“Ghax ma tarax x’ghamilt int.”
The Opposition’s representatives on the Public Accounts Committee have asked the Auditor-General to investigate interference by Economic Affairs Minister Chris Cardona in the Privatisation Unit regarding the granting of a contract for legal services to assist in the granting of casino licences.
The government really, but really, has to stop this way of responding to legitimate criticism, accusations and press questions. It has now reached disease proportions and it’s become obvious that there is some kind of directive to use ‘ghax ma tarax x’ghamilt int (ja mara hazina)’ as a standard response tactic.
The government uses it, the Labour Party uses it, and individual ministers/parliamentary secretaries are using it.
And people are sick of it already. Are they going to keep this up for five years? Even if we take their retorts of wrong-doing by the Nationalist government at face value, people voted for a change in (perceived) abusive methods, and not for a change of those abusing those methods.
In Times of Malta, today, in a report which tells us that the Opposition members of the Public Accounts Committee have asked the auditor-general to investigate Economy Minister Chris Cardona’s abusive interference in selecting lawyers to advise on granting casino licences.
LABOUR REACTION
In a reaction, the Labour members on the PAC said they felt the inquiry should be extended to the practices used by the former administration, particularly the Finance Ministry, for the contracting of legal services.
They said such contracts in the past were almost always awarded to the same people, by direct order.
15 Comments Comment
Leave a Comment
All of a sudden it has become trendy to speak of the past.
Well, there is no future to speak about under Labour.
Sometimes I wonder what the National Audit Office do in their day to day business.
Why does this institution not raise the flag where issues exist, rather than wait for some Parliamentary Committee to request an investigation.
And if a matter is raised in the media, shouldn’t the National Audit Office initiate an investigation?
Shouldn’t the media scrutinise what the institutions are doing in cases of alleged abuse?
In the case above, had the case been followed up by the media, there would be no opportunity for the government to play the “ara x’ghamilt int” game.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130817/local/pn-nationalist-ministers-did-not-alter-privatisation-unit-decisions.482470
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130817/local/birkirkara-man-accused-of-threatening-minister.482469
Min jaf ghalfejn dan kien qed idejqu? Min jaf x’wieghdu qabel l-elezzjoni? Issa l-aqwa li Christ Cardona lahaq ministru, l-bqija ma jafekx habib.
And I thought those 36k who voted for something better were expecting that these `politicians` to do exactly that. Pull the other leg will ya.
I thought we started a “pagna gdida” u there is no more red states and blue states (sorry I meant “Malta taghhom u Malta taghna”)
Extend it by all means. However what the people voted for was a change for the better not worse.
That government refers to the actions of its predecessor is a somewhat understandable practice. Understandable, but not justified.
When referring to the actions of the previous government, it is clear that the very fine message sent by the electorate has been missed – the change in Manor Farm, was not so much about whether Mr Jones or Napoleon would run the farm, but more so about HOW the farm was to be run.
With Napoleon donning Mr Jones’ clothes and walking the same walk, the very real opportunity to act differently is being squandered. The revolutionary cry that “all animals are equal” is no longer heard and now “some are more equal than others”
For the animals to run the farm in Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’ was never really an option. Time and again, history has proved him right.
The Nationalist Party insisted this afternoon that no Nationalist minister ever altered recommendations by the Privatisation Unit.
The party was replying to the Labour Party’s reaction to a call for the Auditor General to investigate how Economic Affairs Minister Chris Cardona interfered in the Privatisation Unit during a call for expressions of interest for the provision of legal services to handle the granting of licences for two casinos.
The Labour MPs on the Public Accounts Committee said yesterday that the Auditor-General should also report how the former government issued direct orders to a few companies instead of a call for expressions of interest.
The PN said the Auditor-General reviewed all direct orders every year without being asked to do so by MPs. Labour’s call, therefore, was only an attempt to hinder the Auditor-General, the PN said.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130817/local/pn-nationalist-ministers-did-not-alter-privatisation-unit-decisions.482470
These people still have not grasped the concept of what it is to be the government.
Their mode if behaviour remains one of an opposition.
There certainly has been a change and it definitely was for the worse. I was going to say that the switchers would have better adopted a ‘better the devil you know’ attitude at election time but then the one that they voted for was a very well known ‘devil’ and is performing true to form.
Precisely, Vespa.
Hadn’t they told us (a million times prior to the election) that we should look forward and focus on the future rather than talking about the past?
I can’t take it already anymore. I am seriously considering leaving this island; either that or I will just have to quit reading this blog and try to live in blissful oblivion.
Another person was today arraigned on charges of threatening a Labour minister. Yesterday’s L-Orizzont editorial pleaded for some time to start delivering (Aghtuna ftit cans please!)
Looks like impossible promises made behind closed doors are already haunting them.
And I’ve been told that a couple of cabinet members are already losing it and are on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
My friend passed an interesting comment.
She was told by a Labour person rather high up in government that they are grabbing all they can in these five years, because they know that they will not be there for another five.
You would think that instead of acting like greedy pigs they would be trying to come up with a roadmap that ensured that they were elected again in five years.
Instead they have drawn up a roadmap to disaster.
“..people voted for a change in (perceived) abusive methods, and not for a change of those abusing those methods”
This sentence really says it all to the so called ‘switchers’.
Love it. Great title for an article.