Manuel Mallia wants to make it a crime to laugh at the government’s sale-of-passports scheme
Don’t laugh at his plans, or he’ll have Peter Paul the Government Puppet prosecute you.
On 3 November, in its story about a press conference Manuel Mallia gave with Owen Bonnici and Edward Zammit Lewis, about the sale of Maltese citizenship, The Malta Independent on Sunday reported the following:
The proposed amendments introduce a new offence, mandating a fine of up to Eur20,000 for those who publish or disseminate publicly any information relating to the programme, without authorisation. But Dr Mallia denied, when asked, that this provision could be interpreted in a way to prosecute those who leaked the names of anyone benefitting from the programme.
The measure, he explained, aimed to ensure that information about the programme would not be distorted, in light of the sensitive issue at stake. Dr Zammit Lewis later pointed out that this has been a problem in the past, noting that some had promoted the now-defunct Permanent Residency Scheme by giving the erroneous impression that applicants would gain citizenship rights.
Dr Mallia, however, did later point out that whoever “as a joke” offered to sell Maltese citizenships for Eur650,000 on eBay was committing a crime that would be punished by law, stating that such jokes were damaging to the country. Such an offer actually surfaced in recent days.
The man is so Far Right that if he trips over Peter Paul Zammit prostrate at his fat feet, he will tumble over the line into Fascism. But given that he appears to be excited by military uniforms, police officers and jack-boots, I don’t think that’s going to be too much of a problem for him.
In any case, given what has transpired since, with practically the entire world media having a laugh at Malta’s expense about this scheme, exactly what is Manuel Mallia planning to do – get Peter Paul the Government Puppet to sue the world?
It shows how cut off from contemporary reality these so-called ‘liberal progressives’ (a bunch of tal-wara l-muntanji fascists and xenophobes) are, that they think they operate solely within the borders of Malta where they can control everything that is said and done.
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Is this guy joking?
No, it’s his real persona talking. Most PL people physically might live in Malta but their spirit dwells in China and North Korea.
Basta bil-Liberta’ Mhedda.
Ara vera wicc b’iehor.
Is Manuel Mallia going to sit on Peter Paul Zammit to get him to prosecute Joseph Muscat for spreading false information?
He was in Miami last week, promoting the sale of citizenship which he carefully wrapped up as ‘promoting investment’, when the official position here is that the scheme is not active yet.
No way! If that’s true, then I’ll be a brazen criminal and laugh at Manuel Mallia and the proponents of this crazy citizenship scheme as well.
If Manuel Mallia thinks he can censor the Internet, he can join the ranks of the bloody bleeding idiots who have tried. You have a billion-to-one chance of succeeding, dear Manuel.
Is that 1,000 million to 1, or 1,000,000 million to 1 ?
We haven’t been under the dominion of the Queen of England for quite a while, vic, and the British Empire is dead. Besides, most people here can hardly speak English anymore.
Does that answer your question?
Scary!
I hope PN bring this up in parliament to and circulate this.
Could you please post the Independent link?
[Daphne – Look it up yourself, Joe. I copied that off the print edition: 3 November.]
Unable to trace online.
[Daphne – Well, in that case I won’t be able to do so either. I suggest you contact The Malta Independent.]
The article is now online in full: http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-11-02/news/pn-afraid-citizenship-scheme-would-hurt-election-chances-3072950272/
JC, thanks for sharing.
Now that is a precious chunk of Maltese history! Next time there’s a Malta Day in London I’ll have it printed off on a massive banner and join the parade.
I propose poking fun at Mallia and his citizenship scheme all over Facebook and any other social network you may have access to.
Minister Mallia is not only paranoid but hilariously misinformed.
The “passport for sale on eBay” was not real but a photoshopped image.
At least we can laugh at his pompous airs, or has that become illegal as well?
Why is Manuel Mallia leaning so far backwards?
He has fallen asleep.
That is hyperlordosis.
Commonly associated with the later stages of pregnancy.
In this case it is a posture adopted to compensate for the weight of excessive visceral and general abdominal fat.
Forsi kien qed jibza’ li JOEY kien se jxarrablu xi daqqa …
To counterbalance his belly pulling him forward.
First he declared it’s not in our interest to know, then he said we could face taxes if the scheme doesn’t work, now he’ll hound down dissenters and send them to prison.
Up yours, Sliema switchers.
Hear, hear Jozef.
The more Manuel Mallia opens his mouth about the sales of citzenship, the more I laugh.
The more Manuel Mallia opens his mouth about the sales of citizenship, the more I despair.
This prompts the question to Mallia:-
“Ghadek ma xbajtx taqa’ ghan-nejk kull darba li tiftah halqek, Manwei?
Oqghod kwiet, forsi xi hadd – li ma jkunx jafek – jahsbek nies”
Does anyone still remember Mintoff threatening criminal punishment against those caught defacing Maltese banknotes with the face of his Agatha Barbara – that prime example of the country’s neutrality – printed on them?
It was in the middle seventies – I was there and remember it quite vividly.
Banks (owned by the Government) were ordered not to accept bank-notes which had Agatha Barbara’s grim visage adorned with moustache, horns, fangs, squint or similar decorations.
Far from crying I fear that this is an echo of the law that said that the words “Malta” and “national” could not be used without state permission. They remove one sort of censorship and introduce a worse one.
the more Manuel Mallia opens his mouth, the more I wish that he had kept it shut.
I thought the law was passed.
Does it need a legal notice to make it ‘live’?
[Daphne – Apparently, it does.]
That’s yet another drama unfolding.
The legal notice, to date unpublished, seems to contain a whole of set of undisclosed details which weren’t discussed in parliament. Questions by Opposition MP’s remain unanswered.
Basically the law will remain in limbo until ‘consensus’ is reached. Fancy that, the Opposition will be blamed for having refused to discuss a set of regulations which cannot be made public, I imagine addenda which remain secret protocol.
This is where Simon Busuttil shouldn’t go.
Can we laugh at Manuel Mallia instead?
Please do.
http://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/2010/02/oh-my-god-emmanuel-mallia-gets-his-flirt-on/
So Manwel Mallia said that “whoever “as a joke” offered to sell Maltese citizenships for Eur650,000 on eBay was committing a crime that would be punished by law.”
So do I take it that anyone offering Maltese citizenships for sale on eBay on a serious basis would be ok with the law, and Manwel Mallia will be happy about it?
Then we’re truly back to Mintoff’s times when it was illegal to say or write Nazzjon and Malta.
‘Mhux fl- interess tal-poplu .’ – rings a bell somewhere doesn’t it?
Ticcajta. Zelquha helu helu, u dal-poplu gwejjed qas nduna.
Bby the end of the week he`ll declare the death sentence on anyone who jokes about the matter.
This man should be challenged in parliament to repeat this horrific idea.
Let’s hear it from our minister that whoever dare speak out faces prison. And if it can be applied to this bill, what’s holding Mallia from extending it to government itself?
Logically, it follows. .
What most don’t realise is how easy it is to give up our fundamental rights.
The fact Mallia will actually go there in so shockingly casual a manner cannot be left to pass.
That this place cannot get itself to defend anything it achieves was a known fact, that’s it’s willing to turn on itself again wasn’t, the constant being Labour.
Time to supersede all those opinion leaders whose job it was to lead us down the little garden path and whose silence now is their tacit, complicit approval.
Imisskhom tisthu.
He wants to get the money from somewhere you see…20K is nearly as much as a secondary passport
Before the general election Emanual Mallia used to say that he wanted to give something in return to the country. Is this really the best he can give in return for earning half a million euro plus as a criminal lawyer?
I’m sorry to point out the blinking obvious but as a lawyer I can’t but help wonder how on earth such a provision could ever be considered compatible with the right to freedom of expression, which includes the freedom to “receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority”, as enshrined in Article 41 of the Maltese Constitution and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Ridiculing is not promoting. Let him sue.
He looks like the pig in the middle:
http://rosariomariocapalbo.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/animal-farm1.jpg
So a British passport, an American passport and a Maltese passport walk into a pub. The barman says, “What is this, a joke?”
Mallia would make a good minister in Putin’s cabinet.
He’s the modern definition of ‘Wicc Laskri’
…. though he does make an exception when meeting and greeting inmates.
Right, I spent a whole afternoon in the potting shed for this, so Manuel’d better laugh.
So an American passport, a Swiss passport and a Maltese passport are waiting to get inside a club. Two big black bouncers stand outside the door, all tooled up in leather jackets and earpieces and scowls.
Face control is enforced strictly here. No men get in unless they have a supermodel girlfriend hanging on. If you have more than one, it helps. It is rumoured you can even get into the VIP area.
Anyway, it’s the American passport’s turn first. The bouncer looks him up and down, points his chin at him turns him away. “But I’m American!” says the passport. “I’m powerful and strong and no one ever turns me away!” The bouncer points at him and slowly reads “E Pluribus Unum. Out of many, one. You’re one, so fuck off. No one gets in unaccompanied.” The American passport shuffles away, embarrassed and pissed off.
The Swiss passport goes next. He’s full of confident coolness. The bouncer takes one look at him and turns him away. “But why?” says the Swiss passport, “I won’t cause trouble, and always buy the best champagne. Why, I’ll even buy drinks for everyone.” The bouncer points at him and slowly reads: “Unus Pro Omnibus, Omnes Pro Uno. One for all, all for one. Think you can walk into my club, alone and unaccompanied, and hunt for birds here? Fuck off pronto.” The Swiss passport walks away, humiliated.
Then it’s the turn of the Maltese passport. He’s small, puny and not particularly well known. The bouncer takes one look at him and says, “Henley and Partners? You have your girlfriends with you? Come in and have a nice evening, Mr Henley. VIP entrance this way.”
straight out of Monty Python..
“Does anyone fancy a titter when i mention the brilliant passport scheme..”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K8_jgiNqUc
So it’s OK to steal water on a regular basis from a public fountain and keep half a million in cash at home, but not OK to make a joke about his passports scheme?