UPDATED: What is it about – money or not wanting to admit a mistake?
British civilians arrive at Malta International Airport in 2011 after being evacuated from Libya on RAF Hercules transport planes (EPA/MOD)
UPDATE RE VIRTU VS USA AT END OF POST
Brigadier Martin Xuereb (Retd), who was forced out of his post as commanding officer of the Armed Forces of Malta – indeed, out of the Armed Forces altogether – so that Taghna Lkoller Jeffrey Curmi could take his place, was at the table next to mine at our usual Naxxar coffee-shop at lunchtime today, eating a relaxed lunch with his wife.
And I thought how, if things had been different, he would right now be sweating blood with Police Commissioner John Rizzo and others, organising an evacuation programme for expatriate workers and their families in Libya. And not just the Maltese ones, either. When the government of Malta, in coordination with foreign governments and their embassies in Malta, organised just such an evacuation programme in 2011, the situation in Libya was far less dangerous than it is now.
Nobody was shelling the airport or the control towers, for a start.
Now, with this dangerous situation and one Maltese man abducted and not heard of since, there is no evacuation programme planned and the most the government has done is organise a couple of extra Medavia flights and demand that those who use them pay their way. In other words, it has done nothing – and the Foreign Minister has described the situation as “calm but fluid” – or was it “fluid but calm”.
Is this about not wanting to spend money on an evacuation programme, not even for Maltese people let alone to help the citizens of other states and their governments, or is it about not wanting to admit a mistake?
Right up until three weeks ago, the government was doggedly signing memorandums of understanding with a Libyan government under siege in a country that has been reduced to total anarchy. The prime minister was still talking about cheap oil from his friends.
Our government was still sheltering and plotting with an ousted Libyan prime minister and deputy prime minister who had no power – so much so that the latter actually lived here in Malta – and friendship with whom merely served to enrage the rebel militias against the Maltese government.
But the government couldn’t organise an evacuation programme now even if it wanted to. Brigadier Xuereb has been replaced by a man who let a vessel the size of an aircraft carrier slip out of Maltese waters when it was supposed to be under guard. Police Commissioner Peter Paul Zammit couldn’t organise the proverbial in a brewery but he would have been exceptional at the catering. And he has been replaced by Manuel Mallia’s cousin, a grizzled version of PC Plod, anyway. John Rizzo is there still, and he is head of the Civil Protection Department which was an integral part of the 2011 evacuation programme. But people that proud are not going to ask for the advice of a man they removed as Commissioner of Police.
The result? No foreign government is able to evacuate its citizens through Malta, the Maltese are not being evacuated at all because the situation is “fluid but calm” (with the airport being hit by rockets…) and the Americans have had to evacuate their people overland across the border to Tunisia – a far, far more dangerous route than if they had been able to simply evacuate them to Malta on a Virtu vessel as they did last time. But then the reason they didn’t do that this time is probably the fact that they still owe Virtu Ferries Eur782,000 for the 2011 evacuation and the debt is the subject of a law suit.
UPDATE RE VIRTU VS USA
On the basis of a proposal by the United States, Virtu agreed to enter into mediation on the amount owed and settlement thereof. This mediation took place in London last month, and the matter was settled at 550,000 euros. Two weeks ago, Virtu withdrew its law suit.
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http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-04-02/news/judge-slams-us-government-for-third-court-no-show-4473454593/
Madame, you have an excellent way of putting things together, of completing the puzzle to the last piece.
No wonder they hate you. You read their mind and expose all their sins.
Thank you
Why is it that three Libyans are being flown to Malta? This is very strange especially when the situation is what it is.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140726/local/three-injured-libyans-arriving-in-malta-for-treatment.529319
Are we harbouring more Libyan officials? Is this a cover up for something more sinister?
There’s a special setup for them. I assume that means better security.
But why them in particular? And who are they anyway?
It’s obvious. Some Maltese businessman bazuzlu’s Libyan buddies.
More to the point: who are they politically, who shot them, and what are the implications for Malta?
That special setup at Mater Dei has nothing to do with the nature of their gunshot wounds.
There one angle to this story which shows the vile falsehood of our national narrative and the lying nature of our government.
For all our talk of shared history and civilisation, oldest friends and brothers, it’s not China we turn to when the shit hits the fan, but Western countries. We seek out the US, French or British embassy. We drive to the desert airstrip to board that life-saving German Air Force or RAF flight. We heave a sigh of relief when we get to that diplomatic mission flying the EU flag.
Our benumbed intellectuals happily forget this. If you were to believe them, you’d think we could take refuge in the Chinese embassy compound anywhere in the world if ever there’s trouble. No we couldn’t. Nor would the Chinese government pluck any Maltese citizen from danger.
Because this is what oldest friendship is all about. It’s about saving each other’s citizens, not the bullshit economic ties.
Our oldest friendships are with the United Kingdom, 200 years and Italy with a link way back to antiquity through Sicily.
Never felt safer in my life. Knowing that of all Ministers, the one responsible for no less than our National Security, was signing trivial memorandums with his Libyan counterpart in the midst of a raging civil war, totally ignorant of the serious threat blaring barely 150 miles south.
I bet my neck that they were discussing escape plans including passports and visas, for Libyan VIPs. Did money change hands, or mattresses maybe?
The cabinet is a bunch of nincompoops.
The largest in Maltese history – yet there is not one cell of grey matter between them all.
Only three years ago Malta stood proud on the world stage with its stance on Libya and its enormous humanitarian effort.
Now the country is in the dog kennel, not even being able to help its own citizens.
Vera bidla fid-direzzjoni.
Morru tnejku.
The quicker they can split Libya into three separate nations the better it will be for all those involved.
This was one of the many un-named reasons as to why the West was so keen on getting rid of Gaddafi.
http://www.dailyplebiscite.com/category/libya/
I was the keenest one among them, and I don’t know what you’re talking about.
If you don’t know by now then I will not bother to tell you.
You claim the West (which West? It was just France, the UK and eventually the US) wanted to get rid of Gaddafi in order to divide Libya into three states. No it didn’t. It just wanted to get rid of a threat to the West, seeing as Gaddafi’s own people rose against him. And believe me, we, and by we I mean we the Maltese, are better off without Gaddafi.
Vera gvern b’vizjoni. Pity it’s Dante’s Inferno with no Virgil in sight.
When is George Vella stepping down afer this Libyan showdown?
It has become so obvious that this amateur government hasn’t got a clue of how to handle this sort of operation.
In 2011 when Gonzi was at the helm, the Maltese people could not appreciate the scale of preparation and level of organisation because he made it look so easy and there wasn’t a big fuss about anything.
With Joe Joe and his team of nincompoops it is a different story. Take for instance George Vella – it was easy for him to sit down on a cushy chair almost every morning reading out the news headlines on Super One radio and criticizing everything under the sun.
Now that at LAST he is back in office, what have our foreign policy and diplomatic appointments been? we have become the laughing stock of Europe and Operation Libya will be yet another proof of our abysmal error in voting Labour into government.
When is George Vella going to visit Libya, which is calm and fluid, together with Manwel Mallia as a follow up to the MOU, and naf-fejn-hu-z-zejt Mizzi to procure cheap oil? Dad’s Army.