Still the Super One reporter, I see
Joseph Muscat was challenged yet again this morning (at the Bidnija shooting range) about his lack of response to a recording in which his deputy leader is heard boasting about how he exerted influence on the police.
When journalists would not let the matter go, he did the standard thing he learned while working for Super One: chuck in a red herring.
“Jekk nghidilkom li kien hemm ministru li cempel lill-pulizija biex jehles xi hadd mill-habs?”
Notice that it was a rhetorical question, not a statement. The press pointed out that he had just made a very serious allegation, and would be please substantiate it.
But he just smirked, told them to do their own investigation, and moved on.
He has certainly learned a lot at Alfred Sant’s feet. This is just the sort of thing Sant excelled at.
It stands to reason that if Muscat knows of just such a situation, he would release the details. That he doesn’t release the details means he can’t, because this is a fiction used as a diversionary tactic.
The Nationalist Party immediately issued a statement that more or less calls Muscat a liar and asks him to spill any beans he might have.
No good leader would do that. Can you imagine Lawrence Gonzi doing something like that – or Eddie Fenech Adami? Mintoff, yes. KMB, yes. Sant, yes. Muscat, yes.
That’s the difference. Joseph Muscat and the Labour Party are actually admired for their gutter standards precisely because there are people in Malta who think these standards admirable. Kemm hu wajs, hux.
Two Maltas, like I always say.
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Pop in for a cuppa did he?
He appeals to Mr Stupid, and he knows it.
I sincerely hope the students left outside yesterday understand how normal becomes relative when Labour’s involved.
What has to be seen is whether he intends to go one better than Sant and pursue a witch hunt.
He’s cheating his way to government, using the same program to satisfy the criteria of mandate.
The next step, logically, would be to cheat us of an opposition.
Given that nationalists have a place in his movement, it will be legitimate.
What a mess.
Someone in the press should have retorted, “Ministru minn liema partit? Ta’ liema gvern?”
Liema ministru? Ghandek isem? L-isem tafu u ma tridx tghid min?
Skond il-ligi min ikollu informazzjoni fuq reat ghandu jinforma l-pulizija. Int lest tikser il-ligi? Bi hsiebek taghmel l-istess meta tkun prim ministru?
Ghamilt rapport dwar dan il-kaz lil kummissarju? Ghaliex le, meta on the record inti ghidt li fuq kazijiet ohrajn kellimt il-kummissarju?
I do think though that Dr Gonzi was a bit too quick to deny it – there always remains the possibility of a JPO-Mistra situation. Can he really be absolutely sure that there are no bad apples left in his basket. I do not at all think there are but then neither would I have ever believed JPO to be what he eventually turned out to be.
I think it would have been more prudent to just insist that Joseph Muscat report the case to the police and provide them with all the evidence while giving us assurance that he will look into this allegation also from an internal party perspective.
This is what we should really be discussing, Joseph.
“The eurozone recession deepened in the final three months of 2012, official figures show.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21455423
”jekk nghidilkhom……..”
He’s imitating the messiah now.
If what Muscat was jabbering about had any substance the Labour party would have quickly made hay of it when it is so close to election time.
What a childish and immature way at deflection this doughboy is trying to pull off.
He certainly has no hope as a statesman on the international scene.
Din hi l-bidla li jrid Joseph. Waqt li-nazzjonalisti jmorru jirraportaw lill-pulizija meta jkunu jafu b’xi koruzzjoni, josephdotcom meta jkun jaf b’xi korruzzjoni, jitlob. lill-gurnalisti biex jinvestigaw
What hasn’t been pointed out is that if this were true, and Joseph Muscat knew about it, then why didn’t he report this to the police?
Rumours and character assasination are the tools Laburisti excel in, not just in politics but also in the workplace. Oh, and blackmail, too.
These are the tools used when individual capability and vision is low and envy is high, and when ego exceeds performance.
“Jekk nghidilkom li kien hemm ministru li cempel lill-pulizija biex jehles xi hadd mill-habs?”
Jien ma smajtux pero’ jekk qalitu Daphne huwa sagrosant.
B’dan il-kliem jew id-domanda li ghamel Joseph Muscat lill-gurnalisti huwa evidenti li Toni Abela huwa responsabbli ta’ azzjoni li tmur kontra il-ligi, allura ma’ jfissirx li jekk Joseph Muscat jaf b’xi haga bhal ma qieghed jallega ghandu id-dmir li jitkellem u mhux igib skuza biex jiskolpa lil Toni Abela.
Wara kollox Toni Abela gie irrekordjat u mhux tkellem fuq telephone li seta kien kullhadd u mhux Ministru personali.
In addition to officially denying the allegation, the Nationalist Party should have gone one step further.
Ask the Commissioner of Police to investigate the allegation by Joseph, whether it was a rhetoric question or not. Get the Commissioner to send for Joseph, even if only to waste some of his precious time, and ask a few questions.
Surely thereafter the Commissioner would be able to make a statement that Joseph got the information second hand.
End of story and Joseph shuts up.
Jekk nghidilkom li Joseph Muscat imxierek ma qatta’ negozjanti biex jirbah l-elezzjoni, nahseb temmnuni?
Din hi il-‘kampanja elettorali nadifa’ li qalilna li ried Joseph?
L-iscoop tal-RTK li kien qed ifassal ma dik il-gurnalista/acting editor baqghalu f’wiccu. Scoops ohra qed jahdimhom u qed narawhom.
Fix-shooting range tal-Bidnija l-ufficjali ta’ madwaru kienu qishom mummji imbarazzati waqt il-‘grilling’ li taw lil Joseph il-gurnalisti min sebgha metri l-boghod. Dan x’haseb , li xi hadd se jisparalu?
Baqghalu tlett gimghat u min jippinja lil-dan l-eks ‘kollega’ minn dawk il-gurnalisti se jibqgha imsemmi sa wara mewtu, kemm jizloq u jizgicca dan Joseph!
Issa is-surmast Muscat baghathom ghat-test biex ifittxu liema ministru hareg mill-habs ….le mic-cipp tal-ghassa tal-belt…lil xi hadd li kien maqful hemm forsi taht suspett jew xi hadd imdewwem hemm iktar milli tghid il-ligi.
How patronising! Li kont jien kont intih hasla kliem hazin u nibghatu ghand boxxla xjaten hu nghidlu li qal ma fiehx ‘news value’ ghax kollu retorika.
Bang on Daphne. Two Maltas, the veggie vendor one and mine.
http://election.josephmuscat.com/district2/
At one point he called Matthew Bonnett, Net News journalist… ‘qisek il-gurnalisti tas-super one fid-90ijiet.’
Matthew promptly answered.
‘Int kont wiehed minnhom, Dr. Muscat.’
Muscat clearly embarrassed, was lost for words and rushed away.
So this is the guy who campaigned against EU membership even as he knew that it would be good for Malta, and who lied and distorted the truth for his own personal political advantage. No wonder he jumped on the bandwagon and flew straight off to Brussels as soon as he could.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080413/local/labour-planned-u-turn-on-eu-in-1997.203960