Presidency by investment – imagine all the money we can make. Why, we can even create a second presidency and sell that too.
The post of president of Malta is up for grabs soon. There’s a letter in Times of Malta today with some suggestions.
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Monday, January 20, 2014
by Edward Gatt, Sliema
Why not presidency by investment?
The Prime Minister is facing the difficult decision of who to nominate to serve as President for the next five years. Joseph Muscat could solve this difficulty by offering the presidency of Malta for sale and marketing it as ‘Presidency by Investment’.
Our citizenship will soon lose its soul and become a simple commodity that can be bought and sold. If this principle is now accepted, what is stopping the government from selling the presidency as a super commodity and raking in €10 million or perhaps even more?
This new President could take up the position without even being Maltese. Indeed, he or she could buy citizenship for €650,000 and would not even be obliged to ever come to Malta.
A vacant Verdala Castle and San Anton Palace would be an added bonus and could be rented out, earning the government even more money.
Another advantage of offering our presidency for sale would be that it would solve Finance Minister Edward Scicluna’s quandary of facing a shortage of ‘people of calibre’ in this country.
Our progressive government could also consider auctioning Malta’s coat of arms for more millions. Just imagine the marketing exposure of having a company logo on all official government documents. An international company that readily springs to mind, and would be appropriate given the direction Malta is taking, is one that owns a famous brand of bananas.
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Why don’t we just sell off our prime minister and his cabinet of curiosities and horrors? It won’t make much money, but it’d reduce the damage.
What a good idea! But will there be any takers? That’s the question.
I have a brilliant proposal I’d like to present to the PM: a sperm bank. Bear with me, La Redoute. Name one commodity whose supply is virtually always guaranteed, whose market value is rising, which can be deposited in a bank at any time, which will be gladly contributed by every able-bodied man and sought by every able-bodied woman, which generates jobs and creates much-needed talent if carefully managed, and which has a nice ring to it because you can append the word “bank”.
Most importantly, it will secure the future of our children, and our children’s children.
Let us be bold and lead the world, my fellow countrymen. Onward!
Baxxter, one commodity? Bitcoin fits the bill. Traceless also.
Errm, sorry to disappoint you Baxxter, but yours is not a brilliant idea.
Name one thing in the world the Mintoffiani would want to lay their hands on to become rich quickly…
A bank.
On another note, my friend, this incompetent, misguided man has succeeded in turning Malta into the laughing stock of the year. All of Europe has rejected his scheme. My friends in North America are incredulous.
Sant took almost two years to screw up. This twit has done it in ten months. I still predict he’s out and will beat Sant’s shortened term. Maybe one more year of fuck-ups, then out.
Ciccio, you mean they would steal my progeny? A Yana Mintoff – Baxxter hybrid?
Dear god in heaven.
Harry, if your prediction comes true, I’ll buy us both a crate of Veuve Clicquot. You have my word on it.
Any country can have our Prime Minister and his cabinet for free, as far as I am concerned
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140120/letters/Why-not-presidency-by-investment-.503312?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=why-not-presidency-by-investment
Edward Gatt deserves the new President’s Gieh ir-Repubblika for his excellent observations, which I am sure, the criminal lawyer in charge of the coordination (whatever that means) of the Constitutional Convention will take very seriously.
Edward Gatt’s idea should be extended to the positions on boards, committees and authorities of the Maltese government. I am sure that compared to the recent meritocratic Labour appointments, such scheme would fill those positions with people of “calibre” and much more “talent.” And Dr. Manwel Mallia, the Minister of Citizenship by Investment and whatever, will have more opportunity to learn to count millions and to distinguish them from billions.
How about Berlusconi ?
Be careful what you wish for…..
Read this on the BBC news site “A Point of View: Sex and the French”
The following struck me as applying to Malta in a different context by applies just the same:
“But – and there was bound to be a but – to be a leader, a man or woman of state, does involve questions of character. And by character, I think, we simply mean the power to refrain – to not do the things that we have every right and reason to do because there’s some other larger reason not to do them. And by character in leadership we mean just having the unusual capacity of being able to ask other people to refrain, without looking a prig or hypocrite while doing so. A sane state involves some balance of appetite served and appetite curbed. Right now, in France and elsewhere, ordinary people are being asked to take less from the state than they quite expected, and the rich are being asked to give more to the state than they quite want to. When the leader shows himself unable to control his own appetite, the symbolic message, larger than any political speech, is that the indulgence of appetite is not one among many goods, but an absolute good – one that trumps prudence, caution and risks, signalling that everyone needs to curb their appetites except for those with power. “
Why don’t we start selling Gieh ir-Repubblika awards to whoever cares to buy one, say for a thousand euro. After all the proceeds can go to a good cause. I guess Joseph would sell anything for a buck.
There was a great suggestion on the Timesofmalta comment boards – Muscat should sell our flag to make money.
I think this is a great idea to show off talented companies in Malta. I’ve made mockups to show you all that this is real investment and not prostituting the country.
http://imgur.com/a/dpjBd#3
Just think about it – even Wikipedia would have to show the advertising. And it’s a great idea because Libya has writing on its old flag. I can’t read it, but it was almost definitely a Coca Cola sponsorship…
Well, we’ve had all sorts of posts handed out by pre-election investment, so why not?