The shocking story of the government’s brazen incompetence…and worse
The career diplomat who saved Martin Galea, risking her life while the prime minister relaxed with David Cameron and Prince Charles. The government had to lift her suspension from work on trumped-up charges to be able to use her because they had nobody else able or willing to do it.
Why wasn’t the Maltese ambassador to Tripoli there in the huge and inappropriate government welcoming-party on the airport runway tonight, you might ask.
Where was Mannie Galea hiding?
And why was Marisa Farrugia, the Maltese consul in Tripoli, who Martin Galea said saved his life, there at all – given that she has been suspended from the Foreign Ministry without pay and subjected to a police investigation?
Why did the huge government welcoming-party – after the initial warm greeting with the foreign minister – shove her to the side, ignore her, block her out of view of the press and cameras and not accord her any credit at all?
Why did the prime minister resolutely give her his back and not mention her name at all?
It was only the rescued man who mentioned her name and thanked her personally and publicly.
Here are your answers. And if it didn’t occur to you to ask those questions, you have the information right here anyway, to help you put this whole charade into its proper perspective.
Two months ago, the government recalled Marisa Farrugia from Tripoli, where she is the consul (the consulate and the embassy are not the same thing). She was put under investigation for an alleged scam involving the issuing of Malta (Schengen) visas to Libyans against payment.
The story was leaked by somebody in authority – and very transparently, too, because it was the only place the newspaper could have got all the details – to Malta Today, which ran a big piece about it – link below. The newspaper didn’t, of course, give any indication that it had sought Dr Farrugia’s side of the story, making its report come across even more strongly as a piece of machination and a deliberate plant against an individual.
Dr Farrugia has been suspended without pay ever since, and has been questioned by the police, something Malta Today somehow knew.
My own very reliable sources – most definitely not the government, as you can imagine, or anyone who works for it – inform me that Marisa Farrugia was put through the mill and reduced to misery. She had been preparing to face the Public Service Commission and permanent loss of her job, and an end to her diplomatic career.
She had been removed because she was inconvenient to Tripoli ambassador Mannie Galea and to John Dalli. Mannie Galea is a Dalli man. He is also heavily involved in construction and development work in Libya.
But last week the government that had been threatening her with police investigations and the loss of her job summoned her again. Her reaction, I imagine, would have been along the lines of ‘what fresh hell is this’. But instead she was told that she was needed for a special mission to Libya: to rescue Martin Galea, who had been kidnapped. Nobody else could do it, certainly not the ambassador who had got rid of her in the first place, and who had fled back to Malta.
Because a public service employee cannot perform public service functions while on formal suspension from work, the government would have had to lift Marisa Farrugia’s suspension and cancel disciplinary proceedings to allow her to fly to Tripoli in her official role as consul and save the kidnapped man.
And that’s what they did. After doing all that to her and briefing against her to the press, they had to stick their finger up – excuse the expression, but this situation certainly calls for it – and call her in because their hopelessly incompetent and very possibly corrupt ambassador wasn’t capable of it, even if he had to guts to fly into a warzone and deal with savage rebel militias in the first place.
So there you have it. While the prime minister was posing for pictures with David Cameron and Prince Charles in London, and having a nice time at meetings in Glasgow, Marisa Farrugia was risking her life in Tripoli to find a kidnapped man.
But when the kidnapped man gets off the plane, Marisa Farrugia is kept away from the reporters and their cameras in case one of them has a light-bulb moment and says, hey, isn’t she supposed to be suspended from work and under police investigation because the ambassador said she’s selling visas?
And instead a bunch of politicians who were safe in Valletta, London and Glasgow, while she was busting a gut in Tripoli amid the rocket launchers and the armed men, line up to take the credit and the limelight.
The irony – they get rid of the only competent person they had in Libya, appoint a total incompetent to the embassy because he’s Dalli’s choice, panic because a man is kidnapped and they have nobody to deal with it, call back in the career diplomat they have suspended and put under investigation, send her to Tripoli to risk her life and negotiate with rebel militias while they relax at home in safety, and THEN TAKE ALL THE CREDIT THEMSELVES.
Bla zejt f’wicchom. I don’t know why I put the word ‘shocking’ in the title. It’s just so typical, really. What is shocking is that we, the electorate, hold this bunch of goons to such very low standards and tell ourselves that as long as they’re not actually shooting at people or killing them and leaving their bodies under a bridge then it’s fine.
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http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/38916/maltese_consul_in_libya_probed_in_investigation_over_massive_visa_scam#.U9bLpkBW_Cg
Voting Labour – the gift that keeps on giving.
I know Marisa Farrugia personally, and she is a very professional, honest and committed person. She has suffered other discrimination in life. She is definitely the best Arabist diplomat in Malta.
She has more balls than all the Cabinet put together. Who knows, maybe they only just lifted her suspension temporarily. Expect anything from “bustards” like those.
Ma kontx inkun jien u l-ewwel ma nagħmel kif ninżel l-ajruplan immur nieħu b’id u ngħannaq lil dawk li ġabuni żibel.
Issa naraw biex se jpattula lil Dr Farrugia. Prosit, Dr Farrugia. U minn dawk it-taparsi rġiel kollha, kellek tkun int mara ta’ veru, li salvajt il-ħajja tas-Sur Galea.
Bħal ma qal tajjeb is-sur Galea, kien mertu tiegħek u tiegħek biss li llum hu għadu ħaj. Prosit mill-ġdid. Ħaqqek kull tifħir.
I don’t know much about how people are chosen for diplomatic posts. I can only say what I think is logical and comment on the little I have observed.
As soon as Labour were elected they removed an ambassador I know well and who was doing an excellent job in a country which is important for us.
I am speaking of a career diplomat with experience and a proven track record. He was sent to a far away country and replaced by someone with no experience.
I have no idea if the PN ever did this but even if they ever did something like this it seems very wrong and illogical.
Well PN appointed Wilfred Kenely as Ambassador for India and he was removed in silence after some months. We never got to know the real story.
I don’t know anything about the man you mention. However you said he was sent to India. I can understand, though not necessarily accept, that a person with no experience is sent to some country with no importance for Malta as a sort of reward.
But to remove a good diplomat from a very important post to replace him with somebody not fit for purpose is crazy. This was the first thing that Labour did that for me shattered any hopes that they were going to do things the right way.
Ah, Wilfred Kenely again. Our very own home-grown Shiv Nair.
No one could have pulled this off but Marisa Farrugia and her network of Libyan and Maltese friends who work in Libya. You reap what you sow.
Marisa has always been professional and helpful to those Libyans who needed her, especially the sick ones, and to the Maltese who live and work in Tripoli.
There are many many stories about her, good human stories that belie the attempt on her character by those who should know much better.
But good news doesn’t make the headlines, it’s the stories that some supposed journalists are fed that do. And Malta Today was certainly pushed to run stories on this Consul. For all she did, she should be Ambassador.
Qed nerġa’ nara l-video u għidt bejni u bejn ruħi “imma possibbli l-ġurnalisti ħadd ma ġieħ f’moħħu li jintervista u/jew jieħu l-kummenti ta’ Dr Farrugia?” għax fuq kollox wara s-Sur Galea hi kienet l-protagonista ta’ din l-istorja, u l-ebda wieħed minn dawk li mar jippoppa sidru biex jidher.
Forsi ghamlula s-sarima biex ma titkellimx. Ghada pitghada nispera li nkunu nafu ezatt x’gara – after all she is THE TRUE MALTESE DIPLOMAT WHO DESERVES MALTA’S GRATITUDE FOR WHAT SHE DID AND HOW SHE DID IT.
Thank you, Marisa Farrugia.
Ghax hafna gurnalisti hawn Malta biex jitfghu t-tajn u jaghmlu l-hsara tajbin.
Now we know the real reason why the Malta Government went completely silent during this entire operation.
Because they were forced to rope in a Mhux Taghna Lkoll professional to sort out their mess.
And thank God for that.
It is exactly what every sensible Maltese person was so worried about. That our fumbling government would attempt to ‘help’ Mr Galea in their typical amateurish and disastrous manner.
A la Egyptair.
Martin Galea IS a lucky man.
Dawn l-istess allegazzjonijiet li hemm korruzzjoni fil-hrug tal-vizi u investigazzjonijiet ilhom snin ghaddejjin.
Li kien qed jigri huwa zgur li Libjani isibu Libjani ohra biex japplikawlhom huma u johdulhom il-flus. Ovvjament jghidulhom li biex ihallsu lil tal-ambaxxata meta ma jkunx il-kaz.
Din zgur tigri ghax smajta minn hbieb Libjani. Sintendi min-naha l-ohra ikollok pressjoni biex jinhargu l-vizi.
But the saddest comment is your last one, because it is true. Labour had to work really hard to get voted out of office years ago. People had to be killed for that to happen. We are still very far away.
Typical would you not say! It’s all about the limelight and certainly not giving credit where credit is due!
Thank you for giving us the background to the story. Plenty of people were wondering why this lady who had been suspended was then reinstated and then got that very honourable mention from Mr Martin Galea.
Now we know why she was so rudely treated and ignored yesterday by the highest of the land.
The lady should be given a Gieh ir-Repubblika medal in recognition for her service. My bet is that if it was Maria Camilleri, the Shariyah school headmistress and Labour activist who the PM appointed as special envoy to the Arab world, who has ecured the release of Mr Galea, the Labour and national media would have by now elevated her to the status of a St Joan of Arc.
The pettiness of the PM knows no bounds.
But people are simply saying: Qed tara Joseph salvah u gabu lura? What do they care?
Thank you Daphne for bringing to our attention and sharing your valuable insight into the stories that truly matter, something that would be too much to expect of our incompetent and sub-standard press.
It is incredible how major media houses in our country with such relatively huge resources at their disposal are outdone time and time again by one single person in both content and quality, and all this for no personal gain.
Shame on all of them.
And much kudos to you.
GET A LIFE DAPHNE IDHOL E-BAY U IXTRI WAHDA JA NDANNATA
Prosit Noel. Kemm ghandek sens! Ma togbokx il-verita?
Dazgur dak ghax togbu il verita tkellem hekk fittxu sew mhux tkunu mzazen twaqqghu l unur tal umanita bil mod li qed titkellmu! boloh
Ahna Maltapark immorru qalbi.
Libya is the kind of country where if you are able to get through the right ‘circles’, you can get anything, provided you are able to give them what they want.
Evidently Marisa Farrugia has access to the right people and the government’s decision to bring her on in such intricate circumstances (despite the pending police investigation) is a commendable one.
Mentioning her or having her speaking to the media at a time when she is being investigated by the police, would have been inappropriate and awkward for Marisa Farrugia.
Martin Galea is back. Lest we forget, this is the top news headline for today. For the PM, a feather in his cap.
[Daphne – You miss the point. She is no longer either suspended or being investigated by the police. The civil service is a rigid and uncompromising structure with regulations: when you are suspended, you cannot perform official duties or missions. The fact that Dr Farrugia was asked to do this means that the government lifted her suspension to allow her to do it.
They were forced to do so, against their will, because they had no other choice. Victimising somebody on false charges and putting her through hell, then calling her back in and facing her with a ‘no choice’ mission (who would have turned down a request to rescue somebody?) because you have nobody else, and then taking the kudos or trying to, is not ‘a feather in the PM’s cap’. It is despicable.]
Kudos to David Thake this morning on Radio 101.
Sinjal li kien haqqha is sospenzjon ! Qed nara kemm hi kompetenti jekk kif edt int ghamlet scam.. u mela min tridu jmur ghal dak li inhataf mhux xi hadd li jkun jaf il post ma ridtx tmur int ghalih ghal li jista jkun uwx? u nahseb li xejn ma thallset jekk kellha hajjitha fil periklu mela ghamel ir ricerka sewwa qabel titkellem u tibqax tohlom li kulhadd mazzun
[Daphne – Trust a Laburist to miss the point.]
Jidher li nqrast fil laham il haj xejn ma nghidlek jiena kompli nfiska f demmek u ghamel mezz veru biex tidhol sa e bay jew maltapark u ixtri hajja minn hemm
No Daphne.
They know exactly what you’re on about, they just can’t get themselves to admit it.
Interesting how Laburista ghal dejjem first condemns then pardons Dr Farrugia.
‘int qed tghid li ghamlet scam’, ‘min jaf kemm thallset’.
Notice the only common thread, monetary exchange to define any value. A blatant admission they don’t have any other option but outsource.
They will come apart when it’s crystallised we can do without them. As we did.
That’s the level of intelligence that elected Joseph Muscat. What a pathetic country!!
Daphne, a very close friend of mine had a shocking experience over the past 2 weeks with his wife and 2 kids over in Libya. You need to hear how he was treated by the so called ‘government reps’ who were supposed to be dealing with the situation. Shocking I have to say, and very very sad to know that life does not hold any value to some.
[Daphne – My number’s in the book if he wishes to call.]
Missed it. What did he have to say about the the whole issue ? He usually gives a hard hitting opinion.
I met her in Libya. Professional and very humane. Well done to her for the work she has done there, and I was so sad when I read the story! Thanks Daphne.
Joseph Muscat was very busy planning the rescue operation with his friends Face-Cream Phyllis and her husband Pawlu Muscat on their yacht in Mellieha Bay, relaxing after his meetings with Cameron and Prince Charles.