Of course the Maltese government hasn’t ordered an evacuation
Published:
July 26, 2014 at 5:22pm
It doesn’t want to have to pay for it. Not when it’s given a million euros – yes, a million euros – in 12 months to the organisers of the Joseph Calleja concerts in Floriana.
And not when it has all those Taghna Lkoll appointees to pay and now has to find salaries for 40 musicians so that Frederick Testa can have a purpose in life and a salary at PBS.
So…we pay for all that, and then scrap local council elections and don’t organise an evacuation from war-torn Libya ghax expensif hija.
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These prophetic words by Dr. Gonzi keep coming to mind: “Mal-PN tkun kburi li int Malti, waqt li mal-Labour tispicca tishti li int Malti.”
How true
Words of wisdom indeed that can be attested by anyone who lived under any former Labour regime and was not brainwashed.
Joseph Muscat and his government are living in a make-believe world of their own.
As the Maltese saying goes “Hadd wara hadd tasal ta’ kulhadd”.
George Vella said reports of trouble in Libya are greatly exaggerated but didn’t allow Mannie Galea to return to Libya immediately.
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-07-23/news/maltese-ambassador-to-libya-back-in-tripoli-5939822593/
Speaking at a press conference last week, Dr Vella said the Ambassador was helping out as best he could from the crisis centre that was set up at the ministry. He also said that Ambassador would be heading back to Tripoli at the first available opportunity, **as long as it was safe to do so.**
Yeah. Same way Costa Concordia Captain Schettino handled the evacuation of thousands of passengers and crew from the rapidly listing vessel by first placing himself in a lifeboat a good distance from his ship.
U xi 25,000 euro fis-sena ghal Mangion forsi fl-ahhar isib xi garage.
Mela dik xi Project Malta biex noholqu impjieg ghal Julia Farrugia.
The government can save on Willie Mangion’s 25,000-euro salary by offering use of the Luftwaffe-designed open-air theatre to Maltese bands.
Malta is about to fail. Dr Busutil’s prediction that Malta will need a bailout under Labour may not be too far from the reality Malta will face if it keeps on like this.
Muscat, so far, was able to speak with such confidence because he was betting on his passport scheme to fund his extravagant and fanciful policies. In the lead up to the election the PN were constantly telling us that there was no way the PL could fulfil its promises because Malta just doesn’t have that type of money, unaware of the passport scheme that was egregiously kept from the electorate.
However, the fact still stands that what we have in Malta right now is an extractive government that is bringing back the extractive policies and institutions Mintoff brought to Malta. The result, depending on how much the electorate tolerates, will be collapse.
Extractive institutions are those that serve an elite, and once in place are difficult to get rid of unless there is a huge revolution built on the principles of pluralism and egalitarianism. No such revolution happened in Malta. Mintoff saw the checks and balances that were in place after independence as a hinderance to his ultimate goal, complete control of Malta.
He gained most of his control by getting elected on the basis that he and his Labour Party were now typically Maltese, made up of people who were “Maltin purr”, and once there took control of the banks, got rid of the Civil servants, and reduced all checks and balances to a big joke, giving himself the absolute power he thought a leader should have while, in the end, using force against his critics. It is my guess that, had the Maltese known what Mintoff was going to do, they would have not voted for him. Once they realised, it was too late. Progress and success can easily be sent into reverse, as we saw back then. No, Malta was not perfect, but Mintoff went into politics not to do good, but to use people’s gratitude against them to gain control of the people and the nation.
Once such a culture exists in a nation, the idea of becoming PM and having that type of unchecked control is not just appealing, but attainable since there is little to lose, and much to gain from perusing it. In a country where a huge part of the electorate doesn’t care about the democratic institutions and the importance of inclusive politics, an individual can get away with a lot that they otherwise would not get away with had they tried to the same in a society that does not let them get away with things purely on the basis that they are ” proper real typical Maltese, not like the others”.
Certain aspects of the extractive institutions and practices that Mintoff introduced persisted under the Nationalists, but they did not bring about the same collapse because the Nationalists were constantly subjected to harsh criticism by the supporters of the opposition, and also because even though they won, it was never by a huge majority. They were kept in check and every little mistake, no matter how small, was attacked. This worked in our favour, but let certain practices persist.
What could they do? In a country where half the populations mindset is preoccupied with seizing power for power’s sake, it was a huge risk to be “fair” and appoint Labour supporters and members to fill certain positions. While the PN slowly introduce inclusive institutions and practices, these were constantly under threat by the then members of the Labour Party of the time.
Leaders who seek to implement extractive policies are threatened by democratic institutions because they take the power away from the elite and distribute it fairly and equally. It is in their interest to keep society from wanting pluralism because they want to be elected into a seat that gives them the type of power they covet. Think about it, if you had a society to rule over, would you automatically chose to rule democratically or revert to an absolutist rule where you get all the money?
Democracy was never really a natural choice, but born out of circumstances where the people demanded pluralism and had the means and leverage of getting it. Once a society didn’t have that leverage, no such democracy was born resulting in poor countries because either the people didn’t insist on it in the first place, or were powerless to stop their future dictator.
The PN risked letting in such people who would ultimately use their position to impede their democratic policies which were much needed in Malta at the time, even today.
Sadly, such a tactic brought about resentment towards the PN, and because some people don’t like admitting to things that threaten their position of influence and power, the PN is accused of only looking after their own. A gross mischaracterisation of facts, and a disingenuous perspective to adopt.
Today we are seeing exactly what it was the the PN has fought so hard to stop: the PL recreating and reintroducing the extractive institutions and policies that we were slowly moving away from. It was this threat that was the weight around Malta’s neck, which stopped much of our progress and resulted in us having a country with outdated laws and attitudes. Now we are experiencing it all first hand. The PN had nothing against AD, a similarity Democratic Party based on pluralistic ideals. It was the PL that always tried to put a stop the progress by being against all inclusive institutions, the biggest of which was the EU, and we will see the PL’s attitude towards that soon enough if the British humour holds out.
Extractive institutions are, as the name implies, institutions that take (extract) leaving the population without. As we can see today, Muscat’s cabinet is huge ( it had to be because of all the people he promised to make cabinet members), billboard participants are handed very high paying jobs for virtually no responsibilities, or responsibilities that now have to be created costing us more, the issue is Sai Mizzi who lied to us all about her contract, the appointment of Mintoff as a judge, bringing back all those police officers. These are all examples of extractive policies and practices as they take money and power away from where it is needed and given to those who gained favour with the elite: the PL that can do no wrong because they are typically Maltese.
The result is that the extractive practices of the past year and a bit have resulted in the money being taken away from what matters and put into things that only prop up the elite and chosen few. We can’t afford local council elections because we have to pay for Sai Mizzi’s salary and other iced buns. We can’t put in the effort to help save a fellow Maltese citizens because we have to fund a new orchestra to give Mr Testa something to do to at least look like he’s earning his income for a post that was a supposed to last only a year.
History has taught us that this all leads to collapse. If Muscat was truly democratic and pluralistic he would answer to the press instead of coercing it into being on his side with invitations to China, for example.
Very good article – if only it could be read by all Maltese – all true Maltese
Every word in this comment is true to the bone. Shame the PN lacked in the propaganda sector and was unable to get its message understood clearly enough.
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-07-26/news/were-working-on-martin-galeas-abduction-say-government-sources-5976555524/
‘..The departure is voluntary. The Maltese authorities point out that they are not paying for the Medavia flights and that there is no formal evacuation….’
Just in case anyone forgets.
The biggest government cabinet in Malta’s history and the biggest government series of blunders ever.
Not to mention the record number of lies ever. But then I did mention it didn’t I?
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/41628/government_working_relentlessly_for_libya_abducted_mans_return#.U9PaqeOSyig
‘…Malta is undertaking all necessary preparations in the eventuality of mass evacuations from Libya. Sources in Libya said the situation “could get out of hand” after the end of Ramadan, tomorrow….’
No evacuation then, not until it’s too late.
‘….If the situation in Libya does not improve, foreign companies based in the oil-rich North African nation, might decide to evacuate hundreds of workers to Malta.
However, since this could happen in the midst of summer, when hotels’ occupancy rate is at its highest, the crisis committee is setting up alternative reception centres in the eventuality of a mass evacuation….’
Rings a bell, does it.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140726/world/us-evacuates-embassy-staff-in-libya.529315
‘.. Tripoli has been embroiled for weeks in inter-militia violence that has killed and wounded dozens on all sides. The fighting has been particularly intense at the city’s airport….’
Does this government realise it is obliged to order an evacuation and account for each and every Maltese national? Something tells me they’ll use Galea as an excuse not to concentrate on that one.
When the Americans transferred their embassy in toto across the Tunisian border, who bloody cares for plane tickets, just escort everyone out of Tripoli.
Unless this isn’t the Maltese government.
You’re joking, right? Cost can’t be a factor. How much could it cost? I would have thought that it’s all about not admitting that they are fools to sign agreements with such a country.
It will cost them whatever they got their hands on.
Vella actually said he’s waiting for some go ahead from the EU yesterday, that the order to evacuate be some EU instruction, m’hemmx x’taghmel.
Can’t have 2011 again, remember Luciano Busuttil and his claim to Libya’s money.
OK. So according to the PL government, Malta started offering for sale at cut-price rates EU passports to foreign nationals without first asking or consulting the EU, but now excuses its failure to act by claiming that it cannot initiate mass evacuation of Maltese nationals from war torn Libya before it gets the green light from the EU.
X’qabda nies opportunisti, giddiebin u inkompetenti. Povri l-Maltin maqbudin fil-Libya. Povra Malta.
Is it a fact that the Maltese workers evacuated had to pay 250 euros?
SHAME.
The ones responsible should be made to explain who decided that lives of our fellow citizens come with a price tag.
[Daphne – Yes, it’s a fact. The government arranged for some extra Medavia flights and evacuees were made to pay a ‘reduced’ price of 250 euros.]
If just one hair of an American citizen is touched, you can be certain that American planes are flying on the zone in no time.
And we charge our fellow citizens 250 euros to get out of a war zone.
In the meantime we charge just 35 euros to other Maltese to come and vote.
Who was it who said PAJJIZ TAL-MICKEY MOUSE?
Mr Loporto, as far as my memory recollects, it was the Maltese government that made the necessary arrangements through Medavia.
Hence it was the Maltese government : quote
“who decided that lives of our fellow citizens come with a price tag” unquote. Your words.
So what if it was the Maltese government’s decision.
It is still even more a SHAME.
What about today’s news that preparations are being made to receive patients from Libya?
Will our government be making them pay for their evacuation?
If not, I expect that the Maltese workers are given a refund with a personal letter from the minister concerned, telling them sorry.
And to be more precise, their relatives in Malta had to pay before the Maltese workers in Libya could board the flight.
Great comment, Edward. You are ( unfortunately ) so very right.