Michael Briguglio: “If I were the President of Malta, I would prefer resigning than signing such unannounced, significant and divisive legislation, unless it is approved by referendum. It is now up to civil society to stand up to be counted and call for one.”
Times of Malta asked Michael Briguglio – former chairman of Alternattiva Demokratika and self-professed Labour voter – what he thought about the Budget (because, you know, he’s a sociologist – as though that has anything to do with it).
His reply would have been far more interesting had they asked him what he thinks about the sale of citizenship/passports scheme.
In any case, he’s given it without being asked, and I direct you to his blog. One wonders whether certain members of the newsroom at Times of Malta, who were so avidly keen to quote every pronouncement made by those circus acts, Franco Debono and Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, on the blog of one and the Facebook timeline of the other, will quote Michael Briguglio extensively.
After all, he is a sociologist.
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http://mikes-beat.blogspot.com/2013/11/deconstructing-citizenship.html?m=1
My thoughts completely: what is the opinion of Debono and Pullicino Orlando?
They had opinions on anything and everything before the elections, now they’ve all retreated back under their rocks to count their spoils.
What’s Karmenu’s take on this? And at a stretch, Alfred Sant’s? Where are these wankers?
Speaking of wankers, I’m very curious to know what Norman Lowell has to say about this.
At the next EU summit, immigration will be on the agenda, and the prime ministers of the other 28 EU member states will be demanding profit-sharing not burden-sharing with Malta.
What a big mess Muscat has put us in.
Probably they will ask the prime minister to finance the expenses incurred by illegal immigration to Malta by the revenues collected by the sale of citizenship.
Briguglio is asking too much of George Abela. He forgot that President Abela thought nothing of reading out the speech from the throne which was full of political division and insults towards the man who nominated him president.
Get real Michael, you’re expecting too much from a socialist.
How true, unfortunately.
After 9 March, Joseph Muscat had said that the government found the economy doing well – a fact confirmed by international credit agencies – so now he must explain what he has done to it since then.
Why is he now sending out signals that the government is bankrupt, as detected by the international media from New Zealand to Scandinavia, from Europe to Asia, from South America to Russia?
Meanwhile, here’s another angle on the passports scheme – http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20131114/local/other-countries-could-end-up-buying-maltese-passports-for-their-secret-agents-azzopardi.494699#.UoU4OhRwbIU
Arnold Cassola on Smash TV this evening was saying practically the same thing on the program ”Il Parlament tal- Poplu” of Emmy Bezzina.
Issa qam il-purcinell.
The only way I can think of for Malta and the Maltese to regain the respect they have just lost is to hold a referendum, vote NO, and then kick this SOB out of office pronto.
Perhaps unlikely given that he has a 9-seat majority, but those ministers need to think hard and fast.
This choice is going to stick with them for a very long time, and if they want to be in Parliament next time round, they are going to have to listen to what the people are telling them.
Well, he got his wish now hasn’t he? He has a “gvern tax-xellug” in power now so what’s he complaining about?
Norman Lowell got one thing right at least. AD are, and always have been, useful idiots.
Instead of berating Michael Briguglio I think we should applaud him for taking his position.
I lost a lot of respect for him when he declared that he voted Labour and not AD in 2008. For that he should be chastised. But I totally agree with this statement. We shouldn’t write off a person on everything just because we don’t agree with an earlier position he took.
And if President Abela has any balls he should do as Briguglio suggests. But we know he has none.
He also knows who can hand iced buns to members of his family. So the weak unprincipled hypocritical individual that he is, will in all probability sign this piece of treachery against the people of Malta.
The President of Malta has let the whole nation down twice: a few months ago he accepted to allocate a sum of money donated to the Community Chest Fund for purposes which do not tally with the fund’s objectives, and now he is being silent on a matter which involves our (and hopefully still his) country that Joseph Muscat and his foolish fellows are putting to shame.
The President’s few remaining months will be further tarnished if he endorses one of the most scandalous moments in the history of Malta, that is, selling passports to make money from unidentified scoundrels and possibly many other people involved in illegal activities.
I have already made up my mind: if the President signs this law, I will boycott all his initiatives and give charity directly to those who are in need.
PN should also boycott the President if he does not resign instead of refraining from signing the infamous law of betraying Malta’s valuable citizenship.
This will be an ultimate defining test for the President.
The President cannot withdraw his assent to the parliamentary bill (probably he has already done so). The constitutional theory that we follow holds that the British monarch should give his assent to the very same bill abolishing the monarchy.
But in this particular instance, the President of the Republic has an additional unique role as it is up to him, and not to some minister as is usually the case, to enact the legal notice which will implement the IIP scheme.
In this legislative role, the President is not fettered by the Constitution and he is not duty bound to enact the draft legal notice on the lines proposed by the government, or even enact it at all.
It would be wise if the President were to take a pause before enacting said legal notice and hold discussions with all interested parties in order to try and work out a more acceptable compromise. Steamrolling the legal notice in spite of the widespread opposition to the scheme is hardly in the national interest.
Does George Abela realize this, however?
I think that Michael Briguglio instead of telling the President what he should do or not do , first of all should knock on his chest saying Mia culpa mia maxima culpa. Because he was one who by his vote and actions helped Joseph become PM. Enought of crocodile’s tears.
I think that the President is fully engaged looking after his interests and those of his family during the remaining few months of his Presidency then bothering about the citizenship law. He has enough on his hands.
When Lawrence Gonzi proposed George Abela for President I thought that it would help heal some of the political divisions of this country.
I believed George Abela could rise above his personal political views and bring unity. His subsequent actions – his political speech at the opening of parliament and the proposed funding of studies of a particular individual from the Community Chest Fund – changed my opinion.
The President has just one last chance to regain the respect of many Maltese. He should and can refuse to sign the passport law that prostitutes Malta, the country for whom President George Abela should be the ultimate defender.
The sale of citizenship scheme is disgustingly obscene but the President cannot and should not withhold his assent to a bill passed by a democratically elected Parliament in accordance with our Constitution.To do so would be an affront to our system of parliamentary democracy and create an extremely dangerous precedent.
Unfortunately, we are saddled with this Government because a number of short-sighted people thought, for a variety of reasons, that we could do with a change. That is the nature of parliamentary democracy.
It is up to the people, particularly those who were taken in by Joseph Muscat, to protest as loudly as possible to stop him from driving us ‘gas down għal ġol-ħajt’.
How right you are, Mr. Briguglio!
This government is a disgusting one!
If you were President of Malta we’d all have a good laugh, Brigulju.
Handing out free EU passports (in the hundreds of thousands) to migrants is okay since we are told that this is both morally and politically correct. But to allow in the wealthy, potential job creators for a fee, that is taboo for the misguided neo-moralists.
Why not tell us, Brigulju, about WHY Africa is destitute in the first place? WHO is swindling its abundant resources? WHO is subverting the bribed African governments by financing African wannabe governments to create more division and conflict?
Tell us, Brigulju, otherwise we’d think you moved on from Grafitti to AD to Labour and on to pissing on walls.
Ghadek bil-harqa, ras.
I think that Michael Briguglio instead of telling the President what he should do or not do , first of all should knock on his chest saying Mia culpa mia maxima culpa. Because he was one who by his vote and actions helped Joseph become PM. Enought of crocodile’s tears.
Not only has our President of the Republic signed the law unblinkingly but he did so when the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party was declaring that government intended to amend the damning secrecy clauses!
George Abela has proved that he is nothing more than a labourite who was elevated to a position that should be abolished in the first place. By signing this dastardly act, he has made himself an accomplice, a pimp so to speak, just like Joseph Muscat.
What is the point of a head of state who does not head the state in practice? As a figurehead, he is a redundant waste of resources and his office should be abolished.
For fairness sake one should point out that in 2008 Michael Briguglio was not seeing eye to eye with Harry Vassallo – and that is why Briguglio withdrew from AD (albeit remained validly serving in the Sliema Local Council).
Harry Vassallo was the ONLY AD candidate on the 10th District – and thus one may better understand why Briguglio could not bring himself to give his first preference to the person he had clashed with.
In so far as opting for the Alfred Sant’s PL rather than the already expired PN in 2008, one should objectively understand that as well.
Finally being honest enough and declare on the eve of an election that he had not voted for the party he was now leading, should amply indicate one’s honesty – even when wrong – rather than having PN apologists attacking AD at every overstretched opportunity, simply because they prefer to have a PL government rather than AD in parliament!