Comment of the day
Published:
April 2, 2014 at 3:57pm
Sent in by A. Weitz on the subject of Jo and his police motorcades forcing their way through traffic, knocking people out of the way with sirens blaring:
I lived in Africa half my life. One sign that you were in the Third World was the military-style cavalcades that always escorted the President wherever he went, no matter what the occasion.
The smaller and poorer the country, the bigger and flashier the cavalcade.
I think it’s a ‘guy’ thing. Old men buy big fancy sports cars to compensate for their deficiencies. It’s the same with cavalcades.
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I think it is appropriate to some extent for a president, being head of state, to be accompanied by a couple of police motorbikes or such.
However having a prime minister, especially of such a small rock, or even worse a police and cinema minister of same rock showing off in that way is both ridiculous and highly arrogant.
So true. I remember once in Harare when Mintoff’s old chum Mugabe passed by. Seems like Muscat is of the same mould. The worrying thing is that he would think it is a compliment.
“Old men buy big fancy sports cars to compensate for their deficiencies”
Fancy cars and frivolities are not age-related – they replace the education and culture most-nouveaux riches lack.
How much sadder can it get when the PM goes to a funeral flanked by 4 security men! Saw it with my own eyes.
It probably works this way:
They had to employ 4 security officers (at least) because they had promised them they would do so before the election. But then, you cannot leave them idle of course, as some journalist might pick it up and say they are being paid for nothing.
So they use them as much as possible (read overtime pay) even in the most inappropriate moments.
Are the Netherlands passing through such a bad time, they can’t afford a car for their P.M.
We should be thankful,such a small country and we have it all.
Did you stop and think before you wrote that stupid comment?
The use of the Maltese flag by the Prime Minister on his official car while in Malta is also incorrect.
The Maltese flag should only be used in Malta by the head of state, i.e. the President, and by his representatives (i.e. ambassadors) when they are abroad.
For instance, you never see David Cameron flying the Union flag except when he is on an official visit overseas, when he would usually be accompanied by the British ambassador to the country which he is visiting.
Ah, Africa.
Today, Jo met with Goodluck Jonathan, President of Nigeria, in Brussels.
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/37602/muscat_insists_on_the_repatriation_of_illegal_asylum_seekers
What is it they discussed?
Did they discuss the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act which Mr. Jonathan signed into law in January 2014?
While at home Jo markets himself as a promoter of equality, outside of Malta he deals with the dictators and despots whose only mission seems to be that of violating human rights at the same time as they control the world resources – oil, gas and minerals.
The list of foreign despots befriended by Jo is impressive: Putin, Matviyenko, Yanukovych, Jinping, and now Jonathan.
“Last week Nigeria’s president, Goodluck Jonathan, signed the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act, which provides penalties of up to 14 years in jail for a gay marriage and up to 10 years’ imprisonment for membership or encouragement of gay clubs, societies and organisations.”
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/14/nigeria-arrests-dozens-anti-gay-law
“The act has drawn international condemnation from countries such as the United States and Britain. ”
“The British government last year threatened to cut aid to African countries that violate the rights of gay and lesbian citizens. However, British aid remains quite small in oil-rich Nigeria, one of the top crude suppliers to the US. ”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/nigeria/10570304/Nigeria-passes-law-banning-homosexuality.html
But in all probability, Jo was there to discuss oil and gas. Nigeria is one of Africa’s largest producers of oil. And Mr. Rilwanu Lukman, chairman of Gasol plc – the holder of 30% of the Electrogas consortium which will install an LNG tanker right in the middle of Marsaxlokk Bay – is from Nigeria. He had served as Minister of Petroleum Resources in a cabinet of Mr. Jonathan when the latter was acting President in 2010. We are talking about the big cheese of Nigeria here – those who control Nigeria’s oil and gas.
What have Letta, Yanukovych, Ali Zeidan and Milan in common?
All of them were ousted out after Jo went to visit.
Will the same fate now befall Goodluck Jonathan?
There is at least one more casualty, actually. That’s Kevin Rudd of Australia.
http://292fc373eb1b8428f75b-7f75e5eb51943043279413a54aaa858a.r38.cf3.rackcdn.com/d5d69eb351e4be3f6c6c5104d9e097e7-355057332-1300948718-4d8ae6ee-620×348.jpg
It seems that Kevin Rudd kept his left hand in his pocket in an attempt to do a “faccio le corna” – but it did not work.
Add Gaddafi .
Not to mention also Manchester United, whose former coach – Alex Ferguson – endorsed Jo during the election campaign, and now look what happened to the team.
Oh no, gvern li jishet.
Here are some other interesting developments in Africa.
On 28 March, Gasol plc – that small, loss-making and under-capitalised company which holds 30% of the consortium that will install an LNG gas tanker in the middle of Marsaxlokk Bay – has entered into a strategic partnership agreement with African Iron Ore Group Limited – an African company which has “relationships with Chinese State Owned Enterprises in the power sector.”
Don’t tell me this is another one of those secret deals of Shiv Nair – China’s secret weapon in Africa? Shiv Nair was also Jo’s secret weapon on energy in Malta until it was revealed that Nair – who had passed Jo’s due diligence tests – was blacklisted by the World Bank.
Read this:
“AIOG is developing iron ore projects in Central and West Africa, by focusing on the region’s substantial unfulfilled requirements for rail and port infrastructure, and highly prospective new mining projects which exist in countries such as Cameroon, Congo (Brazzaville), Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. AIOG works closely with its capital markets strategic partner, AIM listed International Mining & Infrastructure Corporation Plc (“IMIC”) which, following the recent acquisition of Afferro Mining Inc., now owns four iron ore assets in Cameroon.
An integral part of achieving mining, rail and infrastructure projects for iron ore development is providing power supply solutions for the developing countries in this region. Under the terms of the Partnership, Gasol is appointed as AIOG’s exclusive partner in the provision of LNG to Gas to Power Solutions for these projects. When a potential project is identified and Gasol decides it wishes to participate in that project, Gasol and AIOG shall enter into specific agreements relating to that project. It is the intention of the parties that under these specific agreements, Gasol will pay introduction fees to AIOG in respect of providing LNG to Gas to Power Solutions, and that the level of these introduction fees shall reflect, inter alia, the overall capital expenditure and anticipated profitability of such project. The Partnership has an initial term of two years, which is automatically extended by a further two years if a project is entered into in the initial two year period.”
It almost sounds like “philantropic projects in aid of African people,” involving local projects, resources and power generation. And millions of dollars. And unnamed Chinese State Owned Enterprises. Incorporated God knows where – possibly in the Bahamas?
http://hsprod.investis.com/ir/gas/ir.jsp?page=news-item&item=1726505986031616
Welcome to the world Shiv Nair or whatever his f*****g name is.