The Prime Minister’s first test: will Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando be asked to resign for bringing the MCST into drunken disrepute?
This is a photograph of the Chairman of the Malta Council of Science and Technology, standing on the counter of a crowded bar last Sunday, 10 March.
He is blind drunk and leading fellow Labour supporters in a chorus of chanted abuse against the outgoing prime minister and his defeated government.
The bar is crowded with unsavoury individuals who are cheering him on.
In any sane, normal, EUROPEAN democracy, if the government-appointed chairman of an important state organisation were to do anything like this, let alone be photographed doing it, his resignation would be demanded within minutes.
This is the first true test of whether Joseph Muscat meant what he said about seriousness, credibility, honesty and meritocracy. If he doesn’t demand the Chairman of the Malta Council of Science and Technology’s resignation immediately, we shall have to conclude that he and that chairman are cut from the same unprincipled cloth.
I truly hope – for if this is not the case, then we should despair – that not a single one of us, whether we vote AD, Labour or Nationalist, wishes to live in a country where the chairmen of state organisations (more so one dedicated to the pursuit of science) are permitted to be drunk and disorderly in a public place, standing on a bar-counter and leading a group of tattooed roughnecks in a chorus of vulgar abuse against an outgoing prime minister/government, WHOEVER that outgoing prime minister/government are.
This is behaviour so unfitting that I don’t know where to begin. It does not only shame Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando (he has done enough of that already). It does not only shame the government whose appointee he is.
It shames us all for tolerating it, for allowing it to happen, for not making our dismay known.
It shames the press for taking such gross indecency for granted, as though we are all helpless in the face of it because this state organisation chairman, drunk and abusive and standing on a public bar, has the protection of the prime minister.
This was Sunday. The next morning, Monday, still wearing the same trousers, he walked in Joseph Muscat’s triumphal parade down Republic Street and joined him at the Auberge de Castille for the celebrations.
We live in a country where these things happen because we let them happen. We voice neither our protest nor our dismay.
The standard to which we hold the Labour Party, its government and its people has always been way too low. When they are not bashing people up or setting fire to things, we praise them like children being good.
We are just grateful when they are not wreaking havoc. We have another five years of this, and with such appallingly low standards, it can only get worse.
It is not the Labour Party which is to blame, for the Labour Party is made in the image of those who vote for it, of those who do not oppose its excesses and its very serious inadequacies.
Shame on us all.
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Where was his wife, Carmen?
Probabbli taht il-counter mal-barman.
Doing the serious stuff – negotiating deals, appointments, and most importantly, making sure that Marlene is not awarded anything at all.
Who knows? She may have been relieved to be able to spend some time alone, in peace, without him around.
Orlando Smith is really a drunken Irishman 24/7
The boyo s’ got problems.
Very disappointed to see such things happen. But honestly, I lost all hope that the majority of people understand what you are trying hard to explain.
It was clear that such people were not trustworthy way before the election, I even voted against the introduction of divorce just because of this guy because it was so obvious that his main objective was to creat havoc for Lawrence Gonzi and not because he had at heart any civil rights issues.
But today we are living in a country were people such JPO, Franco Debono, John Bundy and dinosaur cabinet led by an ex-Super One journalist are seen as heroes and champions of democracy and change, and I despair every single day.
Voting against the introduction of divorce because of Jeffrey is no better than Jeffrey voting Labour because of Daphne. Prosit, Frans.
Perfectly said john! That is the Maltese way of thinking. Mhuh tal-pizelli! Both PN and LP, LP excel in it though.
Common. You can’t hide common.
But Daphne due to headroom who else could have been up to this job?
Kurt il coconut. Perfect fit.
Poor JPO! Give the man a break. He is obviously drowning his sorrows.
His arch-enemy, Dr. Godfrey Farrugia, the man who cuckolded him for years before he found out, is now a Cabinet Minister and his ex-wife is an MP.
All this while he and the new Mrs. Pullicino Orlando (Smith) are left well and truly out in the cold.
The wretched little man has really drawn the short straw. What a loser.
Maybe David Guetta spiked his drink.
Give us a break! He was simply celebrating the victory. He didn’t do anything wrong.
[Daphne – Two Maltas, as I always say. Yes, there are actually people out there who think it perfectly acceptable for the Chairman of the Malta Council for Science and Technology to be blind drunk in public, standing on a bar amid a tattooed mob, and shouting abuse against the outgoing prime minister. Malta, I weep for you.]
Where is Julia Farrugia of Illum to make mince meat of JPO like she did to Joe Mizzi of PBS.
Mark Mallia: Did you say ‘He didn’t do anything wrong.’ ?
Apart from being drunk (and worse still, drunk and making a great scene in public), he celebrates the defeat of the political party to which he belonged to for so many years.
Loyalty is a value completely alien to JPO. He repaid the trust placed in him by PN voters in 2008 by constantly backstabbing his own Prime Minister.
No words can adequately describe how despicable JPO’s behaviour and disloyalty were and still are.
[Daphne – It’s actually not about that at all. It’s about this: the chairman of a state organisation, drunk and disorderly in a public place and shouting abuse against a prime minister/politicians, whoever they may be. It would still be a resignation matter if he were shouting abuse at Joseph Muscat.]
Daphne. I see your point.
The argument that no one is making, however, is that this man has shown himself to be so untrustworthy that he should not be allowed anywhere near public funds and/or managing other persons in their workplace.
If he betrayed his own party and voters in such a spectacular manner, he will betray anyone and everyone given the right circumstances.
Injorant iehor!
You probably also think that its ok for some of the members of our jurisdiction to act the way they did, because ”u ejja” they were partying, they did nothing wrong.
Mhux ta’ b’xejn jobghoduk ghax tikxfilhom awwarhom.
Jeff Pullicino Orlando is a person for money. Winning power in politics is like winning the bingo for him. Stupid people cheering while they are happy being fooled.
He can always say that his drink had been spiked and Labour will believe him.
How much are we paying for this waste of space?
I still remember, while celebrating the 2008 PN electoral victory. JPO was blind drunk, screaming and yelling, “tfajtu fil-qabar lil Sant…” and so forth.
The irony, 5 years later,is that he is celebrating with Labour supporters egging him on. I can only guess what he yelled out. What a ghastly being.
She went to buy another bottle of Earl Grey 12 year old.
I thought I had seen it all, but this takes the biscuit. Here’s hoping the new PM takes immediate, appropriate action.
No. You certainly have not seen it all. Not at all, my friend.
There’s plenty more where that comes from.
It is not a matter of ‘hoping’, but one of ‘expecting’.
It is the DUTY of the Prime Minister, or of the Minister directly concerned, to sack JPO from the MCST chairmanship forthwith.
Don’t hold your breath.
Well said. How truly disgusting.
The chairman of the Malta Council for Science and Technology drunk and shouting abuse in public.
Charles Polidano of Monte Kristo starts illegal building.
The Attorney-General asked to halt Judge Farrugia Sacco’s case.
Broadcasting Authority members asked to resign.
Permanent secretaries asked to resign.
Businessman with companies that have a turnover of Eur12 million a year made prime minister’s chief of staff.
Former Mintoffian GWU official made cabinet secretary and head of the civil service.
Toni Abela invited to sit in at cabinet meetings when he has no government role.
And it’s only been a week.
Troy, let’s keep this list going even if it is 700,000 points long, lest we forget.
Central Bank board members asked to resign.
Appeals board members asked to resign.
MEPA boards dissolved.
Christ, if Mepa boards have been dissolved, what happens to the process?
The process will melt down like an ice cube.
According to PM Joseph Muscat, JPO is now holding one of the appointments given by his government to persons from the ‘Opposition’.
Apart from the JPO appointment, PM Joseph Muscat has also stated that three other ‘Opposition’ members, Mugliett, Musumeci, and Franco Debono, are to be given executive posts.
These three are not elected MPs and so do not form part of the Opposition, Joseph Muscat evidently disregards the distinction between Parliament and political party.
The Nationalist Party should now stop its pussy footing and immediately expel these four puerile and unprincipled individuals from the party.
Muscat makes no distinction between party and government. Toni Abela participates in cabinet meetings.
But, as I observed on another entry, that’s only so that he can bring in the tea!
They already did ages ago [iz -zibel barra narmugh]
One would expect people to be jubiliant after an election victory, but persons who hold high office have to be circumspect about their public behaviour.
I have heard from persons working at MCST that the chairman has had meetings in the past few months when he was not in full control of his intellectual faculties.
Of course, the decisions he took were the wrong ones. He would not even listen to his interlocutors and instead engaged in a monologue as his employees looked on in shock.
There were times when the chairman was in his full senses. So it seems that one would have to hope that the chairman is sober before a meeting.
What intellectual faculties? JPO? You must be joking.
How long is it going to take you to realize that we’re not a sane, normal European democracy?
Dr Gonzi prevented this http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21818598 (people are frothing at the mouth, because they’re being heavily taxed on making deposits) from happening to us and not only do the Maltese people vote him out of government with a record margin, but they tell him to hang his corrupt dictatorial/oligarchic head in shame.
No Daphne, we’re not a sane democracy. We’re barking mad.
Come next election Zaren tal-Ajkla will be our prime minister, mark my words.
Hear Hear!
On the far right of the photo, is that a cigarette lit inside a bar?
yes it is
He must have stunk to high heaven wearing the same clothes three days in a row.
Pulcinell u cercur.
Where is The Times? Everybody realised that someone was very comfortable in allowing it to ensure that Prime Minister Gonzi loses this election, but are they going to continue leading such a biased and motivated agenda for the next 5 years?
Where is NET News, where is the PN for that matter?
Where is the AD?
I cannot imagine what would be going on if the things that have happened during the past days, happened under a PN government. You are right, Daphne – two Maltas because we accepts two weights and two measures.
Stop that reasoning.
The Times ‘belongs’ to Labour. One of Joseph Muscat’s first acts as prime minister, the day he was sworn in, was to pay a surprise visit to the editor at HIS office.
AD’s Marxist inspiration puts it in synch with Labour.
Malta Today’s made up of AD-lovers and PN-haters.
Their politics will become a mess of garbled interests and cross-referenced ideas.
Just watch them spin each other’s web. Anyone who’ll stick is putting personal interests first.
Finally, the PN’s free.
Jozef, the more I read your comments, the more I agree with your line of thought. Well said.
Daphne, thank you for this space.
The Times has/will become another “Acta Diurna” and has been for a while. Mabel must be turning in her grave.
So who appointed Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando as Chairman of the Malta Council for Science and Technology and kept him there?
[Daphne – Joseph Muscat. There was a press conference, do you recall? The past government is dead and gone. This is the one we’re looking at.]
Dr Gonzi was great at managing the country, but horrible at managing his own people. Case in point, you do not give rebels within your party €13000/year + car, telephone, bonuses and etc
Dr Gonzi appointed him, kept him and paid the consequences.
But that also enabled Lawrence Gonzi to keep the attainment of the PN government objectives on track for the full five years, leaving the country and its finances in an even better state than they were at the start of that legislature.
Unfortunate though that situation was, as compared to the Euro millions of tax money slated to fund the unnecessarily inflated and dangerously inept Muscat cabinet over the next five years, it was still ‘good value for money’,
“Int lest li tahdem maghna?”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgAZoXtyNfg
What a malicious idiot
Let us hope that Dr. Joseph Muscat will do the honourable thing and demand his resignation.
I do not think that he will do the honourable thing.
To do that, one has to be principled to begin with. Someone who up to a few weeks ago did nothing but lie to us all so conspicuously and someone who always maintained, like his predecessor, that the end justifies the means, will not simply ‘switch’ from immoral/amoral behaviour to moral because he is now a prime minister.
Masks are starting to drop.
As usual another well written piece in The Malta Independent on Sunday
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-03-17/opinions/the-media-getting-used-to-the-fact-that-labour-is-now-the-government-1185316873/
Brilliant. As always you hit the nail right on the head DCG.
Of course he won’t. He doesn’t have the balls to. He would run the risk of the wrath of a drunken madman (and probably his wife too) if he does.
He has already shown that he is cavalier with correctness like when he did not condemn Toni Abela for his failure to report the drug dealing in a Labour Party club. Oh but I forget he would have had to then to condemn himself too.
I don’t even think it is appropriate that the chairman of a public body should have a Facebook account and rant off when he feels like it. If one holds public office of any kind, even high-ranking civil servants, I don’t think this should be permissible.
Their behaviour must be beyond reproach and should at least appear impartial at all times.
I honestly wish that Muscat would do the correct thing from here on now that he has achieved his aim to be prime minister.
He has already compromised himself unnecessarily by promising all to everyone. He has an extremely comfortable lead in parliament which should allow him to take unpopular decisions when he has to.
Furthermore, by removing JPO and proceeding with the impeachment of Farrugia Sacco he would show the first signs of the correctness and accountability that he professed to uphold.
Not doing so would mean that his words are just hogwash, pandering to the masses and that persons such as JPO can continue running roughshod over all that is proper and correct.
Another test for Joseph. Will he have the guts to stop Caqnu from going on with his illegal building, after nearly all the PL members of parliament had their parties there at Monte Kristo Estate?
Maybe Astrid might call a press conference to protest.
Edgar, can you give some more details please? Where is the illegal development?
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130317/local/illegal-development-resumes-at-polidano-site.461734
“Inhallukom tahdmu.”
“Naqtghu il-burokrazija b’25%.”
“Labour is safe for business.”
Isn’t he fed up of making a fool of himself and what about his ego if he has any left, at all?
His ego is regularly propped up by using Botox.
L-Aqwa fl-Ewropa. Come on boys, come on girls, it’s your future.
“This was Sunday. The next morning, Monday, still wearing the same trousers, he walked in Joseph Muscat’s triumphal parade down Republic Street and joined him at the Auberge de Castille for the celebrations.”
Did he actually return home between Sunday and Monday?
Judging from the trousers he was wearing, it is possible that he spent the night out and then headed straight to Valletta on Monday morning.
He probably spent the night in a stupor snuggled up to the crowd barriers, so that he could then, for maximum public effect, be spontaneously invited to jump over and walk up the the steps to Castille for the big moment.
Jaqqqqqqqqqq.
Good riddance ta’ vera. What the f**k is he doing? Does he think he is sooo cool?
Ghax ma jmurx ma’ taz-Zoo? Hemm jixraqlu mela chairman tal-MCST.
Does not look like good riddance at all; not until Joseph Muscat sacks JPO from the chairmanship of MCST, as he is in duty bound to do.
What’s it with Marlene and men whose name ends in “frey”?
Reading the newspapers from cover to cover has been a Sunday ritual for as long as I can remember but it will cease to be.
Today’s newspapers are crammed with ongoing criticism about Gonzi and the government that steered us clear through a global recession: no gratitude at all, just kicking them while they’re down.
Malta Today even carries a double page interview with Franco Debono as though he is an authority on standards and political etiquette.
It makes me SICK!
The PN is in opposition, and attention must now be focussed on Muscat’s government to see how they are going to deal with the likes of this malicious drunk or the Polidanos.
Exercise your consumer rights. Make your disgust known to the newspapers involved where it matters, by cancelling your subscription or simply do not buy the paper/s at all.
By declining to purchase The Times, one can save enough for an monthly internet subscription. Read all the worthy newspapers around the world for free.
Jeffrey has deteriorated into a total chav.
Jeffrey “ilni nimmilita fil-Partit Nazzjonalista minn mindu kelli hmistax” Pulicino Orlando “my life is in danger” Smith does not need bodyguards now. He’s the hero of more than half of the voting nation.
Jaqq – disgusting freak – a shame to his profession and to Maltese politics.
Even more shocking when one knows that civil servants are losing their jobs.
“Even more shocking when one knows that civil servants are losing their jobs.”
Losing their jobs for no reason, except possibly their political beliefs.
Mhux ta’ xejn kien liebes l-istess qalziet biex mar jiccelebra Kastilja l-ghada – wisq probabli raqad bih fuqu, jekk ma kienx ghadu fis-sakra ukoll.
Jaqq kemm hu pulcinell.
Minnflok jaghti ezempju lil uliedu jagixxi aghar minn tifel ta’ hmistax il-sena.
Imbasta Joseph Muscat inhanaq jghidilna li mieghu m’hemmx kuluri ahmar u blu. Imbaghad JPO libes qalziet ahmar biex jiccelebra.
And what is the Nationalist Party doing? An internal, dirty struggle for leadership.
If Mario Demarco becomes leader and, unless Muscat commits the worst of faux pas, the NP will probably stay in opposition for at least 10 years, which basically means that by the time he becomes PM, Mario Demarco will be close to 60.
What a desperate situation and lack of imagination.
LG, what dirty struggle are you seeing?
How about some mental restructuring Antoine?
The leader will be the best one for the job. Not the one who takes it up to help the party.
This phase requires those who’re not in the running to act.
De Marco has to understand that his relation with The Times at this stage could do more damage.
Let’s not repeat a John Dalli shall we? Fenech Adami was quite specific last week, he had asked Gonzi to take his place.
The best suggestion so far was that a leader juggling everything with a general secretary may not be the best architecture.
Lots of space for everyone.
The Party needs two structures: One for the government side, the other for the members and ‘the people.’
And I would like to add that I agree perfectly with Jozef’s statement that “De Marco has to understand that his relation with The Times at this stage could do more damage. ”
I disagree that the leader of a party should have strong interests in the media – we don’t want another Berlusconi – or that any media can control a party directly.
I’m trying so hard to find words to describe this idiot and failing. I’ve never wanted to spit at anyone but really hope that I don’t bump into him because I just might.
That is just a photograph. Is there a video, so that one can upload it on Youtube? It will be more damaging to the presumptuous prime minister’s reputation. But then again, so was the video about all the lies of the blokka l-bajda (white substance) case.
Chris Cardona might pay good money for the JPO bar dancing video, even though there is no pole in sight.
Antoine Vella. The illegal construction is taking place at Polidano’s estate. There is a full report on the front page of the Times today
Perhaps it was his last chance to do a Coyote Ugly. Feynman played the bongos and JPO can sing. You’re probably jealous ‘cos you can’t carry a tune in a bucket ;)
Someone in the left foreground is having a shower.
JPO should really STOP posting self-portraits on Facebook and have people comment on the post.
Really, this man’s ego is so over-inflated. Madoffi kemm hu minfuh bih innifsu! It’s taking all of my willpower to stop myself from posting a big ‘Purcinell’ beneath his post.
I feel sorry for him to be honest. Mhux jinduna kemm qieghed jaqa’ ghac-cajt miskin.
Nixtieq inkun naf min hu dak l-imbecilli li jahseb li Joseph Muscat se jaghmel xi haga fuq l-agir ta JPO?
Imma possibbli ghadkom ma ndunajtux li tal-Labour qatt u qatt ma jinbidlu?
IL-leaders, il-bnadar u l-ingravati biss jinbidlu, il-bqijja xejn. Il-Labour inqeda bis-sitwazzjoni ta’ tlett minn-nies u ohrajn ukoll biex jirbah l-elezzjoni u xejn izjed.
Il-bqijja kieku ma garax hekk lanqas kienu jxommuh is-siggu.
Dawn in-nies huma bla principju, u bla sinsla. Opportunisti mil-kbar u hlief fli jaqblilhom ma jahsbux, pero jaraw biss s’imneherhom, ghax ghad jghaddi z-zmien u jindunaq pero jkun tard wisq.
Fil-fatt anke issa huwa tard wisq. Tistennewx ahjar ghax tiddiludew ruhkom.
Let’s see if I can break my own record for the biggest laugh:
http://bighugelabs.com/output/motivatore5d87319ce58b61983b8844b40536ab59c0276e8.jpg
He is in his element there. What a chav. Those red trousers suit perfectly.
Nghidhielu bil-qalb “ Pulcinell !” u mhux ghax ghandu wiehed mill-kunjomijiet tieghu Pullicino.
Apparently one of the lies JPO spun on that Bundy programme was that the PN Parliamentary Group discussed disclosed certain personal things about Sant before the ’96 election and that he stopped then. And that then it was decided by the same Group that RCC would feed the info to you and that you proceeded to do this on your blog. Whether you did or not is not the point but that according to him it was sanctioned by the Parliamentary Group.
This is an outright lie. I have it on good authority by someone who was present at every single parliamentary group meeting then, that no such thing happened. It is about time that anyone of the PN Group who were present then and are still present now, set the record straight in this one.
[Daphne – I know for a fact that it is an outright lie. For a start, I wasn’t even the one who wrote that piece about Sant’s annulment which was published in The Malta Independent. Like Saviour Balzan, he merely assumes that I was.]
Maybe the Medical Council’s been forced to resign too:
https://ehealth.gov.mt/HealthPortal/others/regulatory_councils/medical_council/medical_council.aspx
Kif spicca miskin. Il-breakdown hekk jaghmillhek.
Does Joseph Muscat avoid giving answers because he knows them or because he doesn’t?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwaaZzwk2VE
Interesting. Was Carmen in on this too?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK0SBVSwirc
“The Labour Party said today it was publishing the contract for the lease of land at Mistra belonging to Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando for development of a nightclub/disco.
The contract is dated January 17,2008 and bears the signature of Dr Pullicino Orlando, the MLP said. It shows the intended use of the land as a disco.
This. the party said, was the clearest proof yet that the land at Mistra not only belonged to Pullicino Orlando but that he was fully aware that it would be developed as a disco.”
“Victor Laiviera
Mar 6th 2008, 17:51
The final nail well and truly hammered in.”
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080306/local/updated-mlp-says-mistra-contract-bears-pullicino-orlandos-signature.199298
“The MLP said that this contract was further proof that Dr Pullicino Orlando had lied when he said that he did not know anything about this development.”
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080309/local/contract-shows-pullicino-orlando-knew-mistra-details-mlp.199649
“I own a plot of land near the sea which has been rented out to others for some time now. Three years ago, these others applied for a permit to build an underground lavatory and an open-air dance floor less than two metres high. The only thing close is a well-known restaurant. The application has been pending all this time and no final decision has been made. I don’t even know the applicants. I have never met them.”
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080301/opinion/street-corner-gossip.198454