From selling face cream and cellulite treatments to organising a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
Phyllis Muscat flies club class with the prime minister and his family en route to a holiday in Italy
Isn’t it wonderful? A woman who runs a business selling beauty creams and other cosmetics to spas, beauty parlours and beauticians has been appointed to head the ‘national task force’ which is responsible for organising every last detail of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, to be held in Malta in 2015.
You can see the government’s thinking here: she built a successful business wholesaling anti-wrinkle treatments and shampoo and employs 40 people (really?), and she organised a fair called Kwalita Malta for the Labour Party, so of course she is the best person to oversee the mammoth arrangements for a big meeting of heads of government.
Having Phyllis Muscat sold to us as qualified for this role by dint of her long years of promoting and selling moisturiser is bad enough in the credibility stakes. What doesn’t help much, either, is her close friendship with the prime minister and Mrs Muscat. They even travel together on holidays.
So what we have here is a situation in which the prime minister has put one of his best friends in charge of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and given her not just a job in which she cannot afford to fail because several governments are involved, but also a state-paid salary.
What shocks me most is the nerve, brass neck and sheer ignorance. A true professional would have turned down the brief as being beyond her competence, but the thing with these people is that they have turned ‘not fit for purpose’ into an art form.
Mrs Muscat has been given other appointments already – on some sorts of festivities committees or similar – and her husband Paul has been appointed to the boards of the Malta Maritime Authority and Transport Malta. But in her festivities appointments there is a limit to the damage that can be done. A big meeting for many heads of government and a welter of the world’s press is something else.
These appointments are not only risky because of the disaster that can ensue, but they are also unfair. Is Phyllis Muscat the best person for that task? Quite clearly not – and this is akin to Alfred Sant’s decision to put a woman with two toy shops in charge of the national merchant shipping line.
However, the best person for that job, whoever it might be, had not a chance of getting it or even of competing for it because he or she does not take holidays with the prime minister and his wife or entertain them on the family yacht at Mellieha and in Comino in the summer, as Phyllis and Paul Muscat do.
This truly makes the ultimate mockery of Joseph Muscat’s electoral campaign promise to have directors in state corporations and similar nominated by the public. Not only has he not kept that promise (fortunately, to my mind) but he hasn’t even done the normal thing, if he doesn’t even want to have a competitive interview process take place, of at least picking somebody with the right and proper experience.
And selling enough beauty products – made by others – to buy a house on the Santa Maria Estate and a sailing-boat is not a qualification for organising a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting that means a sudden influx of around 3,500 people.
So who was in the role now filled by Phyllis Muscat, purveyor of face cream, when Malta hosted the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2005?
It was Salv Stellini, consummate career diplomat with a lifetime of experience in diplomacy and intergovernmental dealings, former High Commissioner in London (as a career diplomat), former permanent secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and above all, somebody who knows how things are done. Of course, if I elaborate on that latter bit I shall be verbally assaulted as an outrageous snob – but I am merely factual and things are what they are.
This is somebody who is most at home in the company of people like Joseph and Michelle Muscat, which pretty much says it all about how very much at home she is with matters of protocol involving Buckingham Palace.
And when I said that Labour’s fundamental tragedy is that it doesn’t know the difference, some people scoffed. Yes, that is indeed Labour’s tragedy: it doesn’t know the difference. It’s all the same to them.
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http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-11-28/news/lawyer-alleges-pressure-from-castille-over-womans-arrest-3322019840/
It doesn’t matter if the arrest was justified, a certain Silvio Berlusconi was accused of doing the same, albeit to speed up ‘Mubarak’s niece’ release on bail. He just got another seven years for that.
Sad times ahead indeed if Castille can monitor and pilot the workings of the police.
It seems that “Malta taghna lkoll” which soon proved in practice to mean “Malta taghna (LP supporters) biss”, is now changing into “Malta tal-hbieb tal-PM biss”.
The first thing she needs to do is learn the ins and outs of every possible conflict around the globe.
We don’t want ambassadors of states which don’t recognise each other sat at the same table now do we?
Even a menu can create unsavoury incidents.
Let’s not forget what George Vella thinks – that qualifications are subjective.
Phyllis Muscat must be shipping in the free Mary Kohr samples already, for the CHOGM goodie bags.
45 years ago I worked at the Libyan Embassy. Libya and Israel were sworn enemies but followed each other in order of precedence on the diplomatic list.
The Ambassadors refused to sit next to each other at any function.
So The problem was solved by putting one at the end of one row of seats and the other at the start of the next.
Otto Settembre mass at St. John’s and I watch in horror as our Ambassador storms out of the cathedral 5 minutes after he walked in. An interfering old monsignor, I won’t name him as he’s long gone, decided to take over the seating.
The result – my boss was sitting in the Israeli Ambassador’s wife’s seat and had to get up for her. Just a little hint of things that could go wrong when dealt with by inexperienced people.
It’s going to take a heavy dose of black humour to get through the whole charade. How, exactly, is Phyllis Muscat planning to deal with Sri Lanka’s chairmanship of the Commonwealth Organisation for the two years leading up to CHOGM 2015?
The following is by Amnesty International. Phyllis Muscat is going to have to deal with this sort of thing.
“Does anyone specifically have a question that’s not on Sri Lanka or human rights?”
This was how an exasperated Commonwealth spokesperson unwittingly summed up CHOGM at a press conference in Sri Lanka last weekend.
The meeting, held in Colombo, was the subject of heated media debate, fueled largely by Amnesty supporters like you, calling on government leaders to strip Sri Lanka of the Commonwealth’s chairmanship. The campaign – which mobilized nearly 250,000 Amnesty supporters by email and social media around the world – exposed Sri Lanka’s appalling human rights record and put pressure on governments around the world to take action.
The Sri Lankan government wanted the meeting to be a triumph but it quickly turned into a PR disaster as the country’s dreadful human rights record became the only story in town.
Even before the meeting started, government leaders from Canada, India and Mauritius (slated as CHOGM’s next host) boycotted the meeting. Canada and Mauritius cited Sri Lanka’s human rights record as the reason for their leaders’ non-attendance. Others, like the UK’s Prime Minister David Cameron, made it clear they would go but take a strong stand on human rights in Sri Lanka.
In the end, only 25 out of 53 heads of government attended – a historic low for CHOGM meetings.
Sri Lanka has been given the Chairmanship to the Commonwealth for the next two years, but thanks to Amnesty members around the world, Sri Lanka’s human rights record will continue to be watched.
All we need now is for Phyllis to team up with Ignatius, and then we’ll have even more smooth Labour c**ts.
Il-makeup tagħna lkoll. How ridiculous.
What a sorry and sad state of affairs.
Some of Labour’s shameful decisions/acts to date:
– Phyllis Muscat to head Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, to be held in Malta in 2015.
– Dalli report on Mater Dei.
– Amendments to the Citizenship Scheme: Maltese passport to be sold for Eur650,000. U-turn on passport buyer name secrecy.
– Eur 13,000 monthly wage to Minister Konrad Mizzi’s wife.
– Four AFM officers promoted from majors to lieutenant colonels.
– Controversy over appointment of new industrial tribunal.
– Attempt at push-back of helpless immigrants stranded on our shores.
– Prisoners given a 100 day amnesty resulting in 143 prisoners walking free.
– Civil unions bill rushed.
– Australia Hall property controversy.
– New Portomaso lagoon: Permit issued on appeal.
– Fine Arts Museum saga.
– The police blunder involving inspector Taliana.
– PBS taken over by former members of ONE News.
– Norman Vella saga.
– Anton Refalo ferry controversy.
– Enemalta-China deal.
– Blacklisting – Chinese bridge builders | Shiv Nair.
– Franco Mercieca allowed to work in private practice.
– V-18 chairman, Jason Micallef.
– President’s political speech.
– Franco Debono handpicked for Eur24,000 part-time role.
– Muscat’s cabinet to cost the nation Eur32 million more than Lawrence Gonzi’s.
– Police officers served as waiters.
I probably missed a few others and the timeline needs some re-ordering, but there you go, that’s Labour for you.
Yes, Daphne was so right, they do keep her busy.
Considering that they’ve been in power for less than a year, that’s a pretty impressive CV even compared to previous Labour governments.
Spark, to your list you can add :
Miriam Dalli’s consultancy appointment
The star-ambassadorial duo – Ray Azzopardi and Norman Hamilton
Add Edward Scicluna’s gross mishandling of Cyprus that, had the CBM and industry chipped in, would have tainted us.
& managed to with the IIP
Franco Debono, top criminal lawyer, engaged on a retainer basis by the Parliamentary secretariat for animals.
There is a whole gamut of relatively small appointments which go unnoticed but which are equally as shocking (e.g. quasi-illiterate people appointed to high posts in education – YES, THAT’S CORRECT!).
Names, please. They’re on the public payroll, so there are no excuses.
We can also add in:
– state sponsored muscat family outings
– the death of pbs & the attempted takeover of the BA
– mass removals of “permanent” secs
– running out of boards, chairmanships and now looking to gieh ir-repubblikas
– Mr pop goes the weasel
– generally ignoring the running the country but instead engaging in pitch fork & torches hunts. Love to know the cost of all these enquiries
The list goes on and will most likely continue.
You can easily add Mark Camilleri and the National Book Council too.
Such meritocracy. Such a great roadmap.
Salv Stellini, whom I have the pleasure of knowing quite well, was also Ambassador to Washington in the late 80s and early 90s.
Frankly, I do not know if he is at all conversant with the benefits – and sale – of beauty products.
He has nominated the public as promised. We either misread or misunderstood him. Don’t we look stupid now.
That’s what you get when you put a boy in charge of a man’s job!
Perhaps he got carried away with Obama’s “Yes we can”.
X’gharukaza, korruzzjoni sfrenata u dwejjaq biss baqa f’dan il-pajjiz.
Does Phyllis Muscat employ 40 people or 40 part-time saleswomen who sell the products door-to-door and who conduct home demonstrations around the kitchen table?
I just want to cry. But then, I didn’t vote Labour.
Don’t cry. Smile. Our Leader smiles all the time. May the light of his countenance shine upon us.
Leave the crying to those who voted for Labour thinking that we needed a change from the nasty Nationalists.
With every ‘Billboard’ appointment they retain the vote of the beneficiary and his/her family’s, but lose hundreds votes of disillusioned switchers.
After all if Labour weren’t messing up so badly we would be worried they’ll be in power for decades.
So, carry on Labour, we’re embraced for what’s to come in the next four years. As they say in bodybuilding ‘No Pain, No Gain’.
I just want to laugh. I didn’t vote Labour.
I am having a field day.
Never in my wildest dreams did I foresee that the PL landslide victory would be the cause of so much merriment for all those who did not contribute towards it in just eight months.
I have one question for Phyllis Muscat. Would she employ a career diplomat with no knowledge of beauty products to sell her face creams?
Exactly.
Alfred Sant coined the iconic phrase ‘il-hbieb tal-hbieb’. But that is far too mild for the blatant nepotism being practiced by the Labour Government.
Love to hear his opinion on Dalli’s latest shenanigans. Any reporter worth his salt out there?
I am very worried that under these people the Commonwealth conference and the Valletta 18 will be a fiasco.
We are going to be so embarrassed.
I remember the CHOGM in 2005, how perfect all went.
Off topic, but isn’t it nice of our government to allocate half a million Euros of taxpayer’s money to save cinemas in Malta?
Well, it must be money well spent because it was reported that the Finance Minister said that this will ‘improve the cultural product of the country’. I wonder who the main beneficiaries will be.
Oh boy… she has absolutely no clue what she’s gotten herself into by accepting to organize CHOGM2015.
On the other hand, to be fair and square, it isnt like the Nationalists did not commit any diplomatic/protocol blunders either. Example:
Some time in the last decade (i dont remember the exact year), in January, all ambassadors accredited to Malta (both those residing here and those based in other capitals) attended the traditional New Year’s Greetings and met with the then Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, President of the Republic… A lunch was offered at the Phoenicia to the ambassadors. Guess what ? Some diplomats ate, others didnt. Do you know why ? Because, the Moslem ramadan (fasting month) fell exactly in January that year…
[Daphne – How is that a diplomatic blunder? A diplomatic blunder would be NOT holding that lunch because some of the guests were fasting. The correct protocol is hold the lunch party, to invite everybody and then it’s up to them to accept or not for their own private reasons.]
I beg to disagree. I know one or two things about protocol. In this specific instance, you either organize a dinner (not lunch) or you send out written invitations and those who cannot attend, for religious or other reasons, would return a Regrets Only. What you do not do is close the meeting and escort everyone to lunch.
Protocol is supposed to be sensible isn’t it?
[Daphne – So many people confuse protocol with good manners. A knowledge of the latter informs the former. When the meeting is closed and everybody is escorted to lunch, those who may not eat because of their religious rules should properly excuse themselves at that point, and leave. Embarrassment is not caused by holding the normal lunch when some guests are fasting. Embarrassment is caused by fasting guests not leaving before the lunch, and going along and making everyone else feel awkward by not eating.
And no, you do not inconvenience the majority to accommodate the minority by bringing everyone back again for supper after 8pm. The Maltese foreign ministry is not expected to behave by the rules of Ramadan, nor should it do so.]
She looks like she’s made for the job and will make a great success of it all. Just look at her in the picture, standing up blocking the aisle on the plane It says it all. She’s got what it takes. For jobs like these all you need is to be what we call in Maltese, a ‘defsa’.