First the wife, now the husband
Published:
November 11, 2013 at 1:09am
Alaine and Peter Apap Bologna, breaking a lance for ‘Joseph and Michelle’ by defending the indefensible on Facebook. Have they no dignity and self-respect, or have they sold it for the crumbs that might fall off the power station table?
You’ll have to left-click on the images to read them.
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http://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/2013/11/facebook-group-against-the-sale-of-maltese-passports/
Here’s one who voted for them but doesn’t feel the need to defend this giant scam:
http://josannecassar.com/opinion/this-goes-beyond-partisan-politics/
Of course, she should have seen it coming, but there you go. Love is blind.
For some reason the gravy train has not made a stop at Josanne Cassar’s station. Strange.
There’s still time for the train to make its stop at Josanne’s station. If need be on its return journey.
Reference is made to the article’s line on “preferential tax rates and VIP status when travelling”. The people purchasing the passport are millionaires so they already travel VIP. Secondly they will have preferential tax rates because they will not pay tax here in Malta; although they are citizens, they do not reside in Malta.
The government is not going to give a toss whether we think it is right or wrong. It had everything planned before the election, and promises have to be kept now to these foreigners with loads of cash.
Who would have thought that ‘Malta Taghna Lkoll’ chants were not only addressed to the blind crowds in his meetings, but also to those heinous notorious foreigners whom he had enchanted in entering into pre-electoral deals with him?
Imagine them sitting in their couch watching Muscat on TV shouting ‘Malta Taghna Lkoll’ and addressing it to them as well. They would have smirked as the hopeless romantics jumped up and waved flags in the crowd.
facebook.com/maltaisnotforsale
I did and so did many others.
You’ve got it backwards. Muscat didn’t charm financiers and political maneuverers into a pre-electoral deal. THEY worked HIM into a deal, flattering his vanity and allowing him to think he’s leading the charge.
Alaine Apap Bologna, please give us the name of one European country from which we can buy citizenship without having set foot there for a single day.
Sorry Daphne but the Apap Bolognas will be taking more than crumbs from the power station project.
Bin nejk taghom kollha, they ended up praising a PL party and selling their soul for some pieces of silver
Insomma il-qahba milli ikollha ittik.
[Daphne – My reference to crumbs from the power station table was re Peter and Alaine and nobody else.]
All together now: “Pimps, thieves and scoundrels”
The argument that the proposed regulator, Mr Godwin Grima, should placate the opposition is so banal. What if he resigns/is removed months into his job because he disagrees with the way things are being done?
What if the regulator is then replaced by the Godfrey Grima type instead? Would this placate the opposition? How naive.
It’s not irregularities within the scheme that are at issue. It’s the irregularity of the scheme itself.
If the regulator won’t have the instruments to check the operator, it’s useless.
Henley won’t even be required to provide documentation, not even an applicant’s police record, Muscat’s just buying time.
That’s just it, isn’t it? The three-man committee will not have access to each and every application and all the attendant documentation, prior to a final decision on the case. What, then, would be the point of having Henley and Partners managing the scheme?
Nor can the three-man committee override the final decision taken by the Minister himself.
The speed with which this bill is going through parliament is proof enough that the power station deal with the Chinese hinges entirely on this bill going through and Chinese getting access to Europe. Public opinion will have no bearing whatsoever.
With a majority of 36,000, Muscat can afford to irk as many people as he likes. Four years from now, when we’re in election campaign mode once again, this issue won’t be as emotive as it is right now.
He knows this, and that is why he can afford to push it through regardless of public opinion. As many have noticed, this clause was surely promised to the Chinese before the election.
Many noticed, but voted Labour anyway because – crank up the whining – they said we needed a change.
Well, they’ve got their change, haven’t they? I hope they all rot in the hell of their own making.
We are missing the point that the income generated, if used wisely, will cause people to not only forget but to hail him as a hero.
[Daphne – If used UNWISELY, you mean.]
It would be a repeat of the children’s allowance propoganda.
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-11-10/news/government-reverses-move-of-national-museum-of-fine-arts-to-auberge-ditalie-3139272704/
Bloated ministries trump art. Wonder where kitten from Malta is?
Does the electorate actually care about the passport scam issue?
I don’t think so. Most are waiting for the passport sales figures to come in and slap all those who opposed the scheme in the face with them.
“See”, they’d say. “Two thousand passports in five years.That’s over 1 billion. Ara kemm halla gid ta'”
That is as far as people will go, ignoring the damage to our reputation, to our financial services industry and to our democracy. The electorate cannot and will not see beyond the tip of its own nose.
I suppose that billion should make up for the one being lost.
EU funding is being discouraged.
Dr. Lawrence Gonzi brought 1 billion euro to the Maltese coffers without selling our soul and he worked persistently to get that result even though he knew already that he wouldn’t be the next Prime Minister.
That’s the gentleman he is, but to the electorate that billion might have been peanuts for all the effect it had.
The great difference is that Dr. Gonzi’s billion was wholly for Malta, while who knows where the other billion – if it actually sees the light of day – will end up?
“It is easy to get Maltese citizenship at much lower cost.”
This sounds like a cry by one of the Monti hawkers. They have reduced citizenship to this. Shame on them.
I never thought Mr. Apap Bologna would stoop so low. Incredible. By my reckoning, this gentleman was a person of principles and values. I now have a completely different idea of him.
High-worth citizens? How did he come to such a conclusion when the Prime Minister and Minister of Homeland Security said that they will not divulge the names of those buying our Golden Passport?
Only shady characters, who would like to have a country where they can do their laundry in peace, will buy those passports. I would have expected better from such an intelligent and well-cultured person like Mr. Apap Bologna.
No gentleman would stoop low. A man of genuine principle does not support Labour.
I like your comment. It is so true.
Touché, La Redoute
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/data/MaltaToday-survey-Budget-Citizenship-20131111
75% want those names published. What else remains for the Opposition if not to demand a place on that monitoring board and oblige?
If Muscat doesn’t subscribe, we’ll know he’s done away with his oath to serve this republic.
If he carries this through he’ll have defeated the nation.
Why do some people have to prove their idiocy by publishing it for all the world to see?
Arnold Galea asks whether if the “programme” is successful and creates opportunities for Malta, its opponents will still continue to oppose it.
Well, dear Arnold, how could we know if the names will be kept secret?
Even though the absolute majority of thinking individuals in Malta are expressing their disgust at Joseph Muscat’s latest act of desperation – the pimping of our citizenship – this is not going to force any change in his course of action.
He has enough brain juice sloshing around to have had some foresight of our negative reaction. Why else would he have kept this off his list of electoral pledges? He cannot change course, even if he somehow decided he wants to.
This is not – as it is being proposed to us – an exercise in which we are engaging to be able to reap some fruit from in the near future.
The metaphorical fruit – the bulk of it – has long been feasted on already during the run-up to the March 2013 election.
Joseph Muscat now finds himself with his gonads firmly lodged in a high-grade steel vice in the control of a group of Azeri spivs, Chinese communist officials and Maltese wheeler-dealers who behave as though the sole purpose of a government is to give them infrastructure contracts in return for donations.
He has sold his soul and ‘his’ country to his chosen Lord of the Flies.
He is deep in debt to his usurers, and those usurers are hammering at his door.
A question to Arnold Galea:
If this scheme does not deliver in terms of investment in Malta, or if it damages our international reputation, will those defending it go on defending it?
The known facts, to day, are that this scheme gives the opportunity to persons who want to remain anonymous (why?) the opportunity to buy access into the EU and other countries for which a visa will not be required, while they assume no obligation to reside in Malta or to contribute in any way to its betterment, except for the price they paid for Maltese citizenship and passport.
Mallia’s all taken up with this scheme with 10,000 residents, making up the backbone of our gaming and financial services industry, left to their own devices.
I can assure you most of them are utterly exasperated. They’re not the type to spend their time queueing outside Evans or wherever it is they’re supposed to line up.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20131111/local/10000-foreigners-wait-for-e-residence-card.494222
How to peck away at Malta’s reputation as an efficient place. The problems started post election, dabbling with the various ministries, departments, staff and whatnot.
Just don’t put Mallia in charge of anything related to investment. He’s useless.
She doesn’t seem to understand the difference between ‘gaining’ (citizenship) and ‘buying’ it.
She actually does not understand the difference between residence (which everyone offers) and citizenship which one gets either through birth or by living and contributing to a country for a significant number of years.
No one in Europe gets it by buying it.
Very interesting.
http://www.maltarightnow.com/Default.asp?module=news&at=Justyne+Caruana+titfa%27+botta+lil+Anton+Refalo&t=a&aid=99852082&cid=19
It all depends to what measures one takes his reputation. Mid-dehra kollox sar joghod basta naghmlu l-flus.
The deal seems to be very juicy to some individuals, which explains the rush. I am not referring to the national coffers or the Henley commission.
According to our Prime Minister, this scheme is supposed to attract the rich = talented. This means that our Prime Minister has been seeing us as poor and untalented, for quite a long time. Remember when he tried to influence us all that the EU treats us as second class citizens?
As my comment on the Facebook page is now available on this blog, I would like to clarify further the comment made.
Although I am not against the idea of this scheme, I do not agree with the way the Government intends to implement it, and do not understand why it is being suggested that the names should not be made available.
In response to Evarist Saliba’s question, if it does not work, I will not defend it, in fact, I would prefer that this scheme is implemented differently and agree with most of the suggestions made by the opposition.
However, I honestly think that by pledging the removal of the citizenship obtained through this scheme, they will be making a mistake, they should pledge to review the citizenships granted.
I have nothing to gain out of this scheme, at least directly and would prefer if the suggested improvements are taken on board by this Government, if not, unfortunately, I cannot do much about it apart from speaking out about it now before it is implemented.