The prime minister has trouble remembering that we know he is in charge now
The Malta Independent reports the prime minister’s words today:
“We reached an agreement with the second largest economy in the world. We reached an agreement for them to invest in a company that is dragging down both the economy and the taxpayers. Dr Busuttil is still trying to scare people, telling us that the Chinese will have their finger on the light switch. The switch will remain in our hands, and it will not be in Austin Gatt’s hands,” Dr Muscat said to much applause at a Labour event held in Rabat.
Drop the subject of Austin Gatt, will you? By continuing to bang on about him like somebody with a negative obsession, you merely invite damaging comparisons by drawing our attention to the now-glaring fact that whatever Gatt’s shortcomings were, they fade into complete insignificance compared to what this government is doing.
I can’t see Austin Gatt selling 35% of Malta’s power monopoly to China in a secretive deal, promoting party favourites through two army ranks in two weeks, throwing a party and having the police serve him as waiters after cooking the food, or declaring that he has half a million euros in cash at home from a property he says he sold but of which there is no record.
Nor can I see him taking the family car, continuing to use it as his ministerial limo, getting paid for it and telling us that he is renting his own car to the government for his own to ‘save the government money’.
And I don’t think we ever saw him jetting off round the world with his wife, children and her hairdresser at taxpayers’ expense, or shoving his rather lovely, civilised and well-bred wife constantly into our faces as a sort of political marketing tool. How many people out there have actually seen Mrs Austin Gatt? Exactly. But we all know what Mrs Muscat looks like, sounds like and behaves like: we are given no choice in the matter.
And that’s just a few things that come to me now. I’m sure most of my readers can think of dreadful things this government has done which Austin Gatt would never have dreamt of doing.
Under The Malta Independent’s report there is this most pertinent comment.
Eman Carabott says:
06 October 2013 15:29
You are at the helm now Dr. Muscat, you can leave Dr. Gatt out of it. I don’t expect a Prime Minister to stoop to such banalities.
We would be better off if you used your breath to explain what exactly the agreement with China is regarding Enemalta and we, the people, can decide whose finger is on the light switch.
Stupid comments like this will get you applause from the sheep that you had in front of you, but from people who actually think, it just shows that you have to use kindergarten playground theatrics to hide your real agenda.
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http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-10-06/news/enemalta-switch-will-be-in-our-hands-and-not-in-ausin-gatts-pm-2813362176/
Muscat’s agenda was to get elected. His backers have taken over now.
Yep that was quite clear from the get go when the PM’s first act was to go on holiday…
Kliem Adrian Vassallo dak…ma kienx zbaljat.
L-aqwa li jwalla lil Gonzi, u imbaghad naraw
The Eurozone is the second largest economy (weighing in at almost three times the size of the Chinese economy). If you count it as a single market, the EU is the largest in the world, followed by the US.
The fact that Muscat forgets the EU is quite telling about his opinion of it.
It is quite telling about Muscat’s education generally. Too many make the mistake of believing the myth that he is an economist by training and has any sort of political belief other than getting ahead.
Lectures to third world countries in how to comport with the rule of law – Thomas Carothers (world bank official) Journal of foreign affairs 1988:
The hallmark of a country that is lawless- ‘The ruling elite’s tendency to act extra-legally whereever legal systems remain captives of the powers that be’
The defining requirement for the rule of law- ‘ Elites in the country must give up the habit of placing themselves above the law’
Skinny kid to fat red faced kid:” You’re fat!”
Fat red faced kid to skinny kid: “NO, YOU’RE FAT!”
That sums up Joe Muscat’s debating style. Of course, as it turns out, he WAS the fat red faced kid in the playground at school and he’s heading there again, and not just in debating style.
Does he realise he cannot last five years doing this?
I’m getting some very bad vibes from Labour grassroots, they can’t stand a wet git.
As for comparisons, I never saw Austin Gatt mumble something about roadmaps to decisions for years on end.
Nor did the Mintoffian hardcore used to the perit’s bravado.
I totally agree with Mr Carabott’s comments. I also agree that Austin Gatt’s shortcomings pale into insignificance compared to what this Government is doing.
I do not agree with Austin Gatt’s position that he is a private citizen and is no longer relevant. He remains answerable for whatever actions he took when he was in a decision-making position. He cannot expect to be just left alone.
He had quite a few shortcomings and some, I believe, had a direct effect on the result of the last elections. Be it the disgust at the few who are said to have become wealthy thanks to him, or the account of Eur700,000 in a Swiss bank that he forgot about or his legendary arrogance, “Jien l-Alla tat-Trasport”.
Having said that, the Prime Minister needs to stop justifying his actions and those of his cabinet by referring to the previous administration. He came in on the cry of change and meritocracy.
Instead what we are seeing here is all that we hated about the PN administration amplified and magnified in every single aspect of this government (and much, much more) and yet with none of the things which worked so well for our country and made us proud of it under the former Prime Minister. All in all we have got a rough deal.
With regards to Mr Carabott’s comment, and in the name of all sheep, I object vehemently to his use of the word ‘sheep’ in this context.
Guess what? Our days are deteriorating by the minute. It’s scary to note that we know about this government is just a slice of the whole messy pudding produced on a daily basis by the PL Government. There are many other government entities which are going through a nightmare: and no one is taking note of such a mess.
Meeting people coming from all ways of life confirms that many PN supporters have been either transferred or put aside, while all boards have been almost changed to include PL supporters and fanatics.
PN, please wake up and take care of your people. Some of them have already reached the conclusion that they won’t even share their PL created woes due to fear of vindictive actions and repercussions, as has already happened.
“We have reached agreement with the world’s second largest economy”.
Tell us, Mr. Muscat, how the people in the world’s second largest economy live, their working conditions , their living conditions, their pay, their freedoms and basic rights, their human rights, their forced abortions and their one-child policy.
What price, being the world’s second largest economy?
Shiv Nair could be asked about his own ways of dealing with such conditions and the situations his actions and plans have necessitated by the London address people he is involved with, and those – sitting on the fence, in London, who are just as culpable by their inaction.
When you sit on the board of an important organisation, interaction with such people and support of their known actions, makes the whole of your interests suspect.
Conflict of interest is not a light matter, especially when concealed and when there is the valuable matter of information that is being pre-traded.
Somebody ought to scribble the meaning of a ‘tu quoque’ fallacy all over his roadmaps. You’d sooner expect that sort of counter-argument from a child.
This chart needs to be printed and hung in his and every minister’s office; smack in their faces.
https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/assets/FallaciesPosterHigherRes.jpg
Bil-weghdi li ghamel lil kulhadd qabel l-elezzjoni u li kellu bilfors izomm kelmtu, Muscat gie daru mal-hajt.
Nithassar lil dawk il-Laburisti genwini, li m’humiex daqstant vicin tieghu, li gew imwarrba u mcahhda minn xi promozzjoni jew pjacir minhabba dawk tal-qalba.
We reached an agreement with the second largest economy in the world…
Some night(marish) reading about China for Joseph.
http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-
world/2013/http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2012/results/ Malta 43rd China 80th
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)_per_capita Malta 31st China 92nd.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population
China has the largest population in the world and is the second largest economy after the USA. The USA has 1,000,000,000 people less than China and yet has an economy twice as big as China’s.
http://www.businessinsider.com/largest-economies-world-gdp-2013-6
In simple terms one needs eight Chinese to produce what an American produces . I think the Japanese and Germans can do even better than the Americans. So much for the world’s second largest economy !
That’s only because Chinese workers are badly paid so that we can have inexpensive goods.
So witty. The Prime Jester.
It is said that a USA President had “The buck stops here” prominently displayed on his desk. May I suggest that the desk of our Prime Minister be similarly decorated, adding “BLOODY HELL !”
“…but from people who actually think…” where were these during the last election?