Passing the buck doesn’t count as positive action.

Contemplate the concepts in this quote from The Independent this morning:
“Moreover, once a citizenship request is approved, at any point in the future that person will still be subject to scrutiny and, if the government learns they have lied or had omitted information, or have, after acquiring citizenship, acted in any illegal manner or against Malta in any way they will pay the consequences by having their citizenships revoked.”

The Government should not play the sneaky game of testing the waters with bits of information and then only after comments are in, issue a full Press Release purporting to encapsulate those very same comments. It should have the decency, and confidence, to stand on its own two feet with decisions it has taken.

To on the one hand officially ignore Daphne’s blog, and on the other, nick all the ideas coming through the comment board as though it was the Government’s own thinking club is rather deceitful and shows a lack of same ideas, policy and strategies coming from within its own ranks and structures.

Just ignore that my very own consultant, the consultant to His Excellency my Minister for Energy etc. and the consultant to his whole delegation is the exceptionally qualified Shiv Nair someone distinguished eminently as permanently debarred by the World Bank for nefarious financial shenanigans.

Matter Closed (Some hope!)

Konrad Mizzi met the Energy Minister of Qatar TWO TIMES this year: once in May and once in July. Mr. Shiv Nair was mentioned by Qatar Petroleum in connection with the second meeting, in July. There is no news on the QP website about the meeting of May.

Can Joseph Muscat tell journalists who set up the contacts for the May 2013 meeting of Konrad Mizzi with the same Minister of Energy whom he met again in July 2013 in Qatar?

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130530/local/mizzi-in-energy-talks-in-qatar.471905

Therefore, can Joseph Muscat tell journalists why Konrad Mizzi needed Shiv Nair to set up a meeting with the same Minister of Qatar in July, given that Konrad Mizzi had met that same Minister in May 2013 – just 2 months before?

http://www.qp.com.qa/en/Homepage/MediaCentre/News/13-07-22/Energy_and_Industry_Minister_holds_discussions_with_Maltese_Minister_of_Energy_and_Conservation_of_Water.aspx

Did Shiv Nair set up the meeting of May 2013 as well?

Was Shiv Nair present in the meeting of May 2013?

Have a look at the last line in the following report on the May 2013 meeting of Konrad Mizzi in Qatar:

http://www.independent.com.mt/mobile/2013-05-30/news/konrad-mizzi-and-qatari-counterpart-discuss-matter-of-mutual-interest-1721466880/

“This meeting followed the one held in March last year, between the Qatari Minister and former Finance Minister Tonio Fenech.”

Ah, so there was no need for anyone to help the government of Malta set up meetings with the Energy Minister of Qatar.

And why is it that reports in the local media about both meetings between Konrad Mizzi and the Energy Minister of Qatar were sourced from reports in the foreign media but not from an official announcement by the Maltese government? (In fact, the meeting of July 2013 was only reported by Malta Today).

In fact, see what Malta Today said about the May 2013 meeting: “Questioned by MaltaToday, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said the government didn’t feel the need to publicise the visit because it was “a normal, routine visit”.

http://m.maltatoday.com.mt/newsdetails/news/national/Energy-Minister-meets-Qatari-counterpart-in-Doha-20130530

http://m.maltatoday.com.mt/newsdetails/news/national/Energy-Minister-meets-Qatari-counterpart-in-Doha-20130530

Excuse me: “a normal, routine visit”? Didn’t Muscat say, referring to the July visit, that Shiv Nair had helped establish important high level contacts in Qatar?
Does the government establish important high level contacts with a state like Qatar to discuss normal, routine matters?

Malta Today also reported that “Whilst no explanation was given as to why Giordimaina accompanied the minister to the visit, the spokesperson said that other officials from Enemalta and the Office of the Prime Minister were also present.”

Who were those other officials from the OPM? Was Shiv Nair one of them?

That is also the reason for the strange type of relationships and hierarchy projected seemingly indicating internal strife, which they are – to a point. He will need to play with these in future scenarios of a similar nature.