No respect for democracy, the press or electors
Jo, hiding from the press in a situation where tu quoque retorts are useless
Major things have happened in the business of government. A minister was fired and refused a compensatory portfolio, as the prime minister who offered it knew all too well he would. A parliamentary secretary resigned ‘weeks ago’. A fast-decaying relic from Dom Mintoff’s cabinet has been named as the next EU Commissioner from Malta.
But has the prime minister called a press conference about this, as he is in duty bound to do in a democracy? No, he has not. He kept himself well concealed behind the tall gate at Girgenti Palace, and announced drips and drabs of bare information by means of tweets.
God help us. This is what we have landed ourselves with.
The prime minister is obliged to face the press at moments like these because he is accountable to the public, and not because he answers to the press. The press is there on the public’s behalf, asking questions which the public wants asked, ensuring that electors get the answers they want and need.
Instead, the prime minister – the man known as Jo to the most vacuous of his supporters – hid. Yes, he hid. He hid from questions he couldn’t answer. He hid from accusations he didn’t want to deal with.
The coward hid. He hid because without a teleprompter and a script prepared by an adviser who also worked for the Ukrainian dictatorship – Mr Van der Water – he is useless as hell.
Tu quoque retorts, the only responses of which Jo is capable, are not much help when facing the press and a volley of questions about the mess in your ‘best cabinet ever’. What was he going to tell reporters – ghax ma tarax x’ghamilt int bil-kabinett tieghek? Jien ma kelliex arlogg fil-kabinett? Jaqaw se tiftah xi kafetteria?
There’s worse. Not only has he failed to face the press, but he actually hid information from the press, and therefore the public. It has now emerged that Franco Mercieca resigned “weeks ago” (his words). But this fact was not communicated to the press and the electorate as the prime minister is obliged to do. It was hidden from the press and the electorate.
And when Godfrey Farrugia was fired and refused an alternative portfolio, something that must have happened around Thursday, that was concealed from the press and the electorate too. That would have been why Marlene Farrugia, realising that the prime minister was not going to inform the press and the public, uploaded her companion’s letter on her Facebook page.
This in itself was wholly inappropriate, and shows what we have been reduced to: a prime minister who refuses to tell the public that he has fired one of his ministers, and a fired minister who, instead of releasing his letter of refusal to the press in a general release, gives it to his girlfriend to upload on her Facebook page.
Appalling. But because this is now a nation over-run by hamalli, few actually understand what is wrong here. The prime minister is trading on that. He is also counting on the likelihood that the non-hamalli – actually, the awful, patronising super-snobs – who voted him into power will be too embarrassed to say anything, though if it had been Gonzi behaving in this dreadful manner they would have flayed him alive.
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I recon his teleprompter is on the blink and has been dispatched to China for urgent repairs.
But Daphne, why give a press conference when you can take a selfie instead? A picture is worth a 1000 words, as they say.
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/ui_frontend/thumbnail/684/400/joseph_muscat_godfrey_farrugia_post-resignation_tweet.jpg
Godfrey Farrugia did not accept a different portfolio because he was not amenable to bribery as other officials have been.
That’s how Jo’s government works: if you have a tiff with the Labour government, you get promoted to help you shut your mouth.
What an artificial person.
Don’t worry, I am sure that Peppi Azzoppardi has a Xarabank planned and has already invited Joseph Muscat and Godfrey Farrugia and they, this being a democracy, would be only too glad to accept and come on air to explain matters.
Franco Debono’s mobile is again ringing when switched off and so it is time for him to put in a guest appearance to remind us how this is a new non-oligarchy type government.
Lou Bondi will again have a slot on TVM which should now be called Bondi minus because band practice will fill the void of intelligent discussion. Its subtitle will be ‘gag by band’.
It IS a legislature full of surprises, just not of the positive kind!
Lou Bondi must be eating his microphone, props and swivel chairs.
To me it looks like the PM has plotted to get rid of anyone, with one notable exception who could at some point challenge his authority in any way and try to cause trouble for him: the “thinking” moderate members of his Cabinet, and the die-hards who are old enough to be his father.
Karmenu Vella, Edward Scicluna, Godfrey and the missus, Marie-Louise Coleiro. He has not dared to do so with two of the dinosaurs – Herrera and of course Mallia. Trouble for the PM is sure to come from these two. All the others are lackeys or old enough to soon seek retirement from politics.
North Korea or Libya, anyone?
Joseph Muscat would have an interest in Mallia staying. The two understand each other perfectly.
The one legally covers and provides for the other.
The other creates the chaos required for it all to slip under the carpet or in through the back door.
The chaos is intentional.
The Herrera brother and sister are just as important an act on the intimidation and debilitation side.
The interdependence of all is still paramount.
Dear Ms Caruana Galizia,
I do not know if it has come to your attention, but the minister of education just informed the schools and university faculty of education, inclusion, and access to learning, with a letter, that as from next year, the children from year 5 onwards are going to be streamed. For parents who have children with difficulties, year 5 is the end of the road. They will be sectioned off and sent god knows were, just to appease the teachers. This is what you get when you put the former head of MUT as head of MCESD, and do what he’ll you want without needing to be accountable for your actions.
Regards
A worried parent
Wiċċu dejjem jitfaqqa’. Daqt jixkatta.
Question: What does Jo actually do? Seriously, he is the Prime Minister, but doesn’t actually DO anything.
He has no portfolio so……WHAT DOES HE DO? Maltese PMs have never been figureheads, we have a President for that, so….
He smiles.
and whispers tweet nothings
Isn’t he (and Kasco) in charge of Lands?
Why would he need to keep it so close to his chest?
He tweets.
And eats. And eats and eats and eats!
That’s because even he knows no one can take on both portfolios in question.
He just hasn’t a clue what to say.
!There’s worse. Not only has he failed to face the press, but he actually hid information from the press, and therefore the public.”
– He kept (and is still keeping) the content of the agreement he signed with the Chinese in April 2010
– He kept hidden from all the electorate his Passport-Sale-Scheme before the election
– He kept hidden from the Enemalta workers “some” content of the agreement signed when China took over 33% of our power plant.
– He is hiding from the electorate the truth why he chose Ms. Colerio Preca as next President.
– He is hiding the true reason why he wants Alfred Sant in the EU.
– He is definitely hiding something more sinister and hideous up his sleeve
It was plausible something had to give, and that when it did, he wouldn’t have been able to keep up with the flood.
If it’s true that Muscat never considered anything less than 25,000 votes, he lost all perspective of what governing is about a long time ago.
Perhaps he never had it. Mistaking empty promises for clear straight talk wasn’t going to work. Somehow the pyramid scheme comes to mind, a scheme which works on the up, but which fails as soon as it has to sustain itself and with nowhere to grow.
Muscat’s spectacular build up prior to the election, support increasing steadily, there was no stopping those figures, could be the same.
Where is Franco Debono now? Why isn’t he commenting?