GUEST POST: Barroso was right
This was sent in by J. J.
For the past nine months, former European Commissioner John Dalli hasn’t been far off the headlines. He was made to resign because of “unambiguous circumstantial evidence” on 16 October.
Since then, we have been fed the story that GonziPN, including an assorted array of politicians, hidden hands, journalists and bloggers, was in cahoots with Commission President Barroso, OLAF chief Giovanni Kessler and the rest of the Commission together with Swedish Match and ESTOC, in an elaborate plot to get rid of him. In the past week, the New York Times, the International Herald Tribune and Bahamas landlord Barry Connor joined this impressive conspiracy.
Please just read the previous paragraph again. If you believe such a thing is even remotely possible, there’s help available out there.
As President of the European Commission, Barroso is first and foremost entrusted with safeguarding its integrity and reputation.
But here we have Dalli’s unregistered meetings with tobacco companies since 2010 in a conscious and clear breach of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which he was duty-bound to uphold.
We have his telephone conversations with a low-life local fixer called Silvio Zammit, which just happened to coincide with the latter’s requests (including a recorded one) for a €60 million bribe to lift the ban on snus.
We have Mr Dalli, as an EU Commissioner, holding meetings about EU bans and legislation with supplicants and lobbyists at Zammit’s kiosk.
And now we have had Mr Dalli owning up – only because he was forced to do so by a story in the New York Times which reached us through its international edition, the International Herald Tribune, to having crossed the globe to the Bahamas to provide pro bono advice for a “philanthropic venture worth billions” which is still “in its infancy”.
He even roped his two daughters and his son-in-law into this worthy and noble cause.
Shady is the mildest word that comes to mind.
“This is the way I operate”, John Dalli said. Well, apparently that’s not the standard expected of someone occupying the post of European Commissioner.
However, it seems Malta’s standards of behaviour in public office are somewhat different from those in Europe, with the blatant exception of our immediate neighbour, Italy. Soon after our inquisitive Police Commissioner gave John Dalli a clean bill of health, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat entrusted him with guiding our healthcare reform. Good honest talent should never go to waste.
John Dalli has only himself to blame for having put himself in a position bristling with questionable circumstances. In the process, he has dragged Malta’s reputation in Europe down the gutter with his.
The bottom line is that Barroso was right to demand that he resign. Any other course of action would have risked the Commission’s integrity and consequently its own survival.
On the other hand, by providing John Dalli with political sanctuary, the Prime Minister has mired his own government in this mess.
In politics, perception is as important as reality. Here it’s a hint too shady for most.
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I am hoping that Barroso/OLAF will take further action after the Bahamas revelation.
Two questions:
1. Can disciplinary action be taken at this stage with financial consequences for Dalli? Can his pension/remuneration be stopped ? (The EU one, I mean)
2. It is now imperative and urgent for Joseph Muscat to tell us why he’s still keeping Dalli as quasi Minister for Health.
Joseph Muscat is still keeping Dalli as the quasi Minister for Health simply because, I believe, Dalli was involved, together with others, in the funding of the PL electoral campaign.
EU officials remain subject to its rules of conduct even after they retire – so, I believe, yes, his pension/remuneration can be stopped.
Not only was Jose Barroso right but I feel that he knew from the very outset much more than we know to date. J. Dalli had requested from him a 24 hour period so as to consider whether to resign or not. Barroso granted him not more than 30 minutes to resign or failing that he would fire him.
Tiftakruha l-kampanja ‘Jien konvint…’ b’risq Pietru Pawl Busuttil.
Bhalissa suppost ghaddejja kampanja ohra simili:
JIEN KONVINT LI JOHN DALLI MHUX INNOCENTI.
One thing struck me about Saturday’s interview at his Number 14 Portomaso office, it was this statement : “Jien ma ksirt ebda ligi” translated “I did not break any law”.
imhatra jtuh Gieh ir-Repubblika, la Mintoffjana
Well said, J. J.
I am surprised that with all the serious accusations being made on this blog against him, Mr Dalli has not taken the case to court in Malta asking for it to be heard with urgency to clear his name. Is he afraid that the truth will out and completely destroy him?
Meta Manuel Barroso giel lil John Dalli jirrezenja kien hareg il-bravu u onest Joe Grima jindirizza lil Barroso bhala Leli Barri Barroso, u kitiblu ukoll xi ittra kif jaf hu ta’ Laburist li hu. Biex ikomli jaghmel il-gid lil Malta ma l-Ewropa.
Sur Joe Grima jekk int kontra id-decizjoni ta Manuel Barroso int ukoll qed tiddefendi l-korruzzjoni kif dejjem ghamilt fil-hajja politika tieghek.
Manuel Barroso kien serju kif suppost ikun bniedem f’.dik il-posizzjoni hekk importanti, u kien id-dover tieghu li jassikura li Kummisarju bhal John Dalli jitwarrab immedjatament biex tinzamm nadifa ir-reputazzjoni tal-Ewropa. Il-fatt li Silvio Zammit kellem lil John Dalli dwar il kaz tas-SNUS kien bizzejjed u ghalekk gust li John Dalli jitkecca anke kieku ma irrezenjax. Dalli issa wara li l-Pulizija Laburista qalet li ma hemmx kaz kontrih qal li hu ghadu Kummissarju. Izda ma kienx kapaci jibqa Malta meta il-Pulizija that Gvern precedent serju riedet tkellmu. Izda stenna sakemm inbidel il-Gvern u anke il-Kummissarju tal-Pulizija biex irritorna Malta. Ghalfejn John Dalli beza’ imur ghand il-Pulizija qabel inbidel il-Gvern?
Kieku int bnieden serju kont tohrog tikritika lil Joseph Muscat talli hatar li John Dalli f’posizzjoni daqsekk importanti fil-pajjiz wara kummiedja bhal dik li ghamel, li gabet anke lil Malta kollha p’posizzjoni redikola, ghax John Dalli tkecca minn Kummissarju Ewropew dwar suspett ta’ korruzzjoni serja li tikkonsisiti fi tbaghbis u tixhim.
Daqs kemm ivvintajtu stejjer dwar John Dalli fosthom tal-HSBC. Issa dan kollu insejtuh? U biex taxxaqha qedin tiddefenduh. Vera partit maghmul b’nies purcinelli bhalek.