Those of you who think Malta Today is pursuing the ‘shooting’ story in a spirit of pure journalism are mistaken
In the red box, Malta Today’s star reporter Miriam Dalli and the prime minister’s communications chief Kurt Farrugia. In the green box, the prime minister’s driver.
Silvio Scerri: being set up for a fall by his own people, to keep the heat off Kurt Farrugia, who was responsible for the ‘warning shots’ press release issued by the Department of Information on Wednesday night.
Manuel Mallia’s head of communications, Ramona Attard, with the prime minister’s head of communications, Kurt Farrugia
If you have been keeping track of Malta Today’s coverage of how Manuel Mallia’s driver shot at somebody, you might think ‘Hmmm, they are covering stories that don’t fit in with the government’s agenda for once.’
Wrong.
Their coverage is entirely in keeping with the government’s agenda and also furthers it. The main focus now is on shifting the blame to Mallia’s head of secretariat, Silvio Scerri, so that he will have to carry the can and the prime minister’s head of communications Kurt Farrugia, who was responsible for that Department of Information press statement which talked about ‘warning shots’, will not.
You will have noted that when Manuel Mallia gave that press conference the morning after the shooting, he was sandwiched between Kurt Farrugia and his own head of communications, Ramona Attard. Silvio Scerri was nowhere to be seen.
He has not been seen or heard in public since. Meanwhile, stories are being fed to sections of the press, clearly by sources in the Office of the Prime Minister, that seek to implicate Scerri in the cover-up. Whether he really is implicated or not is beside the point – and you can argue that he has been hoist by his own petard – but that he is being set up for a fall by his own supposed allies in the government is more than interesting.
Interesting, too, are the dynamics in Manuel Mallia’s own secretariat. His communications chief, Ramona Attard, who is single, is especially close to the married Kurt Farrugia. On Friday night they were seen buying pizza together in Paceville. Perhaps you have forgotten the trauma that Norman Vella – who was in immigration at the airport at the time – was put through when this website released the information that Ramona Attard and Kurt Farrugia had gone through passport control together on a flight to London, and he was blamed for telling me (he hadn’t – a fellow passenger did). That was another incidence of abuse in which the police were called, Vella was arrested, and his communications devices were sequestered. He had to go to court to get them back.
Farrugia is also close to Malta Today’s Miriam Dalli, but this appears to be a one-sided situation in which the besotted Dalli does not have her affections returned while Farrugia views her as a useful tool.
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It’s like the Godfather movie. The lieutenant takes the rap for the bosses, does the time and when he comes out he’s promoted, meantime, he’s looked after. We protect you, you protect us – now who said that lately?
Spot on. When Saviour Balzan is involved one can always hear his master’s voice in the background.
When that’s the case, Muscat risks alienating every other member of cabinet.
When social policy becomes the presidency’s to implement, tilers and plasterers doing emergency rounds, the vacuum’s evident.
Mario Demarco is partly right, anything left of centre has been abandoned by these ‘socialists’, Brincat, Dalli and Grech’s, logically expendable portfolios.
He’s not right about the PN being to its left however, in that this Labour is just a locus with extremes exerting major centripetal forces, if anything the PN remains closer to the centre.
Someone suggested the 22 month syndrome. So it seems.
Silvio Scerri is either already out of the inner circle or else is not concerned at all. He was on the catamaran to Sicily this morning.
Urgent meeting with the Sicilian Lord of the Rings?
Has he escaped already?
This tactic will only work if people are stupid enough to be led to blame someONE. This mess happened because a number of people behaved in a way they never should have, every concession to make someone look better or less guilty impinged on others and the rights of others.
As things stand it looks like some messed up in the DOI, others messed up in the police force, the ministry/ministries and any bystanders/friends who removed, altered or attempted to retrieve evidence. There might be others who used their influence or position not in line with law and order.
Every hole in the swiss cheese model enabled the event as it occured, every (ass)hole representing each hole should pay the price to society.
They have coined a new name, the Gzira incident.
“Without mentioning the minister by name or referring directly to the incident, Dr Muscat repeated that he was “sorry and angry” that the Gzira incident had tarnished the reputation of the government.”
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-11-30/local-news/I-will-not-be-afraid-to-take-decisions-PM-on-Gzira-shooting-incident-6736126619
Who’s the guy with the glasses behind Frodo Baggins
Malta Today is so cheap. Check out their homepage – it’s like staring at NM Arrigo’s stand at the Trade Fair.
Miriam Dalli is writing these articles for Malta Today with her colleague John Pisani, who used to work for L-Orizzont and now works for Malta Today. Isn’t his son also a police inspector?
Silvio left his Don here and went to the land of Dons.
One would strongly advise the PM to wear strong UV filter sunglasses at any event lit by Nexos!
How convenient that Mallia was one of the few wearing sunglasses during that little “accident” when the nation held its collective breath as we waited for the PM to regain his vision such that he could continue guiding us along the roadmap…
Who heads the chief of communications at OPM?
Daphne, I agree perfectly with your analysis.
Moreover, something tells me that it would have been Manwel Mallia to insist that he would not address the press conference the day after the incident without the real culprit for the cover-up – Kurt Farrugia – sitting by his side.
Kurt Farrugia was with Joseph Muscat in the first encounter he had with the media soon after the incident – and was visibly anxious about the replies Muscat was giving.
I said it before, and I repeat it. Muscat too is primarily responsible for the cover-up, because the DOI falls under his wings. Don Manuel has already exculpated himself by saying that he had not written nor seen the press release until it was issued.
It’s in the video here:
http://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/2014/11/don-manuels-top-gun/
On his part, Muscat’s only excuse was that he does not know how the DOI works. Muscat was covering up for Kurt Farrugia.
http://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/2014/11/the-long-time-super-one-reporter-and-politician-who-doesnt-know-how-the-doi-works/
The hubby went to school with Silvio and reckons he was a ‘Nazzjonalist imgiddem’. What happened?
[Daphne – Money.]
looks like Kurt is keeping up the trend of ‘playing’ with journalists
Is that Manuel Mallia the one who tried hard to dethrone GWU secretary Tony Zarb some years back? Are these people all backstabbers?
Don’t they know who Silvio Scerri is?