I think we can now turn around and say to those who campaigned against Arriva and voted Labour: ‘Fools and idiots, shame on you.’
No offence meant, of course – at least I didn’t call you f**king w**kers in the time-honoured fashion of one of the most prominent protestors.
It has cost the government – that means you and everyone else in your family who works – a staggering SEVEN MILLION TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-TWO THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-EIGHT EUROS to operate the bus service for just two months: January and February.
The costs for March, the government said, “are still being calculated”, but they are unlikely to be any different at an average of around Eur3.5 million, so let’s bring the total up to around Eur11 million for the three months.
The government has also said that revenue for those three months was Eur4,295,492. So this means we’re looking a massive loss of something like Eur6.7 million euros for which the public will have to make good through taxes.
Almost seven million euros – catastrophic. Think of what could have been done with that money.
At this stage, those who voted Labour without being persuaded into the religion from birth have only one excuse: to plead not guilty on grounds of diminished responsibility due to temporary madness at all the excitement of being In.
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http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140407/local/three-companies-bid-for-bus-service-malta-transport-loses-millions-in-three-months.513997
And now we are also going to use China’s ‘cash injection’ into Enemalta to subsidise the cost of electricity to consumers: what a fantastically cunning plan.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140407/local/enemalta-to-pay-for-lower-electricity-tariffs-if-gas-plant-is-not-on-time.513960
oh look, so the PN was right about the bail-out!
When Finance Minister Edward Scicluna was asked if Enemalta had received the 300 million euros payment, he couldn’t reply and told the journalist to ask Enemalta becuase it is not his responsibility.
Ara vera clown! You`re the Minister for Finance!
And here we have Cuschieri:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140408/local/video-joseph-cuschieri-complains-of-party-bias-confirms-he-will-not-be-mep-candidate.514094
Joe Mizzi should be asked to resign. He holds a catalogue of incompetent decision that have resulted in massive squandering of public funds.
Back in 1998 he was responsible for the Madonna taz-Zejt well in Gozo which cost the public coffers 30 million euro, now he is responsible for wasting millions on public transport after ousting a private company (Arriva) that was bearing all the costs.
And all along he styles himself as a cunning and intelligent person but plays Fagin with workers.
But that was part of the roadmap, and kostit.
Massive
I was out and proud.
Arriva had started to learn the ropes at a huge expense to itself. It was obvious that it had miscalculated badly and the service needed a hike in fares or a heavier subsidy, whoever had to run it. It made sense to renogatiate the contract with Arriva , an operator of vast international experience who would had have jumped at the chance of salvaging its reputation,instead of starting from scratch. Fools and idiots indeed.
No. Renegotiation was not the best solution.
The solutions for the PL government were:
1. Keep the bendy buses on the roads. They were stopped because of a capricious decision when the indications were that the three bendy bus fires were an act of sabotage.
2. To be positive about the Arriva bus service and encourage people to use the service. Government should have worked with Arriva to see how it can increase passengers and income.
3. Make it clear that you have no intention of stopping the contract with Arriva. Those who were campaigning against Arriva would have got the message and stopped campaigning.
4. Impose more discipline on the collection of fares. There were some drivers who were not collecting the fare from passengers, possibly to reduce the income to Arriva.
For commercial reasons, the campaigners were very determined to have Arrvia removed. It was a situation, however, which could have been saved had the PL government acted differently.
Now that Arriva have left, Joe Mizzi is paying the price using taxpayers money.
Arriva must be laughing and thanking their lucky stars. Meanwhile we are faced with possible increases in taxes / fares to make good for this blunder, while the service slowly but surely degenerates into its former state with slovenly drivers and old buses. But this is Labour in action. Lanzit for not managing to make the reform itself, so destroy it and start anew. What a sad, sad place.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140407/local/minister-to-face-court-action-by-the-police-after-traffic-accident.514001
Seven IIP passports to run the bus service for two months. Nice.
A more valid excuse is easily available to those who voted Labour, namely to plead not guilty on grounds of diminished responsibility due to lack of foresight, also known as reduced intelligence.
And then hospital’s backlog of scans could not be tackled by outsourcing to the private sector because (wait for it) “No MRIs were transferred to private hospitals last year as the funds allocated had all been used up.”
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140406/local/5000-waiting-to-have-a-scan-non-urgent-appointments-for-january-2016.513867
It’s back to the days of running around cap in hand for charity, which for over 25 years was not necessary because we earned our own keep in a sustainable way.
Utility rates were high because that is what the market dictates and lowering them as promised by Jo only means that the funds have to be found elsewhere.
So it’s hand-outs in exchange for our votes in the Council of the EU (because that’s the price for China’s help) or selling off that which does not belong to us: EU citizenship. So low, so fast.
Allow me to use a Debonism: ‘hekk, hu go fik, poplu!’
Sai Mizzi must be hard at work finding a buyer.
Is a finder’s fee written into her contract, I wonder.
Whilst it is known that Times Of Malta was a key instigator and promoter of the anti Arrival campaign, I am still not clear whether this was politically or commercially motivated.
The number of registered unemployed grows each month.
The Chinese are subsidising the reduction in energy prices.
Millions are being squandered on public transport.
The PM shuffles the deckchairs on the Titanic.
It is no big wonder that the country has been reduced to raising money from the sale of citizenship.
The alternative is bankruptcy.
A real ‘bidla fid-direzzjoni’.
It feels as if Malta is on board MH 370.
I think the previous government was building new schools for around 2.5 million each so at least two brand new schools could have been built with that money.
The loss as you put it – EUR6.7M – is equivalent to the sale of around 5 passports. Who cares? Storm in a teacup.
Latest double speak along the “out of stock” lines. Education Minister Evarist Batolo gives the present streaming policy a minor tweak, re-names it calling it “banding”, and then proceeds to bad mouth his predecessors for introducing streaming.
We are spending so much money on public transport and the service is much worse than Arriva used to provide. Certain drivers have become noticeably more arrogant and rude, which indicates that they are reverting back to type.
Timetables are also non-existent as far as the public is concerned. Taking the bus has become a waiting game: you go on the bus-stop and wait. And wait.
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/europe_2014/37773/cuschieri_will_not_contest_european_parliament_elections#.U0O5ErfNv4Y
http://www.inewsmalta.com/dart/20140408-cuschieri-mhux-se-jikkontesta-all-parlament-ewropew
I heard it was quite an interesting interview.
The systematic sale to China of all public entities.
Speaking about Enemalta, reading this piece it dawned on me that in a few months or years most of Malta’s energy needs will be coming from China and Azerbaijan.
“All things considered, buying electricity from a liberalised EU market while avoiding emissions makes more sense than buying gas and electricity from a couple of foreign government-owned monopoly suppliers like the Azerbaijan state oil company and China Power.”
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140404/opinion/Get-a-second-interconnector.513502
My thoughts exactly when I read the news. They are burning through our coffers like there is no tomorrow.
Not to mention that 2 weeks ago we he said they did 200,000 more profit than last year
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140324/local/mizzi-bus-service-better-off-in-first-three-months.511918
Now we’re all In… trouble.
Ed io pago!
And what a service. How can a responsible operator provide old mini buses for hospital routes? Old people, wheelchair bound people, mothers with pushchairs cannot access this horrible means of transport. We cannot take it any more.
On a different note. Did you notice the return of the Google ads? This time they are promoting the government, meaning that they are being paid from our hard-earned taxes, not to mention the increase in adverts in promoting the budget, electricity cuts and what have you that the government should be doing as a duty not as a favour on the main newspapers, billboards and Facebook.
This is totally unacceptable, and I am mostly pissed with the Opposition for not making a huge fuss on these resources going to waste. What the hell are they doing at Dar Centrali? Still trying to find our where those 8 million vanished??
I can’t go anywhere on Youtube without having to click the bloody things off.
Now I can have a family, now I get a stipend…Shurrrup.
Add the €2.4m contract to lease some new buses signed on the eve of the tender deadline and you have a black hole.
What is interesting though is that bus drivers on the UBS-leased buses are still not charging for bus fares (they stopped charging back when the bendies were pulled off the streets) which gets me wondering.
As part of the incumbent service providers and also a bidder do they know that if they stop the “freebies” things become more palatable?
Malta was supposed to encourage foreign investment not shaft it. It is perfectly clear that they made every effort to force out Arriva so that they would pick up and leave everything behind.
Well done for making a large multinational company leave the island. I love the comments about Maltese management being able to do a better job.
And now we claim Malta is OPEN FOR BUSINESS.
Lets see how generous the Chinese are going to be.
On a different and lighter note:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140408/local/facebook-comment-on-muscats-temporary-blindness-tampered-with-controversial-pastor-claims.514097
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GCr1eTbxbw
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/37709/labour_mp_cagey_about_gaffarena_association
‘…Way back in 2008, MEPA had issued an enforcement notice and sealed off access to the entrance given that Gaffarena had wilfully decided to go beyond the approved planning permission he got in 2006 for the construction of a petrol station.
The former parliamentary secretary for planning, Michael Farrugia, defended the decision, insisting that everyone should be given an opportunity to regularise their position, and that Gaffarena had been “promised a permit before the elections.”
But Nationalist MP and MEPA board member Ryan Callus dismissed Farrugia’s claims, insisting that MEPA had twice turned down Gaffarena’s application under the previous administration.
The Bonello incident
In 2011, an individual who referred to himself as ‘Gaffarena’ assaulted former judge Giovanni Bonello, who had firmly opposed the permit application while serving as a MEPA board member. The former European Court of Human Rights judge said he was attacked in restaurant in a St Julian’s for refusing to vote in favour of lifting the sanctions on Gaffarena’s petrol station….’
With voters like these, who needs switchers?
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/37800/residents_unite_against_odz_old_peoples_home
Then there’s this Sarsero ‘architect’, taghna f’taghna.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrkxFLbnBRY
‘….Fil-paġna tagħha fuq Facebook, id-Deputata Laburista Marlene Farrugia esprimiet l-appoġġ tagħha għal dak li qal Joseph Cuschieri. Hi qalet li l-‘Magna tal-Partit’ qed tkisser il-Moviment Laburista u li l-poplu vvota favur politika trasparenti u ta’ kontabbilità….’
http://www.maltarightnow.com/?module=news&at=Filmat%3A+Joseph+Cuschieri+j%26%23295%3Babbar+uffi%26%23267%3Bjalment+li+mhux+se+jikkontesta+g%26%23295%3Ball%2DPE&t=a&aid=99855559&cid=50
Joe Sammut, another one from the fourth and fifth district, voted against MEPA’s decision to allow rigs into Marsaxlokk, he’s now being torn to shreds by Maltatoday.
It does seem some close monitoring of what’s happening down South is in order. One wonders what Saviour’s agenda is.
So Arriva’s subsidy according to the initial contract was around 6 million euro going up to 10.2 million euro at the end of 2012, ie 1/2 million per month initially going up to around 800,000 euro per month towards the end.
With the new bus service the subsidy is a staggering 2 million euro per month approximately, and the service is not any better.
Why are bus drivers and other staff still using the Arriva uniforms including bags with Arriva’s logo when it was one of the conditions when the Government took over that all mention of Arriva was to be obliterated ?
As someone who use the bus service every day, I can confirm this is the case.
Fools indeed, tenderers for Mizzi’s grand design restricted to three, some Gozitan businessman presumably concentrating on the sister island, the unscheduled bus thingy, how that is supposed to relate to a strictly regimented service has to be seen make that owner drivers to the fore, and the third a mysterious Spanish consortium.
Then there’s the late application, which no one seems intent on calling void. Now if they’re late to post a tender, imagine what happens to the service.
Gvern li jistenna maghna lkoll.
Silly season’s early this year.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140408/local/facebook-comment-on-muscats-temporary-blindness-tampered-with-controversial-pastor-claims.514097
Night vigil in Burmarrad next.
In June 2011 Arriva started its operations.
On September 27, barely three months later, the MLP presented a motion in parliament holding Austin Gatt responsible for the failure of the service and calling for his resignation. The issue was further compounded by Franco Debono’s intransigence and insistence that Gatt must resign.
On December 4, Franco Debono abstained and the Speaker’s casting vote saved the day.
At the time Arriva was being paid a subsidy of around €8 million a year. This is €1 million less than the €9 million that previous bus owners were paid in their last full year of operations in 2010.
Austin Gatt had in fact saved €1 million in tax-payers money for that year.
Notwithstanding this, the MLP led by Joe Mizzi and cheered on by Franco Debono and many of the local news papers, worked relentlessly towards Arriva’s failure.
On January 1, 2014 the new MLP Government took over Arriva. Joe Mizzi promised to improve the system.
Today, over three months later we are informed that the government transport system set up by Joe Mizzi has managed to make an income of €2,864,000 against an operating expense €7,272,138.
Bluntly, this means that it made a net loss of €4,408,138 over the first two months of operations.
This will project as a loss of €26,448,828 for this year.
Subtracting the €9 million that previous bus owners were paid in their last full year of operations in 2010 will leave a gaping net loss of €17,448,828 for 2014.
Austin Gatt made a profit of €1 million towards Malta’s coffers and was savaged by the MLP egged on by part of the local media supported by Joe Mizzi and Franco Debono.
Now, with a forecast net loss of €17,448,828 for 2014, there is a hush that is screamingly outrageous.
Where is Franco Debono and where is the media now that Joe Mizzi has managed to make a veritable cock-up and is projected to lose €26,448,828 of the tax-payers money, our money, this year alone.
Shame on you Joe Mizzi.
This is so very serious I won’t even make a jibe about the cookies this time
Mizzi is keeping busy playing with Franco’s cocks.
Well argued and calculated. Well done.
How right were Dr Gonzi and Dr Busuttil – Malta is rapidly moving straight into a concrete wall. PM Jo and his team will soon drain Malta’s coffer.
There’s a lot that could be done with €6.7m, but with the €220m we fork out in interest on our national debt we could build a Mater Dei a year.
Over to €2bln a decade. Mela! Ghax money-no-problem, you see. Hekk kienu qalulhom.
And if we hadn’t built Mater Dei, we could build a university a year. And if we hadn’t built a university, we could build a national stadium a year. And if we hadn’t built that we could build two cruise liner terminals a month.
Glad to see you’ve renounced socialism, Mr Ellul Bonici.
What a silly, desperate argument!
Interest paid on debt incurred to build from scratch a country’s infrastructure (e.g. a power station, water desalination plants, an airport terminal, a hospital, a telecommunications system, a Freeport, a cruise liner terminal, decent roads, safe boats to cross between Malta and Gozo, a terminal in Cirkewwa, etc. etc. etc. is an INVESTMENT! if not for anything, to bring Malta out of a third world state into a modern EU democracy. I know it, you know it, we all know it, but people like you can’t accept it because you will be for ever on the wrong side of history.
I can’t believe I’m saying this but, bring back Manuel Delia. Even he did a better job than Joe Mizzi.
Joe Mizzi should take his man off the rig and put him on the buses.
Joe Mizzi should resign and Diva Debono should insist on his resignation. This is a huge mess at the expense of the taxpayers.
This is how things are done in democratic countries:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/conservative-mps-expenses/10754075/Maria-Miller-resigns-as-Culture-Secretary-live.html