Author: Jacques René Zammit

Part 3 – GroundHog Day

A few hours after the PN announced its list of candidates the controversial Wayne Hewitt was updating his facebook status. Apparently he will not be voting PN in the next election:

for the first time in my life, I will not be voting in the next general elections. Between a party embezzled by a handful of religious extremists, a socialist party and a small communist party disguised in green, I choose none. Will be waiting of the real Nationalist Party to arise to its former glory. A party that puts democracy before religion.

Yep. Now while I’m quite prepared to read the status and give Mr Hewitt the benefit of the doubt I quite suspect that the reason for his sudden switch in “loyalty” goes far beyond the “religio et patria” nonsense. I suspect that Mr Hewitt was hoping to be see his name on the new list of approved PN candidates and that the absence of aforesaid name from the list is very much the reason for his sudden angry facebooking.

Which might mean that there IS some kind of streaming after all and that not ANYTHING goes. Having said that I cannot say that this streaming is working 100%. Sure I am very very glad to see the likes of Mark Anthony Sammut on that list. If he were in my district I’d have no trouble at all putting a number one next to his name. Some seem to think that “charming” Albert Fenech is a brilliant addition because he’ll bring in the lady vote – I’m not quite sure that vote-grabbing for looks is quite what is needed here.

But let me come to my pet hate. Emmanuel “Arriva” Delia is on the list too. Now those who know me will not need me declaring my political bias against Mr Delia ever since I inherited a student council that was on its financial knees thanks to his ruthless “management”. In any case I think that his arrogant displays when not representing student interests are the least of worries.

The fiasco of the introduction of the new transport system has been well documented and notwithstanding his months of underground inactivity (currently being spun as having been the result of a counter-measure to Franco Debono’s touchiness) Arriva is still the first name to come to mind (right before Austin Gatt’s) whenever mention of the stout man from St Julian’s is made.

Here’s a little itsy bitsy integrity test I urget the PN folk to run.

1. Log on to Emmanuel Delia’s site : www.delia.pn.

2. Scroll to the very very bottom. (don’t bother with the videos, he has removed the ones featuring endorsements by Lou “tax-Xirka” Bondi). You will find a little tag: Developed by 2iLtd.

3. Click on that tag and when that new page opens click on Europe and the Middle East.

4. The next page is the site for 2i in Europe (www.2ime.com) . Have a look at what these gentlemen specialise in by clicking on the PRODUCTS tab at the top. Yep, feel free to click on “BUS SCHEDULING SOFTWARE”. That’s one of the things these people tender for.

So you see. Three clicks away (one if it weren’t for the fact that 2i have a world/europe site) from a candidate’s website is a company that tenders regularly for government IT work and specialises in Bus Scheduling Software – funny Bus Scheduling and Delia right?

Cool isn’t it? Now Delia will obviously tell us that he (tee-hee) “paid” for this website set-up and that he (guffaw) can provide “receipts”. And what if he can? The point is that of all the website building companies on the face of the planet Emmanuel Delia “chose” a company that tenders regularly for government work and “sopra corna e bastonate“ one that is involved in the kind of work that he was responsible for within the bulldozing ministry. Not that he delivered anything in that field mind you.

So yes. This is a little nothing. A teeny weeny example of inconsistencies that are borne out of arrogant disregard of what is correct and what is ethical. Delia’s site has been up and running for quite some time now (long before the PN declared him to be a kosher candidate).

Not a good start for poor old Delia isn’t it?

Part 2 – All the Kings Horses

It’s been a while now that we have been witnessing the gradual collapse of Franco Debono and Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando. The latter’s fall from grace is even more phenomenal when one compares the hero status that he enjoyed in March 2008. No it’s not an insignificant detail. No we cannot brush these facts under the carpet. Franco Debono and Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando were on a list of candidates approved by the Nationalist party in the infamous “GonziPN” campaign.

Ours is a party system that has been designed to reward two parties and two parties only. It is based on the Diceyan premiss that a bipartisan system is the strongest and healthiest for our form of government. Fine. Let us accept that reasoning if only for the sake of argument. Accepting that argument means that the two main players of our political system bear a huge responsibility when selecting candidates who will then go on to represent the people in parliament. The “anything goes” approach is damaging to the system and insulting to the people who are supposed to be represented.

Parties cannot go on allowing Franco Debonos and Joseph Cuschieris to be elected by popular vote. I know it’s a democracy and the people have spoken and all that but the rules of the game are such that the parties should bear the responsibility of (at least) screening the candidates as far as possible for the signs of misfits.

Which is why the PN cannot be let off so easily with this sudden semi-expulsion. Neither can anybody who actively spun the “sale” of such candidates passionately throughout the last election campaign. Who do you think you are kidding? Take one of the most stalwart defenders of JPO’s cause in 2008 – Daphne Caruana Galizia (Vote JPO #1). Here she is on July 12th 2012 telling us this about JPO and his immediate entourage:

STEPHEN CIANGURA HAS BEEN JEFFREY’S HEAVY, CANVASSER AND SIDEKICK FOR YEARS.

He was stuck to his hip already at the general election in 2008. He was Jeffrey’s keychain, going to all his meetings with canvassers and activists, to fund-raiser parties, the works.

In the 2008 campaign, if you saw Jeffrey, you saw Ciangura, with some notable exceptions like public appearances for bawling and trying to whip up sympathy, when toughs and heavies have the reverse effect on the emotions.

When Jeffrey turned up at my house during the election campaign, he was accompanied by two heavies even then, and one of them was Stephen Ciangura.

(…) Now I suggest you Google Stephen Ciangura and find out just what kind of a person he is, breaking a young man’s jaw while moonlighting as a bouncer at Gianpula for his mother’s company, when he was a lance bombardier in the Maltese army.

Now she suggests that you Google Ciangura. Now. Why now Daphne? Why now PN executive? Funny how none of this came out in 2008 when JPO wept crocodile tears over Mistra and nasty Sant’s accusations. The truth is simple. In 2008 the PN needed JPO’s votes. It needed Franco Debono’s too in order to pull off the greatest victory snatched from the jaws of defeat.

Only now –  with parliament in recess and with probably little left to do come its re-opening other than to fall out and prepare for an election – only now is the PN comfortable baring its teeth. Only now will information hoarders tell you to google Ciangura. Makes you wonder doesn’t it what kind of information is withheld about other candidates until the time is ripe.

The PN’s move of cutting off the elements within it that were obviously functioning for their own interest and on the basis of their own personal grudges and not on political differences was correct. It was correct but ill-timed. A strong party would not have suffered the humiliation of allowing such persons to dictate the agenda of government.

Unfortunately for the PN the rules of the game are such that had they called an election at the most opportune moment (and not succumbed to months of theatrics) then they might have handed the reigns of government to a band of irresponsible power-hungry persons who still show no sign of getting clued in about the rules of the game.

Talk about painting yourself into a corner. Way to go Mr. Dicey.

So the world did not end yesterday, the nationalist party did not implode and – much to the chagrin of (probably) many a disgruntled voter without much of a grasp of the rules of the game – the government is still in place for all to see. The rebel MP’s have had their comeuppance and JPO, Mugliett and Debono will not be allowed to contest the next elections. They have not been expelled from the party (which is convenient enough so long as this parliament is still “sitting”) but they have been served the cup of hemlock sure enough. So if the procedure ended up not expelling anyone they needed an excuse that would sound disciplinary enough but that would also send a clear message to the “rebels” – and the selection of PN’s first batch of electoral candidates was the perfect excuse to start the stitching. Or was it?

Here. For what it matters in this crazy season of politics is J’accuse’s take on these recent events:

Part 1. Labour

I just HAVE to start from the least obvious. The rebels would not have managed to wreak havoc with their promises of uncertainty had they not found a compliant opposition that bent over double to encourage their rebel activity. There is nothing wrong with an opposition taking advantage of the weaknesses of government, far from it, but the problem we see is that the connivance of the opposition was based on deceit and a blatant disregard of constitutional rule and convention.

It would be naive of us to assume that the business of politics does not include the dirty work of personal vendettas bred out of rivalry, ambition and misplaced expectations. Having said that though, it is no small matter that the opposition fails to see that the cries of “ungovernability” that it so proudly yelled over the past months were founded on a situation provoked and instigated by itself together with the flighty rebels.

The business of government might not be tip-top but it is far from the mess the opposition would have us believe exists (and far from the mess that the band of politicians presenting themselves as an alternative to government seem to reserve for us in the future). It has recently dawned on some that Labour’s inability to present clear, tangible programmes and take clear positions might serve to its advantage (no shit Sherlock). Thank God for the diversion that have been the merry band of rebels then… but now that that charade is over Labour might have to start producing and it might be a little too late.

It remains to be seen whether the public really sees the series of events as  the misuse of the institutions of the state for the purpose of personal vendettas or whether they lost the plot at some point after having been fed the “iggranfati mal-poter” and “messy business” mantra one time too many.