Another spectacularly unimpressive government appointment
Times of Malta reports:
An Australian citizen who “uses every possible occasion to promote Labour”, according to (Labour Party official) newspaper KullĦadd, has been appointed Malta’s High Commissioner in Canberra.
Foreign Minister George Vella nominated Charles Muscat – who has been representing Labour’s interests in Australia for the past quarter of a century – to fill the post for the next three years.
Both the Labour Party’s newspaper and Times of Malta failed to mention one key bit of information: Charles Muscat owns a menswear shop. That, together with promoting the Labour Party among Maltese emigrants, is his line of expertise.
Oh, and the report also includes the fact that the Australia was “reluctant to agree to his appointment”. Well, of course they were.
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The Labour Party isn’t even bothering to hide the fact that all its appointments are political. I never heard of Charles Muscat before but KullHadd made it a point of telling us that he “uses every possible occasion to promote Labour”.
The phrase “uses every possible occasion to promote Labour” has me baffled. What does it mean? Why does “Labour” of the Maltese brand need to be promoted among the Maltese migrant society? It does not sound at all convincing.
You’re missing the more important point that an ambassador represents a country, not a political party, which is the particular boast of this particular appointment.
So what you are saying is that it is merely another way of saying “iced bun for services rendered to the party.”
Plausible but not entirely convincing.
We still need to explain why ‘Labour’ needs to be promoted down under. For example, are we talking of campaigning for money from overseas Maltese?
if this chap got his bun because “he uses every occasion to promote Labour”, how many buns does Eddy Privitera deserve? But maybe his ultra stupid comments do not go down well with Labour.
We should have an Eddy-says ‘John Dalli-o-meter’:
This week, Eddy-says, John Dalli is …………. (fill in either invaluable for his experience or the devil incarnate.)
Sick.
They mentioned this fact in the print and premium digital edition. They also mentioned the fact that Australia is unhappy about the appointment.
‘According to sources, the Australian government was reluctant to agree to Mr Muscat’s appointment.’
And here’s another gem: ‘Asked to comment on concerns that this was a partisan appointment, a spokesman for the Foreign Minister played down the issue and said “only time will tell” whether Mr Muscat will be able to serve the interests of all Maltese.’
Only time will tell? So the people who appointed him bear no responsibility? Mr Minister, you’re supposed to know whether he’s any good BEFORE you appoint him.
That’s the official line promoted by the prime minister in defense of all inappropriate appointments, notably John Dalli’s.
From driver/messemger to High Commissioner.
Reminds me of the 70s at the then Mid Med Bank Leo Brincat’s canvasser from messenger to Human Resources manager
Why can’t anybody remember that a bank clerk ended up being a finance minister?
At least he owns a menswear shop.
Maybe he can have a word with the Chairman of the Pharmacy Council and advise him accordingly.
http://charlesmenswear.com.au/about-2/
Good one.
Dawn il-hnizrijiet li qed isiru minn dan il-Gvern qed ikomplu jikkonfermaw li mhux biss ma jirispettawx lill eletoratt Malti lill Malta in generali, izda l-anqas jirrispettaw relazzjonijiet ma’ pajjizi ohra.
Meta tara l-gazzetta ufficjali tal-P.L. li tghid car u tond li l-gvern Australjan ma kienx kuntent b’din il-hatra, u bir-ragun ghax Muscat ma seta qatt akkwista ‘diplomatic skills’ mix-xoghol tieghu ta’ xufier u messaggier, u l-gvern Awstraljan jigi mgieghel jaccetta din il-kariga, tistghu tahsbu kemm ser ikun hemm kordjalita bejn l-Ambaxxattur Malti, il-Gvern Awstraljan, kif ukoll bejn l-istess Muscat u Ambaxxaturi ta’ pajjizi ohra.
Fl-opinjoni tieghi ghadna gvern immexxi minn Prim Ministru immatur politikament, u allura ma tistax tistenna ahjar hlief dawn l-izbalji goffi.
The main worry here is that this person is an Australian citizen. Does he have dual citizenship at least?
Australia’s quite a trek for an Iced Bun to make – I hope it was still fresh when it reached this guy.
It is divisive to appoint the representative of a political party abroad as the ambassador (or high commissioner) representing Malta in that country.
This happened in the past with the appointment of Scerri and Cassar in London, and Forace in Australia. The news that the Australian authorities were defied is not a good augury for our relations with Australia, as was the case with Forace.
For the record, Francis Cassar admitted to us that he felt uncomfortable that at time he was made to feel more as the president of the MLP club in London than the High Commissioner in London.
Foreign Minister Tabone appointed him as Malta’s representative (not in the rank of ambassador) in Baghdad, and Cassar stayed in that position as long as he wished.
http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100521033951AAsVGgC
Please direct your enquiries to the High Commissioner and his menswear outlet.
Well what can I say? ne underwhelming appointment to Maltese High Commissioner to Australia is followed by another underwhelming appointment.
And this appears to indeed be the tragedy of our nation: that you either have a slick, educated, narrow-minded and self-serving party boy appointed to a crucial public position (PN), or else an uneducated narrow-minded troglodyte party boy appointed to a crucial public position (MLP)! Quo vadis Malta?