Another false – or would that be fraudulent, given that it was made in expectation of gain – promise
Published:
September 7, 2013 at 11:01am
The Malta Independent reported yesterday:
On Mepa’s decision to extend the permit for the use of heavy fuel oil until 2014, Dr Muscat said the Labour Party never said that the switch from HFO to diesel would have been made instantly.
He was replying to criticism levelled by the PN which said that, prior to the election, the PL had promised to remove the use of HFO but has now chosen to continue using it at least until next year.
But take a look at the Labour Party’s press release in December 2011, and check out their (false, as it turned out) promises.
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The “Rowdmap car” is reminding everyone of Apple Maps eagerly awaited but when it was released it turned out it was: (a) rushed and poorly thought out, (b) full of errors and (c) with a lot of missing landmarks.
Apple issued an apology, Malta deserves one.
Malta doesn’t deserve an apology. Labour were obviously crooks and liars – Malta voted for the government it deserves.
What few people seem to notice is that there is already a power station perfectly capable of running on gas-oil (what we more commonly know as diesel) at Marsaxlokk. I am speaking of the combined cycle gas turbines. It can produce electricity at approximately the same cost as the BWSC plant would running on gas-oil (which is of course much more costly than the present HFO)
However the government continues to use the heavy fuel oil fired boilers at Marsa instead, because the fuel it uses is much cheaper. The Marsa power station neither has the fuel and exhaust cleaning apparatus that the BWSC plant has, nor does it have the very tall chimney needed to dispose of the exhaust safely, as the phase 1 HFO fired boilers in Marsaxlokk have.
That said, the previous government was doing the same, the difference being that they weren;t promising to do things which they knew they wouldn’t.
What the prime minister means is that until the LNG infrastructure is ready, the decision to run the plant on heavy fuel oil, with filtered exhaust, is and was the correct one.
For many months, his party media drove home the propaganda that heavy fuel oil is “l-aktar zejt li jhammeg u li jgib il-kanser”, and what a corrupt decision it was.
Now, all that hogwash is behind us.
Perhaps we should thank God for little mercies. If they ploughed ahead and switched to diesel oil, as they had promised, the national fuel expenses would have skyrocketed.
Re: the Libya/Malta deal
Now that Ali Zeidan has threatened military action against the oil protesters, we need to know whether Joseph Muscat agrees with this strategy.
If he does, we need to know what kind of force he approves of: tear gas, batons, rubber bullets, live bullets, tanks, aerial bombs? I think we should be told.
The protesters want
1) federalist demands
2) a bigger share in the country’s oil wealth.
3) changes in management
4) higher pay.
Which of these in Joseph Muscat’s opinion justifies military action?
This would have arguably been none of Malta’s business in other circumstances but now that Malta has hedged its bets on such action being taken, it is definitely our business.
Just two days ago, TVM was boasting that the cheap oil will come and the protesters will have been dealt with in a few months’ time.
I’m not saying that the use of force is not justified. Maybe it is (after all, many of the protesters are armed militias), but whether it is or not is not the point. We need to know where our government stands. We need to know how far Joseph Muscat is ready to go to get cheap oil. After all, we all know how things used to work out the last time Malta had an agreement with Libya to get cheap fuel back in the 1980s
When Eddie Fenech Adami wanted a Malta Drydocks desperate for business to repair a warship, everybody kicked up a stink about Malta’s neutrality.
When Lawrence Gonzi wanted Malta to join the Partnership for Peace, Labour kicked up another stink about neutrality.
Now that Malta is tacitly agreeing with the Libyan government using military force against its own citizens (otherwise it won’t get its oil), nobody is asking any questions.
Truly unbelievable.
Another point regarding the oil deal: Is it just me who thinks that asking a cash strapped, desperate friend (it was only a short while ago that Labour were celebrating 50 years of friendship with Libya) to sell you his most valuable stuff cheaply smacks of exploitation, especially when you’re also asking him to get his act together and rid you of immigrants?
The least Malta could do was offer to buy fuel at the normal market price, maybe even a bit higher if feeling really generous.
Labour led Malta has always been a leech, sucking others’ blood without giving anything back.
hear hear
It would also be good to know who is helping the Libyan government with its military attacks and arms, and whether the government of Joseph Muscat supports those sources.
What is the Labour government’s position on the current situation in Libya?
Is it still one of “Malta should continue to be PRUDENT”?
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110320/local/libya-malta-should-continue-to-be-prudent-joseph-muscat.355723
Hallihom ibatu l-Libjani, l-aqwa li ghandna c-Cinizi jmexxu l-armi. Dawk il-containers kollha, min tridu jinduna?
Perhaps Joseph promised to send his “navy” if needed.
The PN mass meeting chant used to be “Giddiben, giddibin u tal-labour giddibein.”
It seems they still are.
I hope someone in the PN is keeping spreadsheets with (a) lists of pre-election lies come home to roost (b) inappropriate / cronyist appointments so we can mass mail them at election time, starting with the June 2014 election and all the way up to 2018.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130907/local/environmental-assessment-of-new-power-station-unsatisfactory-dlh.485169
Din L-Art Helwa is right.
If the project details are not yet available, how can the government assess the impact on the environment?
As a member of the public, it is the public’s right to be sure that proper studies have been made in accordance with local and EU law.
Joseph Muscat promised us “l-aqwa fl-Ewropa.” That’s what we want, no more, no less.
Ah yes, Marsaxlokk.
Right, It’s September, six months passed, according to their rowdmepp, Mizzi should be telling us which one he’s going for, signing the agreement by the end of this month.
Actually, I think works should have proceeded. So, what’s up?
One expects at least a comment from Edward Mallia.
Too busy defending his new paymasters on the Marsascala park debacle.
Paymasters? Is he on some government board?
Mallia is the Big Enchilada of Leo Brincat’s investigation team into Sant Antnin’s operation and environmental procedures.
At least he is now happy to be paid for consultancies that he has longed for.