Why is the President of Malta demeaning himself further?
The President of Malta – and I purposely do not say ‘George Abela’ – is on TVM right now, being quizzed along with a couple of others, by Norman Vella on TVHemm.
When I switched on, he was in the process of defending Darleen Zerafa, his wife’s paid personal assistant (she is a pharmacist, but works as the First Lady’s PA, God bless her) and his daughter-in-law Lydia’s sister.
First he heaped enormous praise on her, then he explained in great detail why he thought she should have received Community Chest Fund money to cover her course expenses in Italy, then he spoke in awe of her refusal to take the money.
When men, whoever they are, speak of a woman, whoever she is, in tones of the Beata Paola, sounding in awe of a paragon cross between the Virgin Mother, Florence Nightingale and the subject of a pre-Raphaelite painting, they plummet in my esteem – even if there was any to begin with – right through a hole in the floor.
Few men look as pathetic and foolish, whoever they are, as those who publicly and patently eat out of the hand of a manipulative woman, whoever she might be, who is transparently (to other women at least; men tend to be blind to these operations) playing the part of a goo-goo-eyed heroic saint for his benefit, when so many other people can see that they are led by the nose.
This is the President’s real problem at the moment: not that he offered that charity money to Darleen Zerafa, so much as that he appears to have fallen under the undue influence of a couple of soft-spoken manipulative sisters with a will of iron and an eye on the main chance, who have come into his sphere through the marriage of one of them to his son.
If Lydia Abela, Darleen’s sister, were a decent woman, she would have dissuaded her husband, the President’s son, from taking to the stage at a mass meeting in the electoral campaign, and still more would she have dissuaded him from insulting Lawrence Gonzi into a microphone before a crowd of tens of thousands.
She would have said to him, “Don’t do it. Lawrence Gonzi is the very man who behaved so well towards your father, made him President, and made it possible for us to baptise our child in the Verdala Castle chapel and leave a marble plaque marking the occasion in the castle grounds, for posterity. It would be ill-mannered, indecent and wrong to insult him in public, and why would you want to insult him anyway?”
That was her duty as his wife, but Lydia Abela is a Labour Party official and she has an agenda and her own career advancement to think of.
I think it might well have been Lydia Abela who instigated her husband to behave so badly in the first place, far from even trying to dissuade him from his own idea.
Those Zerafa sisters seem to have the presidential family under their thumb, what with one of them married to the president’s son and another one literally installed in the palace bedroom as lady-in-waiting (that’s what the first lady’s PA really is), and secretary to the Community Chest Fund board.
Now we have the President demeaning himself by appearing on an early evening television interview show to defend himself and Darleen.
It’s not the show itself that’s demeaning – it’s one of the best on television usually, but tonight it’s absolutely terrible, with none of the right questions asked and a complete whitewash job done on the President and Darleen.
No, it’s the fact that he debased his position by behaving like any old politician who goes on television in that context to justify himself and his actions.
Norman Vella should have grilled him over hot coals – there were so many questions to be asked, so many inconsistencies to be pointed out – but he didn’t. Let’s face it, when the President has got to the stage where he’s being grilled on television about his actions and intentions (even if the grilling is more of a mere white-toasting on setting number 1), it’s time to say goodbye.
This is our HEAD OF STATE we’re talking about. He’s the equivalent, for what it’s worth, of the Queen. Can you imagine the Queen sitting on a sofa on a BBC show defending her actions before Jeremy Paxman? That’s right, it just doesn’t happen.
George Abela has treated the presidency like a job, not a state role.
We had such high expectations of this president – I certainly was one who did – but instead of rising to the occasion he dragged the whole thing down with him, or allowed himself to be dragged down by his rabidly ambitious hangers-on.
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The more he talks about this the more I’m convinced of keeping maximum distance away from the Malta Community Chest Fund.
I agree with you 100%.
Just don’t let stop you helping those who need it. Just give donationd directly to the relevant charities/organisations you fell deserve your help.
“such as travelling fees, because she had been bending over backwards to save money.”
Does the President know that most of those who follow a university course abroad take out a bank loan?
If the President really wants to be honest he should be interviewed by you, that is if he has the guts to do it. Not go on TVHemm which seems to have surrendered to Labour and became their puppets after the election.
I’m missing Bondi’s in-depth questioning. Last time Bondi was on the box, Konrad Mizzi was lost in another dimension, emphatically believing Tonio Fenech was still minister.
Has Lou been gagged by those who ‘come in peace’, or what?
Shame on you, Mr. President!
Community Chest Funds are aimed as charity to those who need personal care and cannot afford it.
I have never heard it said during the many fundraising occasions that these monies are also used for scholarships.
This is the education department role and there are procedures for these scholarships.
Even more, and this I know from personal experience, relatives are normally excluded from the selection. This is ethics as we have been taught in the past.
But it has become normal to waive away ethics, regulations and practices.
Agreed completely. Does the presidency not know its position. As they say pajjiz tal mikij maws (for the less articulate mickey mouse)
He should never have tried to defend the indefensible. It is bad enough that he committed the cardinal error of nepotism. His attempt to justify his actions showed that after he hit rock bottom, he managed to find a cellar to sink further into.
But why should we be surprised? There must have been something intrinsically wrong with him if he was a Labour leading light after all. Mangion’s DNA perhaps?
We don’t need a Second Republic, but a Second Constitutional Monarchy. For all their super partes posturing, most of our presidents have been a disgrace to the nation, or a five-year comedy at best. Time to abolish the office.
But why put everyone in the same basket? This is typical of everyone who wants to be seem impartial. Can anyone say anything wrong about Dr A.D. Adami’s Presidency?
Me? Impartial? An out and proud monarchist and Communist-hater?
We’ve had eight presidents since 1974.
Agatha Barbara, Anton Buttigieg, Ugo Mifsud Bonnici and Guido de Marco makes four. Add George Abela and you get five. That’s five out of eight.
Steady on old boy.
Out of the eight (+ two acting), we had quite a few diamonds.
Sir Anthony, Censu Tabone, Ugo Mifsud Bonnici, and Paul Xuereb were excellent.
Unfortunately though, when one mentions Maltese Presidents, Agatha invariably springs to mind. And we don’t have to go further down that particular pit.
I think we should choose between:
1. A Bishopric (a bit like Andorra – half-Bishopric, half-Presidency); or
2. Installing the Grand Master of the SMOM as Prince of Malta.
Who could be divinely appointed by God to rule Malta?
Elizabeth II. My grandfathers did not fight and die under the Union Flag so we could piss away two hundred years of shared history on a whim.
The cockfighter from Hal Ghaxaq would make a splendid job me thinks
At last, something we can talk about.
I say the republic cannot be restricted to an island state as minute as ours. No momentum possible, a killer of every possible evolution.
Head of state bred and reared to take us away from ourselves? Definitely.
It’s looking us in the face.
I mean, imagine having the little one inspect her guard of honour.
http://www.realcasadiborbone.it/en/the-royal-house-today/hrh-the-duchess-of-castro/
Don’t be ridiculous. This country will be British before it is ever Sicilian, god curse them for shifty dagos.
It is something of a mystery to me how Malta boasts of surviving the toil of centuries, only to gleefully turn itself over to a bunch of jacked-up peasants and happily dismantle five centuries of sheer bloody graft. Well fucking done, republicans and patriots.
Douze points.
I just switched off half way through….
As I had indicated, we are now expected to put a sock in it, forget that all this happened and move on. On the contrary, scrutiny and sifting through leads needs to continue.
The President dug himself even deeper into the hole he was in.
Among other things he admitted that other people had received money from the Community Chest Fund to read for Masters degrees and PhDs. He didn’t say who they were and this is bound to fuel even more speculation.
He admitted that Darleen Zerafa already had a scholarship or some kind of assistance for the course she was following. So she had a salary, a scholarship and, not content, was going to receive even more money from the CCF.
He claimed that Darleen was not going to be employed at the eating-disorders centre but only help during its setting up. So, the CCF was going to pay for her studies but make only temporary use of her services. And afterwards? It didn’t occur to the President that afterwards she would use her qualifications to expand her private practice.
The story that Darleen Zerafa almost immediately refused the money offered by the CCF rings hollow. The President can easily prove this by publishing the minutes in which her refusal is recorded. Since the offer was minuted, her non-acceptance should also have been.
While on the subject of minutes, the President acted very self-righteously about the leaked excerpt. Someone should explain to him that this is what whistleblowing is all about. We heard so much about whistleblowers before the elections – well this was a whistleblower in action.
Versions change according to the questions popping up.
Yesterday’s showing was the worst yet, even vouching at the end this sort of ‘incident’ wouldn’t happen again, at least until April 2014.
Tragic. Head of State taking to a TV show, sitting on a twiddly chair like any other common guest with a story.
Actually her ACCEPTANCE was minuted. If there was a subsequent change of mind, then that should also have been minuted. Maybe those minutes aren’t ready yet – the secretary might have been taken up by other matters.
I watched the programme, listened carefully … He was clever at beating around the bush from beginning to end. He could not even justify why Darleen should qualify to benefit from CHARITY MONEY ( OUR DONATIONS).
I am totally shocked and saddened.
My conclusion: NO MORE DONATIONS TO THE COMMUNITY CHEST FUND.
This president has lost all my respect.
At this point it would have be NO MORE SALUTING THE FLAG.
Because the whole damn country makes me sick.
The First Republic is in crisis. Let’s bury it and proceed to the Second Republic.
How very right, Baxxter. And how very, very sad.
If there was ever a revenge of pigs in a pig sty this must be it.
I can’t do that because I had to swear allegiance to the flag of the republic upon becoming a citizen.
Worst mistake of your entire life. You should have kept the other passport.
Regarding donations, just cut out the middle man and donate directly to the charities you feel deserve your help. That way you know your money is going to the right place (or at least where you want it to).
I missed the sentence of the president. Can you please tell us what it was? I think he crowned the wasteful time of TVHemm by his last remark.
Malta has its very own Anne Boleyn…well, two of them.
Interesting comparison. The emperor would love to have his Anne Boleyn.
Mmmm. Especially if she’s anything like Scarlett Johansson.
An all-in-the-family jamboree?
UFFFF.
The story seems to be turning out to be a Shakespearean tragedy. The submissive Miranda CCF board has managed to appease King Lear’s Pride who is soon turning out to be a Bottom wanting to play all the parts himself on TV.
No cash from me, mate… and lots like me.
I missed the last sentence of the president.. Can you please tell us what it was? I think he crowned the wasteful time of TVHemm by his last remark.
For fifty years I was under the impression that George Abela was a clever guy. I assume that Lawrence Gonzi felt likewise.
I was mistaken. It seems to me now that he is only as clever as the Italian “furbo”.
Who on earth wants a “furbo” to represent him and his country.
A “furbo” as a role model?
Mr President you have allowed yourself to become involved in a cock-up of the first order.
The seriousness of your error of judgement is humongous.
If you want my sincere advice on damage limitation, disappear.
Most Maltese, no matter their politics, used to regard the Community Chest Fund as THE charity benchmark, a transparent, well administered fund that was guaranteed to help those who needed it most.
Alas, those days seem to be far gone.
RESIGN
This George Abela fellow should have been left in Hal Qormi tending the bakery ovens by Dr. Gonzi instead of giving him a plum job like President of the Republic of Malta.
“If Lydia Abela, Darleen’s sister, were a decent woman, she would have dissuaded her husband, the President’s son, from taking to the stage at a mass meeting in the electoral campaign, and still more would she have dissuaded him from insulting Lawrence Gonzi into a microphone before a crowd of tens of thousands. ”
Well, in my view, she should never have accepted a senior position with the Labour Party after her father-in-law had become President.
It was clear that this could lead to conflicts of interests, antagonistic pressures, and that in the worst of cases it could bring the Presidency in disrepute.
And here we are, now, with the Presidency having to defend itself in a situation involving confusion of roles between family, politics, charity and State.
I would have expected the President to be somewhat ashamed. Unfortunately, he and his ilk do not know the meaning of the word.
George Abela has a thick skin like all Labour supporters. In fact their skin has 25 layers – one for each year they spent in Opposition.
They are impervious to any darts thrown at them by the ‘minority’.
Apart from seeing the President demeaning himself even further, it was also very disappointing to see some university lecturers on TVHEMM whom i respected, balatantly defending him! Really, what’s going on?
Exactly so , I was sick to my stomach and will never ever rate the a_se-licker again for as long as I live.
I do believe though, that he formed part of the MCCF board and so condoned the president’s robbing-hood coup in the first place. Birds of a feather flock together as they say, but these aren’t plain birds but vultures.
Hawwadni ha nifmek Mr. President. L-ewwel tghid li m’ghamilt xejn hazin fuq l-offerta li ghamilt lill-Zerafa, u mbaghad l-ahhar kelma tieghek kienet li incident bhal dan mhux ser jirrepeti ruhu.
Sa fejn naf jien hu il-hazin li m’ghandux jirrepeti ruhu.
I was shocked to see our President stoop so low and worse, get others to the same.
I was so pleased when Gonzi decided to appoint George Abela as our new President.
I prayed and dreamt that he will be the first Labour candidate to hold such a high profile post without prejudice and in total transparency.
His doom day was appearing on this staged show and making a total arse of himself. He and those around him should leave before they ruin something great.
I thought on TV at Christmas time for the Community Chest fund we only watched sick adults and children, to be encouraged to cough up.
I never watched anybody ‘studying’ abroad – actually to those sick people it was the last thing on their mind.
Yes I was so very pleased when Dr Lawrence Gonzi appointed Dr George Abela as our President. And yes I was also very shocked with the latest incidents. Dr Gonzi really tried to have Malta Taghna Lkoll. Unfortunately this noble gesture was abused of.
Misskhom tishthu tittkellmu u tirragunaw bdan il mod! Min sema l president jitkellem l bierah u ghandu ftit melh fmohhu zgur jindunaw li l bniedem ul bord warajh huma genwieni u mhux sew nies bhalkom tizziraw id dubju! shame on you!!
Italy’s Second Republic started after “tangentopoli”.
Over here on this godforsaken rock, there is talk of a Second Republic and all we needed to set the ball rolling was “Darleenopoli”.
He shamed Dr Gonzi, so he should do the honourable thing and resign.
[Daphne – He did not shame Dr Gonzi. He insulted him, which is different. And in doing so, he shamed himself and his public role.]
In my humble opinion the President would be perceived as a great man if he were to address the nation and admit his mistake.
He can then move forward in the best interest of MCCF whose good workings and results over the past four years have been so synonymous with President George Abela.
Good workings, you said?
What if this is the tip of the iceberg?
I know of one case where MCCF lent a (patient) lifter to a very rich lady.
We once heard that MCCF money was syphoned by some close aid of the president (not Abela).
I lost trust, punto e basta!
The time I felt best about giving money was when our family gave a sum personally to the father of our daughter’s school mate, who is still receiving cancer treatment.
We got to know that he was picking aluminium cans for scrap metal to make ends meet. His then young daughter told ours that he collects them.
To hell with people with eating disorders, they can get inexpensive help from Mater Dei Hospital.
[Daphne – Extreme eating disorders are a very serious matter which require psychiatric as well as physical treatment. Some individuals literally starve themselves to death.]
I know that there are people who starve themselves to death and that there are also others who can never eat enough.
My question is , “Do we have to BUILD an institution when there’s a simpler solution of establishing a unit within the Health Ministry?”
I would never donate money for something which the government is expected to provide a professional service.
Dropping this project is the only option,in my opinion this should not be run by a charitable institution.