TOP SECRET: expressions of interest for land reclamation projects closed last Friday, and the government isn’t breathing a word
Michael Farrugia, to whom expressions of interest for land reclamation projects were submitted until lat Friday, deep in conversation over supper at the Rickshaw last week with his girlfriend Amanda Mifsud, his consultant Robert Musumeci and his girlfriend Consuelo Herrera
Michael Farrugia, who is privy to all details about land reclamation projects, celebrating the Labour victory with Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando at Medasia in Gzira last March
Last Friday, the period closed for submitting to the government expressions of interest for land reclamation development projects.
The government will now decide at its leisure and pleasure, without imparting any information to the public, still less holding a public consultation process with an exhibition.
It’s actually a lot worse than that. Those who picked up a copy of the expression of interest document, against payment of Eur5,000, were bound over not to reveal any of that information to others for three years, and made to sign an agreement to that effect.
The document contains a great deal of public-interest information, and any newspaper could have paid Eur5,000 and obtained it, then ‘leaked it’ to itself and published it (journalists are protected at law from being made to reveal their sources) – but apparently Eur5,000 is far too much to spend on a major story of national importance when we can cover Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando’s cyber-bullying fake campaign for free.
Those who submitted an expression of interest by last Friday had to pay Eur10,000, and they too are bound over for three years not to disclose details to third parties, including the press, of what they have submitted, and to make sure that those with whom it is necessary to communicate (like consultants) do not disclose any information either.
Those who collected the initial document but who then decided not to submit an expression of interest have been instructed formally to ‘destroy after reading’ or to deliver the document back to the government.
This government is not just paranoid and obsessed with control-freakery, but it has no respect for the public’s right to know. Indeed, it treats both the public and the press – which is the medium of information for the public – with contempt.
The process is not being handled by the Department of Contracts, but by Michael Farrugia’s office through the government’s Property Division.
This should be making us all very uncomfortable.
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Thank you Astrid Vella. You can cry foul now, unless you are part of the whole charade.
There are times when expletives are the only words that can convey the message.
So fuck you, Astrid. Thanks a bunch.
Another live case to demonstrate the transparency of Muscat’s government.
Where is Franco Debono now and the rest who used to accuse Dr. Gonzi of oligarchy? They have all disappeared now and are comfortable with the way this government is operating. Scumbags the lot of them.
This is Muscat’s transparency at its best.
The NGO’s are now behaving as if this charade was not already on the papers before the election. Just before the election Astrid Vella, for example, found all the time to promote a seminar about trees instead of reading the fine print in Labour’s manifesto and protest then.
Now she is circulating emails for people to join her and others in the protest march on the environment.
It is too late now. Switchers and NGOs with personal interest in seeing Muscat become PM, have to lump it now and live with it. Unfortunately we are suffering because of their egoism and shortsightedness.
What about the Freedom of Information Act? Can someone ask for information under the provisions of this Act?
Miskin, Franco is irrelevant now.
It is going to be very interesting to know how many of these proposals are going to have Musumeci as their architect.
This conflict of interest is happening on a daily basis in MEPA, with Musumeci wearing the Architect/ MEPA client hat one minute; and the unofficial Minister for Planing hat the other. He walks, speaks and acts like he owns the place in both scenarios.
Obviously, this being Malta, architects are cautious on speaking about this or making it public, as they are afraid that Musumeci will influence decisions against them.
Nothing to do with this story, it’s just in case you missed it: I find Joseph’s description of Kate Gonzi somewhat strangely worded – “Joseph Muscat recognises her ability to observe, analyse and communicate”
These three adjectives don’t come to mind at all when one thinks about Kate. They seem to be intended to ‘de-personify’ such a charismatic person by describing her through standard management studies’ traits as though her actions were part of a strategy not her character.
Or may he he’s just a characterless cold bastard.
Whilst Kiev is ablaze and all of Europe is disgusted with what is happening, Malta will be hosting H.E. VIKTOR FEDOROVYCH YANUKOVYCH next week. Well done for the great PR the islands are going to receive once again.
Actually, I think that the document can be requested through LN116/05 (Aarhus Convention) on the grounds of access to information.
The LN provides for access even to a simple sticky note if this contains environmental information. I mean, the St John Project was so much derided on the basis of the expression of an opinion by a very junior officer and this opinions had been obtained through the invocation of LN116/05. So this document could have been obtained.
“We will also be issuing a call for ideas on land reclamation projects and as we all know China is rather active in this sector.”
speech by the hon. chris cardona, minister for the economy …
gov.mt › Main › Government › Press Releases
I might be mistaken, but I’m quite sure I heard tvm news last week say the deadline would be extended.
Franco Debono has no shame and dignity, he has shown us that he will sell anything for a job he hardly can handle. He is a proud cock. He forgets that they all end in the pot.
Only the mandolin and Jewish harp soundtrack is missing.
Why is Dr. Farrugia and his family under police protection 24/7?
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20131203/local/environment-ngos.497365#.Up2zu8RDveI
I call upon Astrid Vella to resign too. Her holier than thou attitude is now even more sickening.
If I am not mistaken the closing date was extended to the 12th. December.
Franco Debono is silent now. defending hard criminals.
Anybody interested to attend?
https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/1425678_724267910918494_807554247_n.jpg
A concert in memory of Dom Mintoff is the right event for this festive season: it reminds us how much better off we are today then 26 years ago!
It is possible that the main reason for this very suspicious secrecy is that the government feels it has had enough of making a fool of itself each and every time it goes public with its policies.
It is also possible that the secrecy clauses are put in place to facilitate blatant corruption and insider dealing.
It is either one or the other or both.
There can hardly be any other plausible reason.
Daphne, the deadline for submissions has been extended to mid December. Hence the silence.
What was unthinkable under a Nationalist government has now become the norm.
No surprise – N Korea & China style of doing business.
With her planned protest march Astrid is trying to lock the barn after she helped burn down the door and let the horses loose.
Is this legal? Has any democratically elected government anywhere in the world ever done anything like this?
Top Secret.
The part =y in opposition could have paid for the documents and any MP could speak what was there in this document in parliament.
MPs enjoy parliamentary immunity as they can speak of ‘ cabbages and kings.
The people have a right to know.
Why are u all attacking Astrid, I know she is totally against land reclamation..
Does nobody realise that there are public procurement rules? Challenge them in court, get a ruling someone do something or can these blatant abuses just carry on?
An expression of interest is just that, an expression that you are interested in participating in a tender. It gives no right to the government to not produce a specific tender specification that all bidders must tender to equally, unless of course the government has reverted to a MEAT process.
If tendering has reverted to the MEAT system I hope the government understands their responsibility because I fear we do not have the competencies in this country to evaluate each possible offer in a timely manner.
My opinion is they should think carefully what processes they use as in the future I would think someone using the same ‘rule’ that labour is proposing would say they are liable retrospectively
Why do I get a sense that this thing about the expressions of interest on land reclamation is being handled secretly until the “consensus” discussions with the opposition about the Sale of Citizenship Scheme are concluded, because the two subjects are closely related? Why do I get a feeling that China is deeply involved in both schemes?
Even though I must state that I do not believe that the government is going to change the Sale of Citizenship Scheme, but is only buying time in an attempt to change public opinion.
And what a bad timing it is for that closure of the period of expression of interest. It happens in the middle of a storm between the government and the environmentalists. Add to that the government’s decisions to continue with the use of heavy fuel oil, the MEPA decision about Mistra and the government’s weak justification of MEPA’s decision and one has the perfect storm.
More than Franco Debono I’d like to know what the one-time, self-declared Champion of the Environment – JPO has to say about this lack of transparency concerning the future development of our environment.
On the other hand, Franco Debono is equally liable to pronounce himself on the matter, not just the lack of transparency but the government’s actual prohibition of disclosure of such important information of public interest.
This alone proves the extent to which a PN style of governance is better than the PL’s. Is THIS the alternative the switchers let themselves be duped to vote for?
I’ve always maintained that the Franco Debono’s of this world pick up words and repeat them without knowing what they mean……very much like parrots.
Oligarchy…PN….right!
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Sandro Chetcuti’s comment on Michael Farrugia’s website:
Sandro Chetcuti Meta xi whud jimxu bl emozzjoni jwassal biex ikun distruttiv ……sfurtunatament l oppozizzjoni ghadhom irrabbjati fuq it telfa
Jilghaq ghax lil Michael Farrugia ghandu bzonnu zgur!
oops… looks like someone has been reading “Mein Kampf”
“The best way to take control over a people and control them utterly is to take a little of their freedom at a time, to erode rights by a thousand tiny and almost imperceptible reductions. In this way, the people will not see those rights and freedoms being removed until past the point at which these changes cannot be reversed.”
[Daphne – Yes, it’s exactly the same tactic used to wean a child off a security blanket. You cut off a little bit at a time until finally it’s gone and the child doesn’t notice.]
One public scandal after another riding roughshod over the public’s interest to know. A paranoid Government at best. A corrupt one at worst.
The PL ship is sinking under the weight of all those who clambered aboard.
Their trip was to be paid by selling Maltese citizenship. This scheme was so fundamental to the PL’s plans that Minister Mallia even proposed a law that criminalises its criticism and derision, such as I am doing now myself.
This Mallia proposition was made in a state of panic, trying to save all those hundreds of millions of euros that were planned to be transferred to the national coffers (with some more into some pockets) once the scheme was launched. But the best laid plans of mice and men oft go awry, and this great scheme met its maker before it was born. Now the PL gov is in a fix. It has no money to lubricate the promises, no fuel to feed the ship that would have taken all those meritokrati to the promised land.
That ship has sunk and now everyone’s back standing on the wharf, looking into the horizon trying to figure out how on earth they’re going to get there. Poor sods.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20131203/local/suspended-jail-term-for-using-forged-arriva-bus-ticket.497429#.Up7HeX-9KSM
Unbelievable. And all those monti sellers selling fake branded items are being given a new place to sell them from.
The cheek of Saviour Balzan. Best buddies with the most corrupt politician Malta has ever had, the politician to inflict most damage on Malta’s reputation after Mintoff, and his newspaper runs a story with this headline.
http://maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/national/In-the-year-of-the-oil-scandal-Malta-slips-two-places-down-corruption-index-20131203
It’s time the opposition takes drastic measures. We need to put a stop to all this.
Like what? Book depositories no longer exist now that everything’s on Kindle.