Don’t the banks have rules about this sort of thing?
Labour MPs Carmelo Abela and Michael Falzon are using their email addresses at the banks where they are employed to circulate round-robin messages to their fellow MPs, complaining at what they see as an imminent threat to their privileged parking status next to the parliament building.
Both of them should know better than to abuse of their HSBC and Bank of Valletta email addresses in this manner. The proper address to use for parliamentary business is the parliament’s dedicated email address, not their employer’s.
HSBC and Bank of Valletta should act in response to this, just as they would with less privileged employees. And this is quite apart from the fact that their clients do not like to be reminded that there are politicians who have access to the private banking data of indivdiuals, or that the Labour Party has both the big banks covered through its MPs.
See below.
12/28/2011 11:50 AM
From: [email protected]
Sent: 28 December 2011 11:56
To: Dr Michael Falzon [mailto:[email protected]]
cc (all MPs)
Qabel xejn bongu lil kulhadd u awguri mill-qalb lilkom u lill-familji
taghkom.
Michael very well said. Qabel xejn tajjeb li nghidu li l-maggoranza
tal-MPs ghazilna li ma nehdux iz-zieda li giet offruta lilna minhabba li
hassejna li ma kienx il-waqt.
Qed nigu mgieghla li nhallsu ghas-suppost exemption tas-CVA haga li hadd ma
jsemmi ghall-konvenjenza. Jekk ma nhallsux l-exemption inhallsu ta’ meta
nidhlu l-Belt li ghal hafna minna huwa biex nigu l-Parlament. Din tas-CVA
ghandha tithallas mill-Parlament jew nigu ezentati bis-serjeta` mill-ewwel.
Nispera li hadd m’hu qed jippretendi li nigu l-Parlament bil-mixi. Tajjeb
wiehed jghid li l-unika residenti li huma moqdija bir-reserved parking
spaces ghalihom huma r-residenti tal-Belt. Il-parking sar problema
kullimkien u hemm hafna x’wiehed jghid dwar dan. Fl-ebda villagg jew belt
ohra f’Malta r-residenti huma preferuti bhal tal-Belt.
Barra minn dan jekk hemm xi hadd li jrid ikompli joqtol u jbaxxi l-istima
tal-Parlament u l-Parlamentari jghid dan car u tond. Bhala Parlamentari
qisni qed nisraq xi haga jekk nesigi f’isem il-poplu li eleggieni li
l-kariga li nokkupa fil-prezent tigi rispettata.
Mill-gdid awguri imma nahseb li hemm bzonn li din id-degradazzjoni tieqaf u
nittama li l-Ispeaker tal-Kamra ma jhallix dan ikompli jsehh.
Best regards,
Carmelo ABELA
“Shaping the future of HSBC through the workplace we deliver”
SENIOR INSURANCE & STATISTICS OFFICER | HSBC Bank Malta plc
80, Operations Centre, Mill Street, Qormi QRM 3101, MALTA
—————
Dr Michael Falzon
To “Abela Pauline at Parlament-MT”
Dec 28 2011 11:24
Bongu Kullhadd,
Ma’ ghandhiex aptit polemiki lejn l-ahhar tas-sena, imma nhoss li ghandi
nirreagixxi ftit, jien ukoll fi spirtu ferrieh ta’ zmien il-festi.
Jekk hemm min irid li jitnehha l-“parking ” taghna l-MPs ” so be it”;
Min forsi jitwassal bix-xufier ovvjament haga ohra.
Hekk jew hekk ahna ma’ ghandniex hafna tpingija u ma’ nistawx noqghodu
nohorgu l-bottijiet bis-siment u s-siggijiet fejn irridu ahna, kif jaghmlu
numru sabih ta’ residenti tal-Belt. Lanqas ma’ nistghu nirrangaw ma’
xahadd, biex ghal xi raguni jaghmlulna xi reserved.
Ahna ma’ ahna xejn ghajr dawk l-hekk imsejjha ” membri parlamentari ta’
l-hekk imsejjha l-oghla istituzzjoni tal-pajjiz”, li jekk tkun membru
taghha qisek ghandek il-pesta.
Ahna, jigi l-Papa u trid titlob akkreditazzjoni biex tithalla tidhol
fil-parlament fejn eleggiek il-poplu ( suppost ).
Ahna dawk li jitnehhielom il-parking kull meta tigi xi delegazzjoni
barranija, u f’ hafna kazi bla ebda pre-avviz ta’ xejn. Inkella ma
nilghaqux bizzejjed lil barranin.
Ahna dawk li meta nsiefru fuq xoghol tal-Parlament, inti stmat anqas minn
diversi membri tac-civil.
Ahna dawk li jekk tiltaqa ma’ xahadd barra minn Malta fuq xoghol
tal-Parlament u toffrilu ikla, trid thallashielu minn butek.
Ahna dawk li meta insiefru fuq xoghol tal-Parlament nintalbu niltilqu minn
laqghat kmieni, halli jigi ffrankat xi lejl f’ xi lukanda; itlaqha li fejn
irridu tghidx kemm hemm minn fejn nahlu.
Ahna dawk illi meta nkun imsiefrin fuq xoghol tal-Parlament, jew inkunu qed
naqdu dmirna x’ imkien iehor nidhru bhala assenti, halli umbad jaghmlu
“buzz” bina l-gazzetti.
Ahna dawk li ta’ spiss insibu xi gurnalist jistenniena barra l-parlament
biex jara kif ha jirrikolana
Ahna dawk li certu impjegati tac-civil tghidx kemm jiehdu gost minghalijom
jumiljawna.
Ma’ hemmx x’ taghmel – ahna membri ta’ l- hekk imsejjha “l-oghla
istituzzjoni tal-pajjiz”.
Mill-gdid is-sena t-tajba lil-kullhadd.
Michael.
Dr Michael Falzon
Executive Head,
Legal Office.
30 Comments Comment
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Misskom tisthu zewg parlamentari tal-isem. Miskom tisthu tohiolqu dan l-agha kollu kontra n-nies tal-Belt (u liema persuni llum huma anzjani u mhux bhalhom fil-fjur ta’ hajjithom). misskom tisthu ghandkom dawn il-privileggi kollha li toffendu tinsultaw lil min jghogobkom u minn fuq tridu iktar privileggi.
Iz-zieda triduha imma meta titilghu fil-gvern ghax hekk jaqbel ghal voti tan-nies. Imbaghad toqghodu tiggustifikaw kemm qed tahdmu ghall-poplu.
Halluna u misshom il-banek involuti jikkastigawkom bhal ma jikkastigaw lill-haddiem iz-zghir meta jabbuza mill-posizzjoni tieghu. Ghajb ghalikom.
Mela mhux kulhadd ihallas biex immur jahdem il-Belt. Ara veru zewg rufjani!
If being a member of parliament is such a bother for them, then why don’t they just avoid contesting the next election?
Dr Falzon seems really pissed off at his MP’s duties. Why doesn’t he continue with his private job at Bank of Valletta and quit parliament? We don’t want to make him feel so guilty.
ghax tal-Lejber ihobbuhom u jriduhom il-privileggi.
They sound like two people being just a little tipsy in a village kazin.
These two MPs should be protesting for the lack of reserved parking for disabled persons. These spaces seem to be disappearing fast in Valletta and those that survived have been personalised by having the vehicles number on the signs.
So what these two MPs are saying is that they deserve a raise so that they can better afford the demands of their job.
If you give Labour MPs enough time, they always agree with the PN eventually, independence, VAT, EU membership, the euro…
I can’t get over all the mistakes in Michael Falzon’s email. I gave up counting after 19. And what on earth does ‘jirrikolana’ mean?
When he says ‘fejn eleggiek il-poplu (suppost)’, why did he put that ‘suppost’ in brackets? Is it because there is one MP – Joseph Muscat – without one single vote?
So I understand that these two gentlemen from the opposition side are at the moment receiving two salaries and perks, one for being an MP, and one for being a bank official. And yet they are complaining about the CVA charge. Maybe they are also netting more than the salary of a minister, with the increase and all.
Daphne, it is not only the email address of the banks that they have used, but the signature and position as well.
Is Michael Falzon writing as an MP, or is he writing as the Executive Head of the Legal Office of his bank?
Is Carmelo Abela writing as an MP, or as the Senior Insurance & Statistics Officer of HSBC?
Is this the sort of risk management we expect from the two main banks?
Are the banks aware that anything said in emails from their addresses, signed by their officers, can be used against the banks, and that the banks are effectively engaging in politics here?
Am I writing as existentialist poet or as frontman for a hard dance band?
If you post a comment at midnight on 31st December, will you be writing as ciccio2011 or as ciccio2012?
Let us not split hairs, ciccio. Our MPs are polymath geniuses. Why, half the cabinet holds a permanent academic position, and the other half runs various clinics, beauty parlours, legal offices and consultancies in palm-leafed or snowy hotspots (does this even make sense? Ed.).
I knew our talent pool was limited, but jeez.
Valid point.
In my contract it is specifically written that my company email is not for private non-work related communications (with disciplinary action as an option if abused)
I also had to attend a business security and ethics session and sign a declaration to this effect. On reflection I had to do this for my last three postings also.
At our office we were reminded that we cannot use the office e-mail address for sending / receiving personal e-mails.
We were advised that should this continue, the office will block our access to e-mails.
Is it so difficult for both banks to issue such instructions?
Is it necessary for banks to issue such instructions to senior staff?
Who said that there are no such instructions?
Issa naf il-ghala kelli nhallas hamsa u sebghin Ewro ghal-bicca legal ruling biex niehu dak li hu bi dritt tieghi.
U issa wkoll naf il-ghala l-HSBC ma jigix ikkritikat mil-media Laburista.
Ara ssibux xi scoop fuq il-banek ghal Joseph.
Well said Dr. Falzon and Mr. Abela, but our Parlamenterians are not respected only if you are not on the Government side.
They sound like two clerks complaining because they have nothing better to do, both in terms of the contents and in terms of the fact that they are very happy to not only use their employers resourses but also their time. I wonder if they stayed over to make up for the lost time.
First of all, Dr Michael Falzon, it’s ‘xi hadd’ not “xahadd”.
Secondly: what a couple of cry babies.
Sorry if the people who elected you put you in such an uncomfortable position. So much for not wanting polemics at the end of the year.
“Nispera li hadd m’hu qed jippretendi li nigu l-Parlament bil-mixi.”..why should Carmelo Abela hope that this is not the case?
Yes it’s true, parking in Valletta is a problem, but haven’t we all been dealing with it so far?
Perhaps they should have some silly session in parliament about who gets to take privileged parking at the ‘Yellow Garage” once the City gate project is done. OR may I suggest turning St George’s Square back into a carpark, with the fountains as a car-wash service (free) for MPs.
Does Banif Bank have one too?
Niiice. Another two jerks who change hats according to needs and circumstances.
Do these people have any self-respect? Apparently not.
Please allow me to take the opportunity to wish Ms.Caruana Galizia and all visitors to this blog a healthy 2012.
Oops, postings as in work locations, not posting on this site
Dawn diga bdew jeqirdu fuq iz-zieda li zammhom milli jiehdu Joseph Muscat ghax ma ghandhomx ihhalsu ghas-CVA.
Ara veru li jaghmlu dawn in-nies jaghmluh ghal propoganda u xejn izjed. Jien lest li naghmel imhatra li jekk jerbhu l-elezzjoni jiehdu z-zieda b’lura mit-2008 u anke jihdu l-imghax.
In that case, they should be the ones pushing for the new parliament building, they won’t have to enter Valletta bil-mixi then.
I half expect them to demand free parking at the underground car park.
Why is the PN government building parliament near entrance of our capital? So all PL MPs can come by Arriva. Parking not needed.
BoV and HSBC had better rein in these two as otherwise they will run wild and the banks will be seen as connivers.
Both should be fired by the respective banks.
Has Joseph been copied with these e-mails?
Will The Times publish them?
These are as serious or even more so, than the exchange of e-mails between Joseph and Sabrina.
It has always been like this with the LP. It’s OK for them to break the rules but not for others.
Dr Falzon jidher naqra fjakk fl-ortografija Maltija.
Ahna l-Beltin irridu spjegazzjoni pubblika, specjalment minn naha tas-sur Falzon.
Xi jrid jghid bih dak statement?
Jaf dan li ahna biex immorru naraw lil tal-familja taghna naghmlu weghda biex insibu parking?
Sur Falzon, jaqaw tibza minn min ikollu t-tpingija? Ara vera ghad hawn nies vera lura!
Dawn iz-zewg parlamentari li jahdmu ma’ l-iktar zewg banek kbar f’Malta jista jkollhom access ghal accounts tal-klienti ta’ dawn il-banek? Jekk le, jista xi hadd li jahdem f’dawn il-banek jghatijhom access peress li huma MPs forsi ghax jibza jghidilom le?