Manuel Mallia and L-Olandiz
The Times has carried a report of the new Army Minister’s visit to the barracks. It is illustrated with this photograph.
Perhaps my eyes deceive me (and if so, somebody will put me straight) but isn’t that retired footballer Joe Galea L-Olandiz behind Manuel Mallia?
Galea played Premier Division football for Rabat Ajax, Hamrun Spartans and Sliema Wanderers. He also played 61 times for the national team, debuting when he was already a quite old 32.
There were some whispers about his extra-curricular activities, so I wonder whether he was one of the Justice Minister’s many interesting clients.
And what is he doing there hanging around him on his visit to the army – is he his bodyguard, personal assistant, unofficial bag carrier, or what?
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And isn’t the other one Silvio tan-Nexos?
Is he another one who will be giving up his directorships?
yes he is
I think he’s what you would call a ‘ kanvasser’.
L-Olandiz has been going round with Mallia since Mallia announced that he will be contesting the general election.
He has been his driver/bodyguard all along. So without a shadow of doubt he was there in the capacity of a minister’s driver paid for by our taxes for the next five years.
In previous elections Joe Galea, like many others especially from the Gzira area, canvassed for Michael Falzon.
The result obtained by both candidates in this election speak for themselves.
Yes, that’s Joe Galea.
If you are hoping for a decent line-up in this present legislature, just forget it.
When earlier this week I read that Manuel Mallia (apart from Justice and Home Affairs) was given political responsibility for PBS and broadcasting I couldn’t at first understand why he was given such role.
But then it became all clear when I heard that Silvio Scerri will be his head of secretariat.
Methinks that Mallia was handed these responsibilities not because it makes sense to have broadcasting under the ministry of justice and home affairs but because it is in Silvio’s interest to control PBS and broadcasting in general.
“And what is he doing there hanging around him on his visit to the army – is he his bodyguard, personal assistant, unofficial bag carrier, or what?”
Maybe the Minister for National Security has started with his personal security first.
Leave no stone unturned. Expose all. We, the people, have a right to know where our taxes are being spent. Ist PQ should be how much they are all being paid.
[Daphne – That is hardly the point. It should be quite obvious that when you own a business that turns over millions, you don’t take on a job in a government ministry for the salary. You take it on for the contacts, power and influence, and for the greater business all of those can bring your way.]
Good Daphne, we need to know more on this Dinosaurs cabinet.
They’re not all dinosaurs:
http://www.scribd.com/collections/4175992/Keith-Schembri-Chief-of-Staff-Office-of-the-Prime-Minister-Malta
This one is, though:
http://www.scribd.com/collections/4176158/Leo-Brincat-Minister-in-Joseph-Muscat-s-cabinet-Malta-2013
So’s this one:
http://www.scribd.com/collections/4176223/Karmenu-Vella-Minister-of-Tourism-Malta-March-2013
That is indeed Joe Galea, a very gifted midfielder to have graced Malta’s football fields. L-Olandiz as he is know (his mother is Dutch) is also known in footballing circles for his hard partying but other than that I never heard anything bad about the guy. Galea has been Mallia’s driver for a while now.
Could he be the Minister’s water-carrier?
What I find totally incomprehensible is that Manuel Mallia was a criminal lawyer for a good part of his career i.e defending criminals from the grips of the police and the law courts.
How can he now justify his position – that of protecting us from the criminals.
And how can we have peace of mind that the criminals will be indeed brought to justice and not have the minister ‘ask’ the commissioner to go easy on certain cases.
This also shows really bad judgement by Joseph Muscat. No matter what issues he had with any potential minister (eg. Jose Herrera), Muscat’s judgement in this case could have dangerous consequences.
He should have seen this conflict and, failing all other options, retained control of the police under his realm, at best.
[Daphne – Jose Herrera has the same conflict of interests. The only difference is that Manuel Mallia’s clients are more criminal than Jose’s.]