Well, Martin, you’re the one who told us that this circus act would be better for Malta

Published: May 10, 2013 at 12:54am

backchat

It’s a little too late to say all this now. It was already predictable then, when you told us that it was time for a change to Labour.

Labour came to power on the basis of setting high standards, did it? Despite my 23 years of writing about Maltese politics, forgive me for not having noticed.




21 Comments Comment

  1. ciccio says:

    “Government should abide by code of ethics – experts.”

    “Experts should find ‘technical loopholes’ in code of ethics – government.”

  2. Gahan says:

    Like everyone else Martin Scicluna let himself to be used as a stepping stone for Joseph to become prime minister.

    Give him time to settle in, Martin. These inanities are just appetisers; best wait till they serve the main course.

    • Antoine Vella says:

      Gahan, this rather pompous elderly gentleman didn’t let himself be used; he actually volunteered his support. An expert on pontificating platitudes.

      • Jozef says:

        Yes, currently advising Bergoglio where to take Christendom.

        Move over Augustine.

    • ninnu says:

      Roadmap for dictatorship.

    • anthony says:

      Never in my wildest dreams did I see Martin Scicluna as such a pitifully naive person.

      Nothing surprises me anymore though.

      Has he had his iced bun yet?

  3. Village says:

    PN opposition should bash PL much harder on the code of ethics mess.

  4. Bubu says:

    “Codici ta etika? X’nitnejjek? Dak ma ktibtux jien.”

    Quite a leaf from the old book.

  5. Carthago delenda est says:

    Oh, how I love it when you’re in this mood. Irony brings out the best of a good writer.

  6. kev says:

    But he’s not a real minister. Malta’s foreign minister is Cathy Ashton, l-ahwa, jekk qed tghix f’dan it-timeline.

    The good doctor is a foreign emissary, at best, attending to tummy aches across the globe. No problem if he plays shaman in his own backyard.

  7. anthony says:

    Daphne, you haven’t noticed…yet.

    Wait till you get your iced bun.

    You will then be on the road to Damascus.

    Hope against all hope.

  8. Victor says:

    Labour setting high standards?

    Sure, they were always ones to set high standards! Now whoever believed that must believe in Father Christmas.

  9. Riya says:

    The word ethics never existed in the PL vocabulary.

    All PL leaders and Ministers always did whatever is good for themselves and their pockets and the people and the country always came last.

  10. Ghoxrin Punt says:

    Interesting observation by Scicluna. He does not condemn the ethics of a Minister or PS, both being public servants, retaining their practices. What he is quibbling is the fact that the Prime Minister should change the ethics in order to permit these actions.

    I remember Major Scicluna as a very upright individual on his initial return to Malta in 1988. It is amazing how a few promises compromise even the most upright of individuals

  11. Riya says:

    Mhux hafna nies ‘intelligenti u suppost tal-affari taghhom’ xtaqu li jkun hemm il-Labour fil-Gvern ghax qalu li kien hawn bzonn il-bidla!

    Imma mhux bidla saret izda froga, u xeba favuri ghal tal-qalba biex jakkwistaw, wara kollox, kif dejjem ghamlu tal-Labour u qactu nies ara. U dan gara wara ftit biss granet u anke kontra kull etika.

    Ahseb u ara x’inhu gej? Futur fis-sod bil-favuri ghal but taghhom biss.

    Issa la l-froga saret huwa tard wisq u kullhadd irid joqoghd ghal dak li ghandu x’joffri Joseph Muscat , li s’issa hlief pjaciri lill-tal-qalba ma’ rajniex.

    Min xoghf u esperjenza lill-Labour jaf x’qieghed nghid, ghax iz-zaghzagh, imsieken ma’ jafux xi jfisser il-Labour fil-Gvern.

    Kemm ghad hawn nies iridu jibku ghal dak lizbal li ghamlu!

  12. ciccio says:

    The code of ethics for Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries states:

    “48. Within two months from his appointment and not later than the month of March of each year, every Minister should deposit with the Secretary to the Cabinet a declaration listing:
    (a) the immovable property of the Minister or in relation to which he has some form of title:
    (b) shares, bonds or other interests which he may have in a company or partnership, public or private;
    (c) the sum total of money he has deposited in banks;
    (d) directorships or other offices he holds;
    (e) his income in the previous year;
    (f) the sum total of loans he may have received which are still outstanding.”

    We are now around 2 months after the appointment of the cabinet (14 March). Have these declarations been made, or has Dr. Joseph Muscat granted another waiver to ALL ministers?

  13. uhuru says:

    Scicluna’s “trepidation”. From yesterday’s Times of Malta:

    Mr Scicluna, a former government consultant, was delivering a lecture entitled 50 Years of Planning Abuse: Look Around You and Weep, organised by Din l-Art Ħelwa.

    Environment lovers would be watching the Labour government carefully, he said, “possibly with some trepidation”.
    “Plans for Gozo and Ħondoq ir-Rummien. Plans to split environment and the planning roles. Plans for land reclamation. A feeling perhaps that promises have been made to the development lobby which have yet to be cashed in. Plans for changes in processing applications by the planning authority. We must be vigilant,” Mr Scicluna said.

  14. blue says:

    I never liked Martin Scicluna. I dealt with him a couple of times and thought he was rather too pompous for his own good and not particularly bright, either.

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