An official Gozo residence for the President of Malta
President Coleiro Preca
The presidential farmhouse in San Lawrenz
Marie Louise Coleiro Preca is not yet president, but she’s already done the Labour thing of ignoring systems and protocol and has begun to make decisions as president before she’s president.
She has decided that in her role as president, she is really going to need a house and office in Gozo, and what’s more, she already knows which one.
She has justified this decision, which she should not even be making yet, by saying (I quote Times of Malta):
“I want to give more visibility to Gozo and I want to give easy accessibility [to the President’s office] to the Gozitans.”
Why would anyone need access to the President, in either island? This woman is clearly going to reduce the president to the role of Marie Louise Coleiro Preca in her Hal Qormi constituency office, with a queue round the block of people seeking favours.
The house she has earmarked for rebuilding, restoration and refurbishment at a significant cost to the public purse (wouldn’t that money feed a lot of starving people living in poverty, Mrs Preca?) is in San Lawrenz.
Mrs Coleiro Preca told Times of Malta that the house “would mainly be used to hold meetings and organise events connected with the presidency” and it “will have modest living quarters which would mean she would not have to rent a hotel room if she had to spend a night in Gozo”.
Ah, I see. So to save the cost of a room at Ta’ Cenc or the St Patrick’s or the Calypso, she’s going to spend a rather sizeable amount of public money on a ‘farmhouse’. How rational.
And because San Lawrenz is a little out of the way, Mrs Coleiro Preca believes it is not enough to have a Presidential Farmhouse. The President is also going to have a one-room office in Victoria, so that the supplicants of our primitive society can see her and her loyal servants in comfort when they come along to ask for fridges, sofas, help with plane tickets, xi flett jew xi gopp.
Despite the best efforts of some politicians over the last few years, Maltese society has remained firmly stuck in primitive mode, aided and abetted by individuals like Marie Louise Coleiro Preca.
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She is as fond of the ‘poor’ as much as Yana Mintoff.
How come is it so easy for the socialists to give away other people’s money?
The new president is going to save money on hotel nights by engaging a full complement of staff and refurbishing a house for them to work in: cook, cleaner, gardener, DIY contractors. All aboard the gravy train! Gopps ghal-Ghawdxin!
But she thinks it makes business sense. She would, wouldn’t she.
Thank God she’s not minister of finance. BTW… that guy really knows how to hide under a rock, especially after his abysmal performance in Brussels.
That’s our new EU Commissioner you’re referring to.
What a f*cked up country.
When pigs take over…
Perhaps First Man will be manning the Gozo outpost in the San Lawrenz fort?
She will be creating new jobs – a maid, a gardener and maintenance man and most probably a secretary to take care of all the appointments which will be flooding in. Honestly, is there so much poverty in Gozo?
So in order to save a few nights accommodation, she (I should say we) will gladly pay electricity bills for a whole year.
The elimination of poverty is not within the head of state’s remit. That is the work of the executive: the government.
The house was owned by a woman who had no relatives and died without a will.
In this case the property would become the state’s.
The property still has a value and would still need refurbishment and upgrading .
I wonder how far a wheelchair bound person would need to travel from a car to this rustic dwelling.
Coleiro Preca rules!
Hopefully the Presidency will be able to move on from this dangerous precedent and re-gain some dignity when Labour’s out of power.
Marie Louise Coleiro Preca is our very own ‘Mother Teresa’.
This is a progression from the precedent set by George Abela (remember his missionary work in Peru?) but is essentially wrong.
Ms Coleiro Preca is set to become Head of State not the president of a philanthropic society. Let the competent government agencies and the admirable NGOs help the poor and the needy; through the Community Chest Fund, the President’s office can support them but should never, ever take their place.
Is Gozo Calcutta?
About that Peru thing, that was totally against protocol and demeaning to the post of the Presidency of Malta and disrespectful to the Peruvian State. People just can’t seem to get it into their heads that the Presidency is a post one occupies, not a title given to an individual with a few privileges.
Then again, this is Labour we’re talking about.
Who does she think she is kidding?
An Osborne House for the head of state.
“It is impossible to imagine a prettier spot”.
Spending other people’s money.
Classical gauche caviar.
Kemm se jkollna president intelliġenti, ta’ qalb tajba u qrib in-nies. It-taxxi li nħallsu aħna l-foqra se tużahom biex ikollha dar fejn tilqa’ n-nies. U min ser ikunu dawn in-nies li tilqa’ f’din id-dar ma nafux. Tinsewx li l-minstru għal Għawdex huwa fqir. Min jaf forsi se tibda tqassam il-bukkuni lill-imsejknin foqra. Jien bi ħsiebni napplika.
Well, well looks like Malta is going to have its own Evita who, when confronted about her extravagant lifestyle, replied “I am the only luxury the poor people have.”
I am sure one can get all the details if one asks a Gozitan
Labour Gozitans, so proud of “Joseph” and the Gozitan candidates before the elections, have long since clammed up and gone back into their shell of not caring.
“Problemi” ma’ jhobbux.
I believe the house cost nothing apart from refurbishment costs. Quoting iNews:
“… kienet proprjetà ta’ persuna li mietet intestata (bla testment u werrieta) u għaldaqstant waqgħet f’idejn l-istat.”
Still I don’t get the point of having a residence for the President in Gozo.
The cost of running a house is more than the cost of its refurbishment. Even if the were no cost to the state, the Minister (for that is that Coleiro Preca is) has no business taking decisions in the name of the presidency,
Obviously, she doesn’t understand the role of the president. She is going to turn the head of state into a socialist MP. Refalo is going to have some competition.
How’s this for hypocrisy.
No mass rallies in Valletta, no citizen’s march down to Delimara, indeed no meeting with the leader of the opposition outside Marsaxlokk parish. Perhaps he’s not as kissable.
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/lifestyle/environment/37318/gas_plants_clean_air_technology_must_proceed__faa
‘…Environmental NGO Flimkien ghal Ambient Ahjar has said it took “a conscious decision” not to be present for the public consultation held by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority board on Monday that approved a jetty for the berthing of an LNG vessel….’
Everyone’s been wondering whatever happened to your loudhailer Astrid.
‘…FAA, the only registered objector to the application – which is crucial to the government’s plans for a 215MW gas plant – said it had followed the various experts’ reports and concluded that, barring the need for a marine impact assessment, clean air technology should be allowed to proceed….’
So you’ve done your homework. Duh.
‘…….“This technology will help mitigate many of the health concerns of local residents. During these last two weeks Malta again witnessed an issue of national importance – in this case clean energy – reduced to political posturing and MEP election fever to the detriment of the voices of those living within the bay or their representatives.
“The politically partisan behaviour so typical of this country, does not contribute to clear analysis and discussion,” FAA said….’
Oh, so their conclusions are exactly in line with a certain PN and yet they are the only ones who can manage a non-partisan argument. Please.
‘…The NGO said that it was a shock to realise that it, despite the many voices arguing against the LNG vessel, it was the only registered official objector….’
Yes, of course, no one uttered a word of dissent before this enlightened august statement. Do they really believe a word of it or is Muscat’s sense of humor catching?
How insolent can watercolorists be?
“Had the Prime Minister not taken the prerogative of not allowing any appeals there would have been no objectors to do so. As stated, FAA is in favour of this technology even more so when the local community, through their elected representatives, decided in favour of this clean technology.”
Fact is, the proposal isn’t technology, not with a rustbucket posing as a temporary storage facility and one expensive regasifier envisaged as scrap soon after. You’re right, the FAA has no idea what they’re talking, pity, I thought they had some pretty decent marine engineering consultants in their midst.
And anyway what’s with the non-sequitor?
“Sadly, the country is once more reminded that all developments of this magnitude are a foregone conclusion, without any hope of genuine public participation as in this case dismissed by the Prime Minister’s intervention informing all that there will be no delays or appeals to slow the process.”
In that case, call an EGM and dissolve.
How much time does the president actually spend in Gozo? I would think maybe a few nights in a year otherwise it would be daily visits.
And if she has an office in Victoria why on earth would she need a farm house in one of the most expensive areas in Gozo.
I wonder if this farmhouse has a pool too – much needed time for the poor people of Gozo and I bet mostly in the summer time.
I’m glad I work abroad and don’t pay taxes in Malta anymore.
Perfect excuse to spend some “relaxing” time in Gozo with the family.
How noble of her to be so keen on helping the Gozitans.
Malajr sabitha d-dar u din hi l-bniedma li ma riditx akkost ta kollox li ssir president u ghada ma saritx wara kollox. U trid li nemmnu tarax.
Nixtieq inkun naf kif se taghmel biex tlahhaq mal-presidenza go Malta, go Ghawdex, mal-ministeru li ghadu tista’ tghid f’ideja, mal-familja, mas-safar etc.?
Jekk kif kien inghad qabel, meta kienet fl-oppozizzjoni kienet torqod tard u tqum kmieni bix tlahhaq, mela issa b’dan ix-xoghol kollu x’se taghmel nghid jien ghax hi ftit impossibbli sakemm mhux se thaddem in-nies biex jaghmlula xoghlha u b’hekk jonqos il-qaghad.
Why not requisition President Barbara’s villa, standing in splendid isolation on the hill overlooking the ta’ Pinu church. A prime example of Lorry Sant’s “MEPA”.
Why not install herself at Ta’ Pinu straight away, while she’s at it? Because isn’t that how she wants to come across, as the Mater Misericordiae?
The Constitution of Malta is parsimonious when it comes to devolving power on the President of the Republic.
Before President Abela, Presidents were content to exercise what power they had, the most important being that of appointing the Prime Minister which, in our two-party system, does not call for any extraordinary abilities or negotiating acumen as is called for, for instance, in Italy.
President Abela, in my opinion, transformed what was basically a charity, the Malta Community Chest Fund, into an instrument of power. The raising of funds enabled him to be continuously present in the media.
Crowds ran with him, they donated money to L-Istrina because he was there personally encouraging them to give, they flocked to concerts, citrus festivals, Christmas midnight mass and more. It was stressed, year after year, that records in fund-raising were broken.
The message, as I see it, is “Look how I can command the loyalty of the masses to me”. That, in my view, is political power.
Whether it is decorous for the Head of State to personally act as fund-raiser rather than be a patron of a charity and leave the actual fund-raising to others is, in my humble opinion, a moot point.
The next President, as I see it, is aiming to find ways of securing similar political power by being “close to the People”. I am not saying there is anything wrong in being close to the people or that the motives are not honourable but this may sometimes obscure the fundamental reasons for the institution of Head of State.
I believe that, in many people’s minds, the constitutional figure of head of State has been, in the last five years, largely eclipsed by that of the chairman of the Malta Community Chest Fund, a function that has nothing to do with the Constitution and the necessity of having a head of State.
I am of the view that one can be close to the people but a certain prudent aloofness remains necessary as otherwise, should the President find himself or herself in a situation where he or she has to make some unpopular decision, it would be more difficult than it needs be.
The President is primarily there to exercise the role assigned to him or her by the Constitution and not to exercise executive powers that belong to the Government.
Plato, she is simply taking the piss
Isn’t the president’s consort supposed to be in charge of the Community Chest Fund? When and why did this change?
Hope she employs a Gozitan driver otherwise she will have to find a house and accommodation for a Maltese one. Better still to save the Government some money which she could distribute to the poor she could ask her hubby to be her driver.
There will always be Debono Grech available for giving her a lift.
Would he not, for old times sake?
In today’s Times of Malta The Mediterranean Cultural Foundation for Music and Mediterranean Centre of Culture and Art advertised the organisation of the Malta International Music Festival and Competition in collaboration with the Malta Community Chest Fund.
What has the MCCF got to do with this Festival? Is it forking out some dosh as was done with the Euro 2m donation to Darlene Zerafa’s clinic?
It won’t cost the treasury anything. There’s the Community Chest Fund for such things. President Abela set a precedent with Darlene and her clinic.
Santa Mari Luwiz ta’ Hal Qormi, patruna tal-foqra u emarginati turi solidarjeta ma’ dawk l-Ghawdxin li jaqsmu l-fliegu kulljum biex jaqilaw loqma x’jieklu billi tixtri gorbog gewwa San Lawrenz biex ikolla fejn tmidd rasha meta darba kulltant titla sa hdejhom biex taqlalhom xi grazzja.
What a bunch of wicked people you are! Not a single one of you has bothered to point out that at least our future president knows her place and has opted for a farmhouse. She knows it’s where she belongs. You can’t accuse her of getting above herself.
And regarding the cost, take into account what we shall be raking in through the passport scam , sorry scheme, and then you’ll see that it’s no big deal.
What’s this I read about Gozo Channel’s priority boarding scheme as of July?
Priority boarding and queuing for a regular service are inherently different methods; they cannot work in tandem.
Priority boarding is just that: simply boarding in advance of X number of people all of whom in any case have the guarantee of one of a number of places on board.
What Gozo Channel is offering here is priority travel: hallas iktar biex taqbez il-kju, and, in essence, flip a couple of fingers at the poor souls who cannot, or will not, pay a premium.
In theory, one could see a situation where commuters are left behind, waiting at the edge of the pier indefinitely, whilst a stream of cars board using a more expensive ticket, filling each ferry to capacity.
This could well lead to a situation where everyone will have to buy the more expensive ticket. In effect, what Gozo Channel would have achieved is an indirect increase in fares.