Author: Jacques René Zammit

Categories
Campaign 2013

J’accuse in Oz

We’re back from our weekend break in Paris – a welcome pause from the early part of the election campaign (both for myself and for the readers I guess). In the meantime the first programme on SBS featuring a J’accuse round-up of the previous week’s electoral campaign has gone online. We are hoping to keep this weekly appointment with Marlene Cassandra Galea (time zones permitting) and look forward to some interaction with our readers from the other side of the globe. Click on the player below to listen to the interview.

 

Here is the SBS player:

Click here to go to the stream on the SBS website.

Credits: Marlene Cassandra Galea for the programme, Toni Sant for the link up.

 

 

Categories
Arts

Mhux ilsien ħażin

Lil Facebook nistħajlu Paceville. Saru jitkellmu dwaru qisu kull ma ssib fih huwa ħażin u ta’ min jistmerru. Qatt ma nitgħallmu jaħasra. L-ingliżi jgħidu “a bad worker blames his tools”. Ma nafx jekk hemmx frażi ekwivalenti bil-Malti. Issa pero forsi sibt rokna tal-internet fejn insir naf. Dan l-aħħar skoprejt grupp ġdid fuq facebook. Jismu “kelma kelma” hu huwa vjaġġ ta’ tkixxif … fejn wieħed jista’ kuljum jiskopri perli ta’ għarfien ġodda dwar l-ilsien li tagħtna ommna. Ilsien pajjiżna biex niftehmu. U f’dawn il-jiem fejn qażżu il-kukuzzli bil-posts politiċi, dak li għandu x’joffri il-kittieb ta’ “kelma kelma” (qaluli min hu pero ma nafx jieħux gost li insemmih b’ismu allura jieħu prosit anonimu għalissa) huwa oasi ta’ wens.

Jekk trid tkun taf għalfejn nużaw l-espressjoni “qishom id-di u d-do” jew kemm hemm modi differenti biex tgħid “blu jew aħmar” fittex issieħeb fil-grupp. L-indirizz virtwali tiegħu huwa dan: http://www.facebook.com/kelmakelma.mt

Saħħiet.

Categories
Campaign 2013

The Love Labour’s Lost

Enough. Really. There’s only so long that you can keep a straight face and try to fit into what this sad excuse of a political caravan considers to be politically correct. Joseph Muscat’s  five year honeymoon with the electorate as heir to the throne is coming to an end. Sadly, he is winning. Sadly, he is managing to con his way into Castille. I’ve had it up to here with “defending” this blog from accusations of being “inherently nationalist”. It’s a waste of time and resources.

What this blog tries to do (and quite frankly I think it manages) is to point out the realities that are hidden behind the marketing ploys and messages that the PLPN system has refined to quasi-perfection. When we look at Joseph and Labour we do not see it in contrast to Lawrence and PN but rather we try to give the party and its leader a chance to shine in its own right – to prove itself on its own steam.

So what remains once you remove the repetitive mantra that boils down to “how bad, corrupt and dangerous the PN is”? Nothing. Our verdict on the energy plan is a damning “Could Do Better (hopefully)”. Then we have to suffer the pain of hearing about how Muscat’s measures are all inspired by some latter-day Keynesian fiction of putting more money in pockets. What money though? If you stand up and say that the “savings” on the electricity bill will not go a long way to reviving an ailing economy then you are either nationalist or ignorant. This is not me blaming Labour for whatever is happening in the Standard & Poor’s rating department (tort ta’ min?). This is me not believing that Labour is the solution to the problems that they themselves are so keen on highlighting.

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AD BREAK

Thank you for reading… you might like this link once you’ve finished with this post: A time for lemons

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Whenever Muscat comes up with a new proposal – take free child care – he forgets that nothing comes for free and that someone, somewhere will be paying it. Will the savings on the new power bills be paying for the child carers wages too? It’s insane. It’s like standing and watching the Pied Piper charm a village into oblivion. He’s done his homework all right. From where we are standing (and that’s a safe distance from the two camps) we can easily see why the warts and arrogance of the PN crowd will always outweigh any measure of reasonable doubt with regards to who can best manage the country and its finances – especially once you throw in the “twenty-five years have hurt” bit into the equation. But is that enough?

Yes. We are victims of our winner takes all electoral system. Yes I will end up being labelled “nationalist” a the end of this rant even though it is not intended to tell you to Vote PN but simply is an exposition of why I can not Vote Labour. The worst part of Muscat’s plan is the rhetoric. It’s the one based around “Malta Taghna Lkoll” and the falso buonismo that really gets on your tits. It is the dumbing down of argumentation by aiming for the questionable mantra of setting aside disagreement for the sake of the country. It is built on relativist opportunism where opinions count more than facts and has a fairy tale wishy washy feeling all round.

Lawrence Gonzi has gone on record yesterday stating that “Muscat is so ashamed of Labour that he speaks, dresses and acts like a Nationalist.” What is that supposed to mean? The only truth I see in that statement is that Muscat has hooked on to what kind of façade is appealing to the electorate and has taken to mimicking those who have hitherto been the masters of the PR. It has nothing to do with dressing “like a Nationalist” or “like a Labourite” (although the fact that Gonzi thinks that way is worrying in itself) – but rather it has a lot to do with knowing what appeals best to the electorate that you are trying to win over. Xinxilli we’d call them in Maltese.

If we really wanted to play the “blame game” (tort ta’ min) then we’d find out that the new Labour outfit – more noise and colour than substance – is just what the spin doctor had ordered of the PN team for the last couple of elections. They’re in sync now – promising the earth on the eve of an election, turning their enemy into a monster in the process (iva Narcy, ibezzghu… kollha kemm huma), and investing heavily in special effects (remember how the campaign kicked off). This time round the money factor swung heavily in favour of the PL – our wonderful entrepreneurial sector having sniffed a possibility of change are now hedging their bets with those fantastic donations that will never be seen in the accounts that Labour never really publishes.

What does that say to all of us? That Labour is change? If Labour is about change then I’m Mother Therese reincarnate. This election is once again not about change. It’s about Same, same but different. It could not have been otherwise – our system is fine tuned to force us into the Hobson’s Choice equation every five years. The dilution of real politics has been a constant for over ten years now and there seems to be no hope in sight unless somebody is brave enough to break the mould.

As for Labour. Chapeau for the campaign – it is deceptively brilliant. I’d hate to be in Joseph Muscat’s shoes the moment the carcades peter out, the last firework explodes and the door of his office opens for the first day in Castille. I’m sure that on that day his promise of resigning if things go Pete Tong will not be of any consolation.

To anyone.

P.S. Happy Birthday Joseph.

Categories
Campaign 2013

A time for lemons

This morning’s Sunday paper sequence had a not too comfy surprise in store for the blue side of this election campaign. As the mass meeting attending acolytes packed their flags and horns for the second of their electoral xalati we read in MaltaToday about yet another scandal exploding in GonziPN’s face. A bloke who goes by the name of Frank Sammut and who has up until now enjoyed the veil of anonimity is at the centre of this scandal. Apparently while sitting on some board that is entrusted with the procurement of oil for our greater benefits (and with the wherewithal to purchase such oil – to the tune of 360 million euros annually), Sammut also allegedly acted as “consultant” to one of the oil companies, pocketing loadsamoney in the process.

Smashing isn’t it? Here we were again with yet another Silvio Zammit sounding story. Maltese “businessmen” who do what they do best when linked with political masters. In this case Sammut is an appointee – a nationalist government appointee. If the “hard proof” that Saviour Balzan is crowing about right now is real then shit has really hit the proverbial fan and I don’t think that the PN machine will pull off another JPO spin to cover up Sammut.

Let’s leave that story and its facts unfold for now. We cannot do much at the moment except take note. I am sure that Monday will bring much more information. Meanwhile we now have an even bigger quandary when it comes to the election and more particularly the energy sector.

On the one hand you have Labour and Konrad Mizzi’s “plans” that look like they leak unpreparedness from whichever point you look. This blog need not apologise when it reaches the conclusion that Mizzi and Labour do not seem to have their act together and are not able to cough up enough guarantees that their plan works.

On the other hand you have PN who can be all smiles and expert when it comes to shooting down Labour’s plans but who are a huge fail when it comes to managing their very own personnel. Most importantly it becomes increasingly harder for the nationalist party to sell their pitch that they operate in the interests of the nation and not in the interests of many groups of many men with an interest in having their part of the pie. And insofar as this particular point is concerned it is of no consolation that should Labour be elected there would still be pie sharing but by different people.

So there you have it. The clueless vs the corrupt. Which brings me to the little party with the big manifesto. It’s a long long read. I still haven’t digested it all and there are quite a few points I definitely disagree with (here’s two: I’m not for any glorification of the president and his powers nor am I for any political party wishing to interfere in how student unions are run) but hey alternattiva have a concrete set of proposals.

The way I see it when it comes to economy and energy AD have concrete ideas. Better still the ideas are based on principles such as taxing progressively, a social conscience and studying solutions based on renewable, clean energy. It’s all there waiting to be put into action or at worst to be copied by the empty vessel parties in five or ten years time. The media will try to minimise AD’s contribution to the usual shocking positions on drugs and LGBT rights.

The truth is that there has never been a moment more than today, more than now, when the role of a third party – possibly as a minor partner in a coalition government – could be crucial to returning any semblance of sanity and direction to our political system. Now, more than ever, should the intelligent beings who do not flock blindly to mass meetings or cheer their leaders at “debates” on Xarabank really be investing their vote in the third party.

Electoral Manifesto (Alternattiva Demokratika)

Categories
Campaign 2013 Zolabytes

Post Ranier – a zolabyte

A reader of this blog was inspired to write an essay-like comment after the post entitled “Your politics are ruining my country (and its future)“. I’ve decided to put it up as a Zolabyte in the hope that it provokes more conversation. Philip Serracino Inglott (currently pursuing a Ph.D. in the Philosophy of Technology at Delft writes:

Thanks for pointing out Ranier’s article, which set my mind reeling. Here’s a brain dump of the thoughts I had after reading this and Ranier’s articles:

It’s nice to see Ranier put a wager upon PN’s technical ability. The implication of his argument is: if it should turn our that PL plan works, this would mean that Austin and Gonzi are either incompetent, or they intentionally deceived the population, or both. If the PL plan were to fail, Ranier would have to call for Muscat’s and Konrad’s heads, but equally, should it succeed he’d have to be the first to call for Austin and Gonzi’s heads.

Of course the corollary to that is that when the PL claim that they are certain that their plan will work, they are implying that they are equally certain that Austin and Gonzi are incompetent, or that they intentionally deceived the population, or both.

That much, I guess, they’d willingly do. But the implication is much more onerous than that for this case. The level of incompetence and/or deceit is variable. It finally depends on the magnitude of the project or importance of the decision in the context of which it was done, in comparison to how easy or trivial it would have been to see and/or avoid.

When PL’s plan is compressed to its raw basic essentials its basically this: borrow a bunch of money from private investors; spend that money switching from HFO to Gas; Gas can be bought cheaply enough that we can pay off the debt for the conversion, the past debts, and still have left over to pass on to the consumer as reduced tariffs. The private investor who lends us the money gets to keep on selling us the gas/electricity for a long time after we have sorted it all out. So, sure, he/she’ll get a tidy profit too, but that is why he/she’ll invest in the first place. It’s that simple really. Just that one basic idea — switch to gas — is going to solve of high tariff problem. The rest is details that require a lot of work to sort out, but should be run of the mill really.

But, if this is actually it, then Gonzi and Austin are not merely incompetent and/or deceitful. If the crux of it all is the choice between gas and HFO, then Gonzi and Austin must be stupid idiots and/or criminally fraudulent, if not both. And that would be very serious indeed. If the PL plan is to succeed on the basis of the documentation revealed up to now; if that is all a voter needs to know to be confident that PL’s plan will succeed; I can see no way that, once elected, PL is not also morally obliged to investigate the current cabinet for fraud and criminal negligence for their approval of the use of HFO.

Of course, the much more realistic scenario is that there are many more variables. The truth is that the analysis required to know if the plan is worth voting for is way more complex. Even if in the future the current government will, with hindsight, be shown to have made a humongous mistake by going for HFO, the matter is complex enough that one cannot draw a straight line from there to the claim that the level of incompetence would have been criminal.

But then, this means that the whole ‘energy solution campaign thing’ going on is just a charade. That there is no way that a deep enough analysis can be brought to voters until March, with sufficient detail, that they can make up their mind rationally. As Michal Falzon seems to have implied (from Ranier’s wording), voters with have to vote on an act of faith. And that is not democracy at all! That is merely herding behavior!

So PL and PN have put themselves in a rather sad position, unless they are willing to admit that the current trend in the campaign is undermining democracy, they have to up the ante, and imply that the other side is consciously and malevolently trying to deceive and de-fraud the citizen!

They have to imply that the others are not just “not as good as us” but that they are “evil!”. Since both sides play the game the election becomes a “final judgment” that determines who is on “the dark side” and who “has the force with them”. If any of the big 2 parties actually mean anything of what their garbled propaganda implies about their opponent, we would have to have a court marshal of the fresh opposition after every election.

Thank goodness, the only party that actually means all of the claims that it makes is the little green fellow with the good ideas but no clout or voice. After all, if AD had a bigger role to play in our political scene many of these silly charades would be quickly exposed, and we might have to actually think and evaluate substantial proposals before voting.

And who wants to do that?

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Zolabytes is a rubrique on J’accuse – the name is a nod to the original J’accuser (Emile Zola) and a building block of the digital age (byte). Zolabytes is intended to be a collection of guest contributions in the spirit of discussion that has been promoted by J’accuse on the online Maltese political scene for 7 years.
Opinions expressed in zolabyte contributions are those of the author in question. Opinions appearing on zolabytes do not necessarily reflect the editorial line of J’accuse the blog.
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Categories
Campaign 2013

Your politics are ruining my country (and its future)

“Futur fis-sod” they say, or “Malta taghna lkoll”. Slogans, they’re strong and they’re loud. They get repeated like some mantra gone wrong and woe betide anybody who dare criticise any of their darlings because you are immediately tagged as an undercover agent for “the other side”. Malta’s very own version of McCarthyism has now polluted the airwaves and the ether. We’re only a few days in the campaign and quite frankly the debate between dumb and dumber has only made us numb and number.

I dared praise Ranier Fsadni’s article in the Times only to find my status host to a mass of foam mouthed angry mob stirrers – angry because apparently Ranier has not been equally magnanimous in his criticism of the way things are done. Quite frankly I do not believe that I need to defend Ranier but I rather like the point he made – which remains a good point independently of Ranier. His point was simply that the media should be more demanding of our politicians. The sly fox did not come down in favour of one party or another – he simply put it to the reader that “trust” is not enough in these matters.

Raphael Vassallo plastered line after line of research that he came across in his line of investigation. Which is fine. What I cannot understand is how some of the flaws that people like Raphael point out suddenly become ok because, you know what, even the nationalists have been guilty of committing them. So that’s all right isn’t it? Fast tracking EIA plans? Can be done because MEPA does it already. Oh goody goody.

I don’t know where to start any more. The parties have even got a monopoly on how they roll out their plans and projects. I criticised Labour for being too shallow on Gozo – and praised the PN for having concrete proposals. Apparently Labour’s proposals on Gozo are pleasures yet to come. Who cares if the plan for the elections means that you will only know what Joseph Muscat will do to create jobs on the sister island come the last week of campaigning? Which is a load of bollocks. AD are supposed to roll out their FULL ELECTION PROPOSALS tomorrow. Do we really have to wait for the PLPN to drip their electoral proposals slowly like some form of chinese torture?

And one final thing. There are way too many sudden declarations in favour of this policy or that for my liking. The parties have to make their mind up on that one too. Either their policies are a well thought of step by step process built within a holistic framework or they are just being invented as the campaign unfurls.

Which also leads me to this sudden discovery by other pundits of our greatest sickness. I saw that Daphne Caruana Galizia the other day was complaining about the Maltese mentality that “having an opinion automatically means that it’s right”. Well thank Jupiter that the message that we have been drilling from these columns for aeons is finally coming through. Maltese relativism combined with this dumbing down of the nation is a direct by product of the PLPN vision of politics. Joseph Muscat has put this development on a fast track with his “m’hemmx ilwien u kuluri” , and “il-Malti jahdem u jistinka allura bilfors il-progetti jirnexxu”. It’s a project, it’s Maltese and it will create work because he says so. No questions asked.

This is the Brave New Political world for which various rent-a-pundits and sudden activists are suddenly foaming at the mouth. There are those who will take whatever their party says like it’s the bible truth. Others are just rabidly egging on the team that has to get into power if only because twenty-five years have hurt and you cannot trust the conniggling bastards in blue. The world begins and ends at the feet of Norman Vella and Peppi Azzopardi and the ridiculously sterile BA guidelines. And if the leader bows out of a Xarabank appointment then let’s make a fuss of it… because Xarabank taghna lkoll.

Their politics is ruining the prospects of this country and its future.