Author: Jacques René Zammit

Categories
Corruption Zolabytes

Il-bouncer ta’ Kastilja

GUEST POST: In this facebook post Christian Grima takes a good look at what it takes to get into the Auberge de Castille. The standards at the door are those set by bouncer par excellence Robert Abela. Who exactly is allowed in? (Post reproduced on akkuza.com with the author’s permission).

Jekk il-Kap tal-Opposizzjoni biex jidhol Kastilja biex ikellmek, Prim Ministru, irid jirbah l-elezzjoni generali, allura jekk nigu f’dan, inti wkoll, suppost mhux qed topera minnu, ghax sa fejn naf jien, inti ma rbaht l-ebda elezzjoni generali, ghadek. Kien rebbahhielek il-halliel, korrot tas-sena u x’aktarx qattiel jew hati li heba l-involviment tieghu jew ta’ dawk l-eqreb tieghu fl-assassinju barbaru ta’ Daphne Caruana Galizia u li llum inti writt is-siggu nkallat tieghu.Joseph Muscat, Illum injot, moralment fallut u rrapportat li nvestigat lokalment kif ukoll barra minn xtutna.

Nexia BT pero’ donnhom rebhuha l-elezzjoni generali hux? Jew qed inhawwad? Ghax dawk dehlin u hergin minn hemm kienu, tant li biex ma tiskomodawhomx u biex ma jarawkomx dehlin u hergin l-ufficini taghhom kull kwarta qiskom boloh, tajtuhom ufficcju Kastilja.Illum kellu jinghalaq dak l-ufficcju kif kellu jinghalaq kull ufficju iehor taghhom bl-assi kollha taghhom iffrizati, pendenti nvestigazzjoni ta’ hasil ta’ flus. B’inkjesta ohra fuq Schembri u Hillman li waslet biex tinghalaq u jigi pprezentat il-Proces Verbal.

Melvin Theuma jidher li rebahha l-elezzjoni generali wkoll skondtok, ghax dak ukoll diehel u hiereg ghand ic-Chief of Staff tal-predecissur tieghek f’Kastilja biex jinnegozja l-mahfra presidenzjali li tah Joseph Muscat, allegatament minn wara dahrek, wara li ftiehmu l-verzjoni maqbula bejniethom li kellu jaghti lill-pulzija u lill-Qrati taghna biex jghattilhom ghemilhom.Illum miraklu li ghadu haj Melvin wara li allegatament ipprova joqtol ruhu b’idejh b’diversi daqqiet ta’ sikkina li ta lilu nniffsu, ghax ma setghax jghix bl-inkwiet u bil-pressjoni li kien qed jaghmillu l-predecissur tieghek, siehbu Keith li skondtok hxih, u r-rimanenti nies gewwa kastilja li wasslulu r-risposti u t-theddid li kwazi gennewh.

Yorgen Fenech ukoll jidher li rebah elezzjoni generali nahseb..jew qed nerga’ nitfixkel, issa?Ghax dak ukoll diehel u hiereg Kastilja kien, qisu sejjer go latrina, kemm qabel, kif ukoll wara li nqatlet Daphne Caruana Galizia, biex jiltaqa’ ma’ Keith u ma dak li qed tpoggi fis-siggu tieghu.Joseph Muscat, illum injot u rredikolat mad-dinja kollha,L-istess Yorgen Fenech li bhalissa ghaddej kumpilazzjoni mressaq b’akkuzi fost ohrajn ta’ omicidju volontarju ta’ Daphne Caruana Galizia.Nahseb ahjar tiltaqa’ mieghu l-ufficcju tieghu il-Pieta’ lil Bernard Grech, Robert Abela. Jew il-Kwartieri l-Mile End.

L-ufficcju tieghek Kastilja, barra li skond kliemek ghadek ma kkwalifikajtx biex topera minnu, huwa ufficcju mishut u mcappas bid-demm b’riha taqsamlek qalbek li ma tissaportihiex.Riha ta’ flus jintnu jqattru d-demm. Habatlek sew li trid tilbes maskra.

Sakemm ma tizgurax li ssir gustizzja ma’ kulhadd Prim Ministru, mishut ha jibqalek l-ufficcju tieghek Kastilja u ghad trid tishet is-siegha u l-mument li ntrigajt li tnaddaf il-hmieg li halla warajh il-korrott dinji tas-sena, li fis-siggu mcappas tieghu, inti tpoggi ta’ kuljum, iggorrlu l-mantell

.Joseph Muscat. Illum injot. Illum fallut.

Categories
Mediawatch Politics Rule of Law

Frozen too late

On this night when the news broke of the freezing of assets of Keith Schembri, Brian Tonna and others we need to take a step back and realise that the information that led to this action has been in the public domain for at least three years.

On April 24th 2017, Daphne Caruana Galizia published a post entitled “BREAKING/Prime Minister’s chief of staff took kickbacks from Brian Tonna on sale of Maltese citizenship”. In that post, as the title describes, she detailed fact upon fact of how Keith Schembri had received kickbacks from Brian Tonna on the sale of citizenship.

The ball, you could say, was in the AG’s court. Action could and should have been taken. Instead we all know what would happen. Nothing. No prosecutions. No investigations. Keith Schembri would remain a key figure in disgraced PM Muscat’s kitchen cabinet and Brian Tonna’s Nexia would feature in many a government contract or consultancy until yesterday.

And Daphne Caruana Galizia would be murdered.

Reading this comment by Daphne has a spine-chilling effect. It thunders from beyond the grave and reverberates in our heads. There you have it. She knew that publishing these facts would not be enough. She knew that the police would do nothing with this evidence.

“It’s the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, so they’re not going to touch him.” Daphne was one of the select few who were aware at the time of the system of impunity that was already in place. Institutions had by then already been bent into submission. The saga was only about to begin.

Action by the police at the time might have prevented the disastrous vortex that was to follow.

Daphne Caruana Galizia began to die that night. She did not have to, but the nation was too blind to realize the possible consequences of this kind of revelation. Blinded by partisan bickering and by government propaganda the people would only serve as a fertile ground for institutional breakdown.

And murder.

This is what justice for Daphne is also about. We are a long way from that yet.

ADDENDUM:
This is how the lying lowlife scum reacted at the time. Thanks to @bugdavem on Twitter for the reminder.

Categories
Mediawatch

The Faces of Impunity

Whenever I watch documentaries about popular uprisings against dictatorships I always end up wondering about those special forces, elite or otherwise, who are called upon to defend the dictator/politician from the crowds. When not in uniform do these soldiers have a life? Do they go home and bring bread to the table to a family that is presumably also suffering under the present regime? What keeps them ticking till the end? What hidden power helps them raise their bayonets or guns against the people who are intent to bring about change?

So much for the troops defending the likes of Ceausescu from the rabble. Jose Herrera seems to have believed that he might need protection of his own from the ‘rabble’ calling for truth and justice outside parliament in November and December. By his own admission there was no particular threat to his well-being (his being an insignificant enabling member of the extended cabinet must have had much to do with this).

And yet Jose’ deemed it fit to dig into the public’s pockets to adorn his entourage with gorillas to ensure his safety. Yes, you read that right. By way of direct order Jose’ did what our Labour politicians seem to do quite well and appropriated some public money for his own imaginary needs.

Now I know that as in some countries of dubious democratic record, our politicians love to be surrounded with the occasional knucklehead or two – it seems to add to the street cred and helps keep away the fawning fans from touching their holy habits. Jose’s extravagance though goes a step further.

First of all he did not need the security because there was no apparent threat. Second of all even if he did, this did not mean he could fish into the public box and spend 19,000 euros without so much of a “please”.

This happens in Muscat’s Malta (now inherited by dithering more of the same Bobby). Muscat’s Malta that so proudly proclaims to have kicked off reforms to please (among others) the Venice commission. I wonder if these reforms will change the manner of appointment by Decree (of His Holiness Owen) as we witnessed in the case of Jose’s daughter.

Remember how Owen justified yet another public appointment by private decree?

The new Commissioner for Law and daughter of the Minister for the Environment Jose Herrera, Martina Herrera, will earn roughly €11,000 per year, and was selected by the Ministry for Justice Owen Bonnici without any other applicants, the latter has confirmed. The Minister clarified that the appointment of such a role, as stipulated in law, was always placed under his remit’s discretion.

It’s all in the family isn’t it? We weren’t shocked in 2017 so why should we be shocked now. After all the Herrera family’s habit of living off public money is only one example of the hundreds you will find under this administration.

That, my friends, is how corruption feeds itself.

Categories
Corruption Politics

Corrupt Kings & Exile

In my mind, good old King Juan Carlos of Spain remains the monarch who sat through the 1982 World Cup finals as royal of the host nation. I don’t have a particular fancy for royalty so my knowledge of whatever he has been up to since stopped there. Until, that is, news of the corruption scandal linking King JC to bribes paid by Saudis in connection with some railway contract.

King JC stepped aside and let his son take the crown but the scandal was not ging away any time soon. And it shouldn’t because let’s face it justice should be the same for all, whether or not there is a real or imaginary crown on their head. Today’s news that the former King is going to self-imposed exile in the Dominican Republic still does not exonerate him from any responsibility.

In a statement, King JC’s lawyers stated that he was not escaping justice and would still be available to prosecutors.

I am not quite sure how that story will end but it jars with the story of Malta’s very own disgraced King who continues to live beyond his declared means. While he may believe that these matters are private and “none of your business” there is no doubt that many questions remain to be answered.

The rules of our democracy are flaunted daily by the members of the political parties who have had the indecency to craft the rules to their needs over the last decades. From political party financing, to personal accounts and interests of the various MPs, to the make up of the various authorities that are supposed to uphold the rule of law, all of them are guilty of taking the law for one big ride.

For there is no doubt that if Muscat’s annual declaration of assets were to be believed there is no way in hell he can be affording all this gallivanting and playing around with his imaginary jet-set. The class-obsessed couple (remember the call for a Middle Class for all) cannot resist to flaunt their extravagant lifestyle and in doing so they continue to beg questions that remain unanswered.

The disgraced ex-PM who presided over the most corrupt executive in Maltese history does not need to go into exile. The reason for that is that we still live in times of impunity, notwithstanding the cosmetic changes we have recently witnessed.

There are crooks everywhere, the situation remains as desperate as ever.

Categories
Constitutional Development

The rebels won’t let go

The heat is on at PN HQ. The 80 strong executive is meeting having been summoned by Adrian Delia. It’s time for a showdown with the 19 rebels showing no sign of surrendering their battle after the setback suffered by the hapless Presidential decision.

What would seem to be another long night has been kick started by another motion of confidence in Delia brought by Dr Michael Axiaq. The vicissitudes of the renewed PN leadership race is actually a tiny pixel in the much bigger landscape of the state of our political system. What interests me here is why the rebels insist on staying. Why the battle they are fighting is the battle, first and foremost, for the Nationalist Party.

Therese Comodini Cachia was quoted as saying that “it is not her intention to split the party”. Chris Said seems to be of the same opinion. And so on and so forth. Not for one second does the option of splitting from the PN and setting up a rival, larger, opposition party seem to have crossed their minds.

Make no mistake about what is happening here. Much as the rebels might be seen as voices for change away from the shady politics represented by Delia and the corrupt government, their inability to create a definite schism between themselves and the old wreck of a party they aspire to win back is telling.

The pull of the party is too great and that is the sign that the rebels, no matter how rebellious, are only willing to go so far to change the stagnant system that has a stranglehold on the nation. They are unable to cut off their dependency on a party system built to fit a constitution wrought in its image, and designed to fit a sick method of pathetic alternation like a glove.

I have written elsewhere that a new PN would have to renege everything it has been until now otherwise those who take over will only be prone to the same mistakes that have been committed in the past.

The rotten system that has taken hold of the nation is fighting back tooth and nail. Like zombies in a trance some participants in the political arena unwillingly lend themselves to the system’s fight for survival. Yesterday’s Presidential decision was such an example of the system’s desperate lurches at self-preservation.

Tonight, in the long night of knives and squaring of thoughts, another tentacle of the system attempts to survive to the detriment of a switch towards a healthier constitution.

We are a long, long way from recovery.

“If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power.” Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Categories
Constitutional Development

George fought the law and Adrian won

PR 201337 – “Press Release from the Office of the President” does not feature on the DOI Press Release page. It should be there since PR 201336 and PR 201338 are both on the page. I tried to find out whether the President’s Office that has its own PRO had distributed the PR through the DOI. Unfortunately Caroline Muscat, theShiftNews editor, could not confirm because – get this – the DOI refuses to add theShiftNews to the newsroom list.

Why does the President (and for what matters, even the Speaker of the House) use the DOI for his PR? Shouldn’t they have their own PR office issuing its own press releases? But those are not the glitches in our democracy that we are here to comment today. We are more concerned with the content of the PR 201337 because it concerns the long-awaited disquisition by the President (upon advice of anonymous legal experts) concerning the issue of the Leader of the Opposition in the House (LOOH for short).

Let us begin from the end. At the end of his statement, the President invokes the Principle of Necessity as the underlying reason for his decision. The beauty of the use of this principle is that it sets the minds at rest of all those who disagree with the interpretation favoured by the President and his men (and Adrian Delia of course). Why so? Well the reason is simple. The Principle of Necessity is used as a last resort in the words of the medieval jurist Henry de Bracton “when that which is otherwise not lawful is made lawful by necessity”.

In layman’s terms the President is saying that he is conscious of the unlawfulness of his decision and interpretation but a higher necessity required him to rule in such a manner anyway. It would be facile to blame the President’s medical background but that would mean ignoring the legal savants who deemed this perilous advice to be good enough for him to administer on the nation.

Said advisors skimmed through Article 90’s inherent contradictions and in lieu of providing a solution based on law, they chose to apply the aforementioned Doctrine of Necessity: an unlawful solution in the better interests of… There lies the crux… the better interests of whom? In the words of the President this would be the “protection of the democratic process and the serene atmosphere which must reign in Parliament and in the country in general”.

In opting for this doctrine the President’s advisors steamrollered over any consideration concerning article 90 other than the admission that a combined reading of 90(4) and 90(2) could result in revoking and appointing Adrian Delia ad infinitum. Having discarded the possibility of leaving the LOOH office vacant (there will be a LOOH according to article 90 has been read as there will be one at all times) the solution was simple: we keep him there because it is a remedy for serenity.

The ball was then thrown into the political party court (from whence it came) with the President washing his hands of the problem and saying “come back when you have a new leader of the party or when you have solved your trust issues”.

Which begs the question. How serene and progressive is our parliamentary democracy when a President reads the constitution (unlawfully by his own admission) in such a way as to impose a LOOH on the opposition who has lost the trust of 2/3 of them?

The press pounced on the words ‘depart from the constitution’ when reporting the President’s Press Release. It’s worse. He openly broke it. “That which is otherwise not lawful” remember?

George Vella fought the law and Adrian Delia has won. Time to quote Swift again…

“It is a maxim among these lawyers, that whatever hath been done before may legally be done again: and therefore they take special care to record all the decisions formerly made against common justice and the general reason of mankind. These, under the name of precedents, they produce as authorities, to justify the most iniquitous opinions; and the judges never fail of decreeing accordingly.”

– Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels