with you AG.
Is this a common Labour trick?
Are there are more identically named X Y individuals who could be knowingly or unknowingly appearing for each other in ‘newly deployed’ prominent positions of public service in areas where the public gets cheated, knowingly?
There must be alot of people suffering from hayfever on the Community Chest Fund board.
Varist told us that sufferers feel and act like zombies.
Possibly the president never attended a board meeting or never asked who was the Alternate Mangion in front of him.
In 1992, a junior magistrate in Milan decided to investigate allegations of kickbacks made by a minor cleaning services contractor bidding for work in an old people’s home in Milan.
He went on to uncover a nationwide illicit party financing system later nicknamed Tangentopoli by the press.
Where does this one stop? Brussels?
Hollywood stuff.
Malta, not only the country of two parallel universes, but now of mistaken identities. I feel as if I am living in the twilight zone. U Le!
Knowing BOTH X and Y …it was very obvious that X would not ever be there! He would have sensed that! Y is a very successful businessman.No need to say more!
Maybe, just maybe, Mr. A. Mangion Y looked so much like Mr. A. Mangion X that the president didn’t see the difference…. and got ever so slightly confused.
And Louis Galea spending his time in grey corridors full of grey accounting files in grey Luxembourg City. Shame on Lawrence Gonzi for not putting the right man as President.
This would be the stuff of good comedy were it not so sadly real.
Will the real Mr.Alfred Mangion,please step up!
Hi Daphne, did you read maltatoday’s article about Nuxellina/Qormi Mayor? Her deputy Mayor is harassing her, I thought he was gay! Isn’t he?
He said that he did not harass her. Does this answer your question?
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-04-04/news/a-year-ahead-a-new-president-1322975234/
The idea of an extra 5-year term to Abela’s presidency was gaining ground/plausible/acceptable/better than a Gorg Vella option.
In my view, Joseph did not like that. He knew that he would ruin Abela’s chances by giving him that speech just two days later. And Abela obliged by reading it. Checkmate.
http://tvm.com.mt/news/2013/04/time-to-start-anew-president-george-abela/
I remember you saying you would have a field day reporting on the Labour government. You were right.
I’ve known Alfred Mangion X as an independent trade Uuionist during the turbulent ’80s.
Surely, Mr president and his CCF Chairperson must have mixed up their X and Ys.
A Mangion Y being in the Pharmaceuticals business, Mr president was already practicing JM’s (later) election call: “Ejjew maghna, inhallukom tahdmu.”
Remember that story of Olaf Terribile who was forced to resign after ‘flagging financial irregularities’ to the public in order to ‘create a story about the head of state’ (http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100704/local/president-loses-faith-in-top-aide.316090).
And that was in 2010.
Will the real Alfred Mangion please stand up?
There is obviously so much more to this story.
I really do hope that journalists persist in digging out the truth.
Journalists, what journalists?
This does not concern a Nationalist Minister so everything’s fine.
Any Laburist can get away with murder.
And the president
I find this so hard to swallow. Imagine Y turns up instead of X to a board meeting with half a dozen souls……and what?
The Chairman doesn’t even deign to ask the question as to what Mr Pharmaceuticals was doing there?
It’s not like he was lost in a crowd. Come off it – something doesn’t quite add up here. Are we sure they met?
Incidentally, the Board Secretary Harry Fenech (wonderful guy) and Mr Pharmaceuticals are both Rotarians – there is a link there….
Could it be that the President had in mind a system whereby Mangion X and Mangion Y attend meetings of the MCCF on a rotation basis?
Gentlemen, you must expose the truth, and then resign in true Rotarian spirit. Rotary must NOT be disgraced as well.
Time to go, George.
The might not have wanted Alfred Mangion X to be present when they where giving charatable money away. They might have reaslised he was too much of a good character to accept this.
If it weren’t for you daphne, these things would never come to light. Just to say thank you, keep it up and (zgur li mhemmx ghalfejn nghidha jien din) never let anyone intimidate you. Proset
Article 48 of our Constitution:
(3) The office of President shall become vacant –
(a) on the expiration of five years from the date of the
appointment to that office; or
(b) if the holder of the office is removed from office by
Resolution of the House of Representatives on the
ground of inability to perform the functions of his
office (whether arising from infirmity of body or mind
or any other cause) or misbehaviour.
I challenge anyone to come forward and say that “Mr President” has not been misbehaving?
If what “Mr President” did does not amount to misbehaviour, then I’d really like to know what does!
It is called misconduct and in certain cases gross misconduct.
It is what John Dalli did by meeting Dr Kimberly, irrespective of how many times they met or what was it that they discussed.
It was not in the furtherance of his duties to discuss his business with a representative of a tobacco giant when he was at a point in time to legislate about tobacco consumption. Enough grounds for dismissal. A law suit is another matter.
The President is putting serious doubts on his ability to perform the functions of his office. His behaviour should be investigated.
Why are we tip-toeing around the issue? It’s beyond doubt. He should be gone.
Is he the one meant to call the Party that has chosen to Govern in flagrant abuse of ethics to order? Fat chance.
Someone wondered whether they were living in a parallel universe. I think it’s more correct to say non-fiction horror story, unfolding as we speak.
Ma jistax ipoggi darba sew:
http://gov.mt/en/Government/Press%20Releases/Press%20Photos/PublishingImages/2013/May/day16/SPK_16052013_03.jpg
Can’t see Chiara in his zarbun.
And by the way – what’s all this nonsense with “Mr President”? … What are we, a nation of Marilyn Monroes?
It’s His Excellency … This is not an Executive President but a Head of State with very residual powers …
Anyway, long story short: wave your “throne” goodbye George, and stop exposing our country to ridicule.
His excellency he truly ain’t.
The days of blatant obscene and “transparent” officially condoned disregard of ethics and even written codes of ethics are now officially with us once more.
Those who nauseated the whole nation by continuously demanding “resignations” and “shouldering of responsibility” by others are now unashamedly granting themselves an official immunity and “waivers” from ethical behaviour capriciously granted by the king emperor.
That is the result of listening to the siren LP song of never looking back and for ignoring the lessons of history. The mistakes will be repeated and are already being repeated outrageously.
I don’t know whether I should laugh or cry……unbelievable
A cock-up at the highest level.
A Presidential cock-up.
The first gentleman was to sit on the tenders sub-committee. Perhaps that was too inconvenient.
… and which is the ‘wrong’ President?
The million dollar question has to be, is Mr Mangion Y going to step down a) because he was not wanted in the first place and b) he hopefully wants to dissociate himself with his chairman’s scandalous and shameful behaviour.
And that should go for the treasurer Harry Fenech as well. Along with the rest of the board, they have showed their own weakness with their “no comment” to the media.
Board members are individually and collectively responsible for decisions taken. The minutes even reported a unanimous decision. Board members resign or forever hang your head in shame.
Wrong appointment… the President’s I mean.
Something very weird going on here. Bigger spotlight required.
President George was given the unique privilege of having been appointed from the PL side by the PN to enjoy nationwide support. He then shows his gratitude with a divisive Speech from the Throne and by making a colossal mess in the management and reputation of a national charity which enjoyed nationwide support.
Well done George, some achievement!
X’tahwid.
This president has become an embarrassment to us all. Mismanagement of charity funds, overspending by the President’s office, nepotism and now taking a gentleman like Alfred Mangion (the one who used to work in Dr Gonzi’ Secretariat) for a ride.
This is unacceptable. If Dr Abela has the Presidency at heart and most importantly the interest of the Community Chest Fund at heart, he should resign. He cannot continue to cling on to the gravy tray as if nothing is happening.
Your Excellency, it’s time to say goodbye.
Fittex nehilsu minn dan il-President. Igeghlni nisthi iktar minn Muscat.
Our President is once again hogging the headline news – and for the wrong reasons too.
What an utter disgrace.
This is the President of the Republic of Malta. Mr. President has some very serious questions to answer, and I guess he’d better start giving the right answers, not something like Ms. Darleen did not avail herself of the funds.
Shame on you, Mr. President!
Let’s stop kidding ourselves; Alfred Mangion X could never be on the Community Chest Fund as he is a PN Councillor and worked with the abhorred Gonzi.
Have you read ‘Scoop’ by Evelyn Waugh? Sounds like they picked the wrong William Boot.
Min hu Alfred Mangion? (with apologies to Alfred Sant and Evelyn Costa).
Is this Harry Fenech who used to work at Barclay’s?
I now realise how right Kenneth Wain was to point out that the MFCC should be registered as an NGO with all that it entails.
Dear Ms. Galizia,
Excellent piece on English in The Malta Independent on Sunday. Historically, many Maltese have resisted English as the language of the colonizer. This is understandable.
But those days are gone and people need to get over it.
Whatever one may think of the British rule, they did Malta a huge favor by introducing English.
As an American, living in China (by far your two leading trading partners) and a frequent visitor to your lovely island, I can say unequivocally that the level of English in Malta is a huge advantage that your competition in Europe and Africa do not enjoy.
You are a small nation and you must trade to prosper. For the sake of your future, please do not squander your language edge because of some past pique which has no relevance in the modern world where English is the only true international language.
Sincerely,
Charles Marshall
Shanghai