Rebel is too flattering a description, though
This letter was published in The Times today:
The rebel in Gonzi’s ranks
by Joe M. Zahra, Birżebbuġa
Franco Debono’s statement (January 11) that “while some of his constituents were disagreeing with him, he had had a flood of messages of support” must be incorrect, if not misleading.
I come from the fifth electoral district which elected Dr Debono on a PN ticket in the last general election and in the past weeks I have not met one single Nationalist supporter who is not against Dr Debono for the way he is lashing out at the Nationalist Party and its leader and Prime Minister.
He was elected as a PN candidate and whoever voted him in office believed that he would be supporting the Nationalist Party in government all through the five years of the legislature.
No PN voter ever dreamt that Dr Debono was such a spoilt child, ready to bring down the government because he was not appointed a minister in this recent reshuffle. Dr Debono has all the right to criticise the government, the Prime Minister and the ministers. But as a PN member of Parliament the least he should do is to support the government, especially in times of crisis.
I happen to know Dr Debono. He might be a good lawyer but the way he is acting shows that he is not a good politician. George Borg Olivier, an exceptional Maltese leader as were his two successors, once told me: “Fil-politika trid tkun taf tibbordja”.
If you are a good politician, who is there to serve and with not too much ego, you should know what it means to work as a team: in a political party, in a parliamentary group. You give your ideas, you disagree, you criticise but at the end you have to abide by the will of the majority and toe the party line.
Dr Debono speaks a lot about democracy but when it comes to put into force what he preaches, he is a sore loser, because it is he who is acting in an undemocratic way. It is he who is not abiding by the will of the majority in the PN parliamentary group and executive.
Dr Debono should refrain from threatening to bring down the government. As an honourable member of Parliament Dr Debono has two honourable ways ahead of him: he should either keep his seat in Parliament and toe the party line till the general election in 15 months’ time or else resign his parliamentary seat.
My last word to Dr Debono. If he really wants a place in politics he should decide what side he is on. In politics it is very difficult to change sides because you will lose your credibility with everybody. I remember only one politician who changed sides and still kept his place.
This was Winston Churchill who had the luxury of crossing over from one political party to another and still became Prime Minister. But there was only one Winston Churchill!
This is not the time for ego trips. While acknowledging the positive initiatives taken by Dr Debono, I as a PN fifth electoral district voter can never agree with Dr Debono’s antics and political immaturity.
I can assure Dr Debono that the PN is not afraid of a general election. It has all the ingredients to be re-elected!
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The electoral campaign will be the moment of truth for Labour, after four years of brainstorming (whatever) and market positioning.
It’s product which counts. Let’s see it.
I agree that “rebel” is too flattering. How about “mascalzone”?
Maxxkalzun, tajba.
Over the past two years, I have noticed that politics and journalism have only partially developed over the years.
Several politicians are thin-skinned and instead of being shunned by the media, they are glorified for their thin skin.
In the US, once the media senses that a politician is over sensitive, they will do their best to devastate him/her. Such politicians are easy prey. In Malta, several politicians are in for the glory, ego trips, power hungry, adulation of the villagers (who beg them for any favour under the sun) and limelight, but god forbid if one criticizes them.
The same politicians regard themselves beyond scrutiny and criticism.
Maltese journalists are the worst enemy of the profession.
They use the profession to strike deals with individual politicians in order to form part of ‘the elite’ circles.
Rather than regarding journalism as a profession, they see it as a means to an end. They scratch the politicians’ backs (Franco Debono harassed reporters to report his court cases0 and in turn they will receive leaks, and be invited to cocktail parties.
[Daphne – Franco Debono does not throw cocktail parties, and most journalists I know would have done anything to avoid him, before this current outburst.]
There is no respect for the profession. When did the Maltese media ever follow a cause without any fear of stepping on somebody’s toes? I wonder if the University course instils in them a degree of respect/love for the profession.
Thanks, Daphne, for this website. It is the only website I follow. After the picture of Kim il Sung, I stopped reading The Times. That was too much.
It was an insult to our intelligence and complete lack of respect for the North Korean victims who live in a nation-prison with an erratic leader.
Shame on the journalist who was shallow enough to write that story. No wonder he is a fan of another shallow politician.
Why not have a 3 month campaign so that both parties have enough time to explain their policies or any flaws be exposed?
Labour don’t need three months. They don’t have enough material in their electoral manifesto to fill up three months.
And the more time passes, the more projects this government finishes. So the more time passes, the more people will realise that the Nationalist government wasn’t that bad, after all.
Labour wants it quick. Because if people had to take the time and reason things out, they wouldn’t choose Labour.
Labour’s flaws have already been amply exposed. They elected Joseph Muscat when they could have chosen George Abela.
And they still don’t have a policy to speak of and won’t for at least as long as Karmenu Vella ta’ Orange Travel has to deal with the Concordia fallout.
The Tantrumator
A ‘rebellion’ of this kind maybe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLYm9n5Nytk
‘I have not met one single Nationalist supporter who is not against Dr Debono for the way he is lashing out at the Nationalist Party and its leader and Prime Minister.’
Same here, but even many Laburisti I know do not like his behaviour and consider him nonsensical.
Wasn’t it the Prime Minister who not so long ago insisted that members of parliament should vote according to their conscious? Indeed, the PM voted against the will of the majority of the people of Malta in order to appease his conscious.
Now, Franco Debono’s conscious is telling him to vote against this administration. Even if, for argument’s sake, the majority of voters in his electoral district are against his decision, shouldn’t a man’s conscious prevail, as instructed by the PM?
[Daphne – It’s a conscience. Conscious is what you are when you’re not unconscious.]
In Debono’s case, substitute ‘ego’ for ‘conscience’.