This was a good speech in parliament
Published:
July 18, 2014 at 8:18pm
You can read Times of Malta’s report via the link below. Or if you prefer to go straight to the original text, it’s here: Simon Busuttil speech 17 July 2014
The bit about local council elections is particularly concerning. A government that simply decides not to hold an election? That is the stuff of the Third World.
So Joseph Muscat says that he is going to lower the voting age to 16 for local council elections – then he cancels those elections because they’re “too expensive”.
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http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140717/local/updated-busuttil-warns-government-is-undermining-democracy-council-elections-set-to-be-postponed-to-2019.528121
Heard it today and thought, ABOUT BLOODY TIME! I sincerely hope the extended period of wound-licking is over now and we get a LOAD more of this from Dr Busutill and the PN. I’m not holding my breath though.
Are the general elections going to be too expensive as well? You know, with all the admiration of China and all that.
Apparently Joseph Muscat wants 201-Nein elections.
Maybe we should ask the corrupt China Communications Construction Company to pay for our elections. If they found Eur 4 million to ‘donate’ to Joseph Muscat for a feasibility study on a Malta-Gozo bridge, then why wouldn’t they find Eur 2.5 million for the local council elections?
Sssh. You’re going to upset Albert Grech again. I’m assuming that if ‘fautdemieux’ is Albert Grech on Twitter then he is also Albert Grech here.
@ Tezi – I’m not sure how you can presume to know my thoughts on domestic politics in Malta, given that I haven’t commented on a single aspect of domestic policy. I’m merely cautioning against excessive alarmism on the basis of the signing of one agreement, and arguing against people who have an entirely negative – and therefore jaundiced – view of China. We have interests to pursue in countries across the world – even countries you don’t like – and they aren’t served by people who are incapable of making dispassionate cost/benefit calculations.
I agree with your last point, which is why I take issue with the rest of your comment.
The separation between domestic and international is artificial as they are one and the same in this case.
We are talking at cross purposes if you assume, incorrectly, that Muscat’s MOU with China can be assessed in isolation.
To read its significance correctly you need to look not at the text in the context of international law and diplomatic relations, but at Muscat’s personality and motivation in the context of power relations.
Your mistake is assuming that Muscat’s priority is Malta not himself, and that his policy decisions are value-free.
Tell me Albert, what are our interests to pursue in China?
Just read the speech and let out a sigh of relief. Finally!
With such a mess to address, the Nationalist Party’s huge debts being the major one, I find it very unfair to expect so much from Dr. Busuttil so soon.
Give him time and he will prove me right – he will outsmart Joey tat-trikkitrakki.
I have no doubts about Dr. Busuttil having his hands full, and I too envisage him coming out as a great leader, as in my opinion, all PN leaders have always been.
However, I, like many other PN supporters, was feeling demoralized with all the silence.
Did the Opposition have to pair 3 of its members with government members away on government business, considering the PL has such a majority – 2 of which are in dispute due to wrong sorting of batches.
And this when during the last legislature Muscat had openly declared: “Jistghu jinsewh il-pairing”.
Too expensive, eh? If he wants to cut back on expenses, he can bloody well pay his own way and tell that fart of a bumming wife to pull her own weight for a change. She might actually lose some of it in the process.
Next, he csn dump that ridiculous escort parading in and out of Burmarrad each day.
He can fly economy, like US reps often do, rather than flying business class or hiring a private jet to bolster his ego.
He can sack all those hangers on and useful tools he’s paid off using public funds – including that useless turd, Joe Mizzi, and that woman who can’t make up her mind about whether she’s Maltese or Chinese.
While he’s at it, he can get his entire cabinet -himself included – to pay all their taxes and to cut back on unnecessary expenditure, preferably by firing themselves.
Prosit La Redoute, wiehed mil-ahjar pariri lil-gvern li qatt qrajt. Naf li hemm hafna aktar x’jinkiteb imma ilqadt il-musmar fuq rasu. Naqbel mieghek 100%
Something just came to mind regarding the “too expensive” part if Labour’s argument: what about the spring hunting referendum and any subsequent referendum arising from petitions? Will they be “too expensive” too?
This business of not holding local elections until 2019 is only another nail in the coffin for any eventual spring hunting referendum, although I really doubt that referendum will actually happen.
Kollox bizzilla hi.
Hu go fik, Gahan.
Scaremongering as it would be a one off.
If the PN did not flag the cancellation of the local councils election, no one would have known. I don’t recall it in any of the newspapers. I might be wrong
According to Times of Malta “Labour MP Marlene Farrugia did not turn up to vote on the bill to transform Enemalta into a plc this morning because of the lack of information given by the government about the corporation’s deal with a Chinese government company.”
This is very disappointing behaviour. It is useless talking to journalists without taking real action. Marlene Farrugia should have put her vote where her mouth is and just voted against. That would show political maturity.
Jien ghalija Dr Busuttil hu ragel kapaci immens. Qatt ma ddubitajt il-kapacitajiet tieghu.
I do not think that anyone sane will deny Dr Busuttill’s abilities.
The question is whether those abilities are appropriate for the Maltese political arena and the Maltese mindset. The abilities are definitely needed but I do not not sure that they are appropriate.
Ability is nothing without utility.
Good point.
That is to say, utility is the application of ability such that the desired goal is reached. It seems to me that for all his ability, Simon Busuttil still isn’t clear about his goals.
That speech is a case in point. He chides the government – he doesn’t quite denounce it, just chides it – but he doesn’t say what he wished would have happened instead.
And he is also being held back by a lot of fossil Nazzjonalisti with the mental ability of a plate of minestra.
I get the feeling that the PL is deliberately creating skirmishes to hide its’ true objective. Similar to an illusionist who waves one hand in front of your nose, whilst he’s pulling the aces out of his pocket with his other hand.
Why was it deemed fit to create Judge Mintoff at this particular time? Why are the Local Councils elections being threatened now? What happened to the hunting referendum?
Too many battles and fronts being opened in what is undoubtedly a war. Is the aim to tire the Opposition? To stretch its resources? Or is it to placate and uphold a promise made to the hunting fraternity? Or is it something else?
Good words from our Leader of the Opposition – now – what action is he (and us) going to take?
Perhaps Muscat can cancel some costly ”gifts” he gave such as Willie Mangion”s garage-seeking salary – Mrs. Mizzi”s fictional |Chinese appointment and a few others. Then he will find the money for local elections
If he deems them expensive, then never mind what the people think. On the other hand, if Muscat deems a consultant/diplomat contract feasible, then so be it.
Am I the only one thinking that we’re heading towards a totalitarian state?
This is the prelude to the elimination of all elections. From now on, local council members will be directly appointed by the government as it is “cheaper” than having an election, and what do people know anyway.
General elections are a huge strain on the economy and the 36,000 majority in 2013 has given Muscat the divine right of kings.
Simon Busuttil was brilliant.
Give him a year or so and he will be wiping their silly grins off their faces but first things first.
PN needs to rid itself of the unnecessary clutter irrespective of positions held past or present.
Hear hear.
Muscat is inarticulate and incapable of debate.
We sometimes forget that his only experience of note is cribbing together a string of lies and half-truths for labour media (“Made in Brussil”) – hardly the best training ground for the premiership.
His years as MEP taught him nothing at all. Remember that wot de hack speech? It just about summed up his years in Brussil (sic).
Cronyism is fast emptying the government’s coffers. How can Joseph Muscat promise voting age at 16 one day and practically abolish council elections just after a year and a bit?
If the local elections are not held, all local councilors of integrity, should resign in protest if they were due for elections or not.
Could this, perhaps, be an excuse not to hold the referendum on spring hunting?
Just occurred to me that the first and last election under Labour, in May, for six MEPs, in pre-election handouts, cost Malta some 5 million euros in VAT refund cheques alone.
So our ever vigilant Prime Minister is quite right when he says that we cannot afford our present level of democracy. We cannot spend more than China does on elections for Godsake can we? And in China, they cured election fatigue seventy years ago.
And that Sai Mizzi is costing us a bomb so something had to be done. Prosit, Doctor Muscat. Maybe Marie Louise can organise a charity marathon walk to raise funds so we can keep elections.
Let’s start collecting: sheets and pillows for Sai and donations for the elections.
How about adding handkerchiefs , I’m sure the P.N.has run out of them and they will surely be needing tonnes of them, come next elections.
Silvio, with this government ALL Maltese will soon need tons of handkerchiefs not just PN people.
You can listen to parts of Simon Busuttil’s speech here..
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=813589682015123