More Push The Wrong Button antics in today’s Times. This time it is Nationalist (sic) candidate Vince Farrugia who accidentally sent an email directive from Stefano Mallia intedned to guide all PN MEP candidates to the Times.
“I am very taken up with the demands of the election campaign” and so am unable to give “a comprehensive and proper account of the expenses incurred for the election campaign which is still underway… Once the election is over I will ensure that all accounts are properly done.” Dr Mallia also instructed candidates to say: “I am also committed to abide by the transparency rules as adopted by the Nationalist Party… These rules regulate PN elected MEPs with the highest standards of accountability and are unprecedented in Malta with no party committing itself to transparency rules other than the PN.” – Times of Malta
Thanks to Sully for pointing this out. The Times of Malta is running a story about how the Nationalist party MEP candidates (the same who signed a Simon Busuttil drafted document about transparency in accounting and expenses) have been asked to stonewall any queries about their campaign expenses. It appears another button pushing error by Nationalist (sic) candidate Vince Farrugia resulted in the Times of Malta having a copy of the standard reply instructions dictated by Stefano Mallia.
There is,as yet, no sign of this information appearing on the blog of the purveyor of all things “expense-related” (read Joseph Muscat’s car) even though, as Sully pointed out there would be an “in the family” source who could provide all necessary information.
Meanwhile, back to the email sent out instructing PN candidates to basically give no information until the election is over. Now what kind of picture is being painted here? It was said recently of Joseph Muscat that he is of the “do as I say don’t do as I do” type. Looks like Simon and his pick’n’mix companions might be of the same ilk. What’s the use of committing yourself to unprecedented transparency rules if you cannot even stick to them in campaign mode? What are the electorate supposed to do? Take your word for it? Like what? Mistra? Caravan sites?
And how will the rules be implemented? Conjointly? In Stefano Mallia style? With all the candidates having the same blooming excuse at the same bloody time?
Here’s what happened with regard to the PN candidates:
Most PN candidates, including MEPs David Casa and Simon Busuttil, followed the party’s directive and disclosed nothing, sending only the prescribed text. Three PN candidates stood out for their transparency, however: Rudolph Cini listed his personal expenses as €2,110 and another €3,600 by supporters; while Alan Deidun said he spent around €4,500 on direct mailing, fliers and business cards. Edward Demicoli did not list his expenses but was the only candidate to admit that he has exceeded the legal spending limit.
The Labour party candidates’ replies are about as believable as Pinocchio on ecstasy. Then there were the “small parties”:
Alternattiva Demokratika sent The Sunday Times a detailed breakdown of expenditure, even money received through donations, totalling around €14,300 and signed off by the party’s treasurer. John Zammit of Alleanza Liberali was the first to answer with a detailed list of expenses amounting to approximately €6,300. Independent candidate Cecil Jones also sent a list expenses totalling €1,576, including hairdresser appointments.
I’m not saying vote John Zammit or Cecil Jones… but they seem to have got the hang of accountability to the electorate much faster than the PN with all their “unprecedented transparency rules”. As for Stefano Mallia and Vince Farrugia… there goes all the Pushing the Right Buttons propaganda… down the slippery slope of candidates for political expediency…
Yes We Can. It seems.
8 replies on “Silence of the Nats”
we all know that politicians are economical with the truth, but when you see it black on white like that it is very disconcerting…what else are they “instructed” to tell us? what other emails are sent out by damage control spin doctors such as this Stefano Mallia which tell candidates how to wiggle out of reporters questions?
Are we surprised so many are refusing to vote…Malta is sick of the lot of them…
I can’t understand what the fuss is all about. What’s the purpose of this limitation? It’s their money they’re spending, so it should be up to the candidates themselves to decide whether they spend 10 thousand or 10 million euro in electoral campaigning.
re run42k
(i) the law exists in order to establish a level playing field among candidates (ie votes are not won on the basis of spending-power but on the basis of merit);
(ii) law-makers should respect the law, no matter how ridiculous they might think it is;
(iii) it’s not their own money – they’re financed by someone or other (we should know who is financing them, but it’s not in their interest to tell us) and this affects their independence.
@run42k
bazikament il-ligi tezisti halli kulhadd ikollu cans daqs l-iehor – kif qal sewwa Justin BB u halli il-pubbliku jkun jaf min qed jghin lill-kandidati finanzjarjament. Dan fl-interess tat-trasparenza – halli jekk per ezempju jigi Businessman A u jaghti ghaxart elef euro lil kandidat X u kumbinazzjoni wara l-elezzjoni nibdew naraw hafna tenders jew trattament vantagjuz fir-rigward ta Businessman A, imbaghad forsi naghmlu xi konessjonijiet. Jista jkun ukoll li nghidu “heqq. Min hexa mexa” u nkomplu ghaddejjin qisu mhu xejn u nitbaqbqu dwar il-Eurovision….
Can the law be enforced? Would we be happier with lots of ‘creative’ accounting, or simply by being honest with ourselves and accepting that some people are richer than others? The electorate should still be intelligent enough to choose politicians who are better suited to represent them. If not, they’ll get the politicians they deserve. A legal limitation that is not enforced will inevitably be ignored in a competitive situation such as an election, and this makes a mockery of the concept of rule of law. Better have no limitation at all.
@run42k
Jekk il-ligi hi redikola ghandha tinbidel. Dak mhux il-punt. Il-punt hu li kandidati tal-PN inghataw struzzjonijiet biex ma jikxfux dak li nefqu. Kampanja orkestrata biex il-poplu ma jkollux idea ta minn qed ihallsilhom ghal parties/jaghtihom donazzjonijiet etc. Viva t-trasparenza jew “run away from reprters”
@ Jacques – Ma nafx jekk wasalt Malta u jekk qrajt il-gazzetta llum. Jirizulta li Stefano Mallia (dak li qed jibghat l-emails lil kandidati tal-PN biex jghidu li taparsi huma imhabbtin u ma jistghux jaghtu rendikont ta kemm nefqu bhalissa….u li hu l-campaign manager ta Simon Busuttil….u li jghid li mhux PN official) ikummisjona is-survey li giet ippubblikata fis-Sunday Times il-Hadd li ghada. Din qalet li il-Labour ha jirbhu b’distakk enormi. Kumbinazzjoni tinkwadra mal istrategija tal-PN li jeqirdu li l-Labour ha jirbhu bil-kbir biex forsi in-Nazzjonalisti johorgu jivvutaw. Min jaf kif poggew il-mistoqsijiet. Probabilment marru f’mass meeting tal-Labour u staqsewhom lil min ha jivutaw. U le. Dan Stefano Mallia jekk jaspira ikun il-Mandelson ta Malta irid jiprova jkun ftit aktar sottili. Jew inkella jintefa jikteb fuq kif il-Laburisti m’ghandomx taste or flair. Jista jsaqsi lil tal-familja ghal xi ghajnuna f’dan ir-rigward….
@sully
this news about the survey make me even more furious…no wonder people no longer trust politicians when this kind of deceitful manoevuring is revealed,…this all confirms just how arrogant (and careless) the nationalists have become, that they think they can get away with something like this because they are smug in the knowledge that no one will ever find out, just makes me livid…only, this time, someone did found out…at last someone is doing some real investigative reporting in this country..about time too!
Yes accountability is important, and giving the electorate an honest answer, even if the candidate/politician doesn’t have one is what everybody expects. To many a vote is just an inconvenience of having first to think about it and then to have to go, wait in a queue in some undesirable location under sieged by the controllers from either sides etc. But the fact is that a vote means signing off a contract for five years! Thats how important it is for a politician to be honest with those who are expected to give them a five year lease of ‘the power to drive the country’.
The law on level playing ground is a debatable issue because in the first place there is no enforcement of this law. And the truth is that people like watching someone spend lots of cash, for while it disgruntles them, it makes them wish it was coming their way. Which brings me to suggest that the law should be scrapped, and instead all candidates should be taxed on the money they received and spent related to their campaign, and any transgressors should thus be made to face imprisonment if they don’t cooperate. At least these taxes will go to the nation’s coffers to be equally distributed back to the nation.
Alternatively, a live TV program filmed in a tribunal hall could put it to paid with all the candidates, one by one giving testimony and answering questions. I would prefer the tax suggestion, but this last one’s not a bad idea either.