In between world changing summits our PM is off on a business mission to Algeria. The press photo shows a corny group pic of the delegation standing at the foot of the stairs of an AirMalta plane. The delegation is testosterone heavy with two (visible) token women thrown into the fray. Energy and Health Minister is also on board, presumably to cook up another top secret arrangement the details of which can never be announced because of their economic sensitivity. Meanwhile our PM still cannot explain how his relative issued 7,000 visas for Europe in Algeria. The Algerian government should of course be worried since wherever Konrad Mizzi seems to go for his wheeling and dealing there seems to be a tendency of the government collapsing soon after. One, two, three… Viva l’Algerie!
La vérité, si je mens (The truth if I lie). We’ve carried that movie motto on this blog as from the start back in 2005. I was reminded of this motto when I read Dr Muscat’s interview on the Times today. It’s the truth, if I lie – it’s a nonsensical phrase actually that can be substituted by “I promise” or as we were used to hearing on the streets of Malta when we were young “Promise to Jesus”. Whatever your choice of phrase is, Muscat’s assertion really needed this kind of appendage at the end. Here’s what he was reported to have said:
“As for the dwindling number of arrivals to Malta, Dr Muscat denied suggestions made by his predecessor, Lawrence Gonzi, that this was the result of some form of agreement with Italy, insisting this was only due to better collaboration with the neighbouring country.”
We can safely assume that Muscat was already squirming uncomfortably at this point since he had already had to pull out an enormous amount of somersault arguments to deal with the Michael Falzon hot potato. I’m sure in the back of his mind he was blaming the failure of Saviour Balzan and his name dropping stunt to distract attention from the myriad scandals that the Labour government is brooding upon.
But back to his statement. Muscat gave us a clear example of his Magritte Policy – the “what you see is not what you get” statement. In the very same sentence he tells us that there is no form of agreement with Italy but that ther is better collaboration with the neighbouring country. Come again? In what universe of CHOGM flop organising and nation paralysing nincompoops with a degree in management and economics is an agreement not a form of collaboration?
We are not talking about two friends meeting in a pjazza and deciding who will pay for the pastizzi and coffee at is-Serkin. Nor is this a “gentlemen’s agreement” to rent a flat that will only be put to paper should circumstances require and should pressure be too much. No. These are two sovereign nations dealing with each other at diplomatic level and reaching agreements that has repercussions on the operation of their administrative and military forces. Orders will be given as a result. Priorities will be set in an IF/THEN format such as: If migrants are rescued at sea THEN do not take them to Malta BUT proceed to ITALY no matter where they are found.
That sort of thing requires formulation, confirmation and agreement in the form of positive action usually in the form of signatories scribbling their names on very formal paper. More importantly, an agreement normally involves obligations on both sides. Now we can all see for ourselves that Italy is taking on the bulk of migrants (erm ALL recently found migrants) – Muscat himself has never denied this and we have questions being asked in Italy and the EP about it too. So we know what Italy’s side of the obligation consists of. What then is Malta giving back?
Muscat wants you and the kool-aid drinkers to believe strongly that this is the result of “better collaboration with the neighbouring country“. If this vague meaningless phrase can be put quickly in succession after a denial of anything the dastardly Gonzi said then it will add muchly to its level of credibility. What Muscat does not and will not answer is what Italy are getting in return.
Maybe Dr Gonzi is right, maybe he is wrong. That is not the point. The point is that Muscat will only say the truth if he lies. He will not tell you what he promised Renzi and Italy because, as we know by now, he is above accountability.
And for the next two weeks he will be more than that. He will be busy having tea with what he sees as the selfie-imposing VIP while you are confined to your house and (if you are a businessman) losing money due to the national paralyis that is needed by the party that couldn’t be trusted to organise a piss-up in a brewery.
Prime Minister Muscat has constantly shot down all criticism of his well-rooted tryst with all matters Chinese. The tryst goes a long way and includes the now-you-see-it-now-you-dont consulate in Shanghai manned by ‘person of trust’ and wife of Minister Consul-non-Consul Sai Mizzi. In his latest attempt at belittling any form of criticism Muscat referred to the fact that while people in Malta criticised his sale of Malta’s power source to China, the very next day George Osborne was parading a similar investment in the UK, also by the Chinese. The peddler of words is brilliant at yelling out slogans and words in controlled circumstances – such as a parliamentary monologue – and his Clever Hans effect spurs him on to entertain the gullible public. Any naysayer will immediately be shot down with brilliant repartees such as “You’re obviously nationalist” or as I have been told recently by an arse-licking political appointee “You’re finally out of the closet”.
But back to the Chinese and Osborne. First of all the Chinese investment in the UK is not all over the place and not dependent on government guarantees, nor is it a sale on the cheap of public land. Our National Salesman is only brilliant in the way peddlers of knock on fakes in the street are brilliant. He sells because his product is sold cheaply or on the border of legality. In the UK a special economic set up was made to cater for the Chinese investment – nothing of that here in Malta were we are slaves to the sons of Ming in every possible transaction.
Chinese democracy activist and Tiananmen Square survivor Shao Jiang, 47, was arrested in the street outside London’s Mansion House where a reception was being held for visiting Chinese Premier Xi Jinping.
Campaigners say Dr Jiang was “brutally manhandled” by police officers after he attempted to block the motorcade by standing in front of it – in a scene reminiscent of a famous image of a lone protestor standing in front of Chinese tanks used to crush peaceful protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1989.
He was holding two banners, which read “End autocracy” and “Democracy now”.
There are now strong accusations that British police and Scotland Yard are bowing to pressure from China. It’s no laughing matter when the police of a nation are subject to the whims and fancies of another nation – and one that is not too fond of liberal democratic methods to boot.
Muscat might have little reason to laugh now, especially when events similar to those that went on in London have occurred closer to home. The dossier of Chinese Slave Labour is not yet closed yet in Malta though little seems to be done about what appears to be China government sanctioned activity in the matter. The Times of Malta reported on the 20th October that a Chinese man who had reported a case of abuse and exploitation at work had been arraigned on charges of assault.
It’s not funny. Not funny at all Prime Minister Muscat. There is a limit to the lack of accountability to the public when engaging in dealings with nations that are, let’s say, not too happy with democratic methods. One can only hide for so long behind the spurious excuse of economic sensitivity. The charades of budget speeches that are only extended monologues of cool-aid distribution peppered with antiquated FEMA catchphrases can only impress the accolytes and the gullible in much the same way that a hypnotist has his way with those who are easily impressed.
The fourth estate has a huge responsibility here in keeping up the pressure and asking more and more questions of this government and its dealings until it gets the answers that are required.
“Three foreigners with a dark skin” are the latest to make the news in Malta following a hit and run incident in Dragonara Road, Paceville. Obviously when the police description hit the press, as it did with the Malta Independent, the comments section becomes a free for all for the “foreigners go out” brigade. We also have a new term “irregular migrants” that seems to have replaced the former blanket term of “illegal immigrants”.
Once again a crime that is deplorable whoever commits it and whoever is the victim has been tainted and coloured with additional news value – as though the dark skin of the perpetrators makes it any worse. You cannot blame the police who issued Malta’s version of a BOLO though it does somewhat fail on the side of vague. Dark skinned? In Malta? With the last vestiges of the hot sun tans not exactly gone yet? Was there nothing else in the description of the perpetrators that might have been signalled? Hoodies maybe? Track suits? As for the TMI running with the headline “three dark skinned men”… surely someone should be asking what is the usefulness of this specification in the title given that this description does not help narrow down the search in any way.
What it does helpto do is fan the flames of the intolerant bunch of ignoramuses who will automatically take to imputing any kind of criminal statistic to the influx of “illegal immigrants”.
La Trahison des images (Ceci n'est pas une pipe). 1929. Oil on canvas, Overall: 25 3/8 x 37 in. (64.45 x 93.98 cm). Unframed canvas: 23 11/16 x 31 7/7 inches, 1 1/2 inches deep, 39 5/8 inches diagonal. Purchased with funds provided by the Mr. and Mrs. William Preston Harrison Collection (78.7).
La Trahison des images (Ceci n’est pas une pipe). 1929. Oil on canvas,
It’s been a long time since we’ve had a quick I.M. Jack take on the major news items. The theme this week is about WYSINWYG or what seems to be the apotheosis of the governmental policy of What You See is NOT What You Get. This blog has for some time now described Muscat’s government’s actions in terms of Magritte’s “Ceci n’est pas une pipe” We are used to having this or that government representative exhort us to look for the facts beyond what our eyes can see – “what you see is not what really is” they seem to tell us. Thus the traffic clogging the sick arteries of our nation is just a question of perception, we only see lack of qualification in government appointees because we want to and the price of oil in Malta is actually cheap today if we consider that it could be cheaper in the future. Hence WYSINWYG – what you see is not what you get.
Will the real budget please stand up?
The speaker hath ruled. The real budget is not the one that was physically tabled in parliament or the one published on the government website. No the real budget is the one read by Minister Scicluna in fits and starts. The speaker’s ruling is actually an apotheosis of all that has been Taghna Lkoll until now. Do not believe the facts and figures. Only believe what we say. Anyway we have to make do with the new mantra of “genuine mistake” that seems to be as permissible with this lot as it was anathema with the previous lot.
We are genuinely mistaken
Such was the excuse when Minister Cardona once again committed a “genuine mistake” appointing a person from the bench to a government entity. The euphoria of appointments to this and that chair is such that sometimes the Ministers or their minions for whom they are directly responsible get carried away and end up signing up people who are not fit for the purpose. In this case such lack of fitness was not due to incompetence (that actually is allowed – just look at our ambassadorial appointments) but due to the fact that the person being re-nominated for a bit of the parastatal company gravy train had already been fit comfortably in the puzzle of judicial appointments – and judges and magistrates are not allowed to sit on government entities. Plus ça change.
Get him to the Greeks
Cuschieri junior is being nominated ambassador to Greece is he? And there was Tsipras thinking that he had faced his greatest challenge yet. This is the same Cuschieri whose position on the Greek debt crisis was largely influenced by very personal issues of whether or not he would be allowed to take up his seat in Strasbourg. “in the midst of the Greek bailout talks, Cuschieri called on Malta to deny the debt-afflicted state money under the EFSF lest they green-light the enlargement of the European Parliament.” (MaltaToday). Sweet isn’t it? What better man to send to Athens if not this genuine Floriana FC (and, alas, Juventus) fan?
What you did was very spiteful, but it was also very brave and very honest and I respect you for doing that. But the content of what you said has made me hate you. So there’s a layer of respect, admittedly, for your truthfulness, but it’s peppered with hate. Hateful respect. (Alduous Snow – Get Him to the Greek)
X Arab Bank
Peppi Azzopardi tried to act smart with the “patriots” of Malta. He must have reasoned that the chicken-brained reasoning that is normally spouted by intolerant bigots can be easily countered on his show. For my sins I watched the whole show on streaming. It was a disaster in many ways. It was once again a testimonial to the lack of civic education and by that I am not referring to the patriot’s lack of knowledge of the words of our national anthem. Take Peppi’s bold assertion that it is up to members of parliament to interpret the law – and that since a member of parliament has stated publicly that wearing the burqa is not illegal then so it is. Not it isn’t Peppi. Members of parliament form part of our legislative branch. They legislate. What they do not do is interpret. That is up to the courts to do. It’s part of this little game called separation of powers. You could be forgiven Peppi, with this government the whole concept of accountability and respect of the separation of powers is fast going up in smoke. We are left with a nation that is in search of its basic values and still trying hard to understand how the whole “liberal democracy” thingy works.
Labels
Labels tend to help us understand who we are and who our interlocutors are. It has become a common occurrence though to maliciously use labels for sweeping statements and assumptions. When an arab loses his mind in Paceville and goes on a stabbing rampage then it is a cue for “immigrants out” and for patriots to charge through Valletta or Birzebbugia like a bunch of oafs on a xalata. If an assembly of Croats and Serbs decide to re-enact part of the Balkan issues on St Rita Steps in Paceville the same reaction is not forthcoming. We have said it many a time: a crime is a crime is a crime – irrespective of who is committing it and irrespective of who the victim is. The confusion that results out of trying to define aggravations based on colour, race or gender (or lack thereof) of the aggressor or victim only serve to compound the melting-pot of intolerance that our country is fast changing into. We have now had news of a priest who was arrested on charges of pedophilia. Cue the hypocrite anti-frock crowd to once again come out en masse barking agains “the church”, “religion” or “priesthood”. What a load of bollocks. The crime would be a crime if the person accused were a plumber, a nurse, a footballer or whatever other profession you may think of. It is heinous, punishable and condemnable. What it is not is testimony that one particular profession is more prone towards it than others. Pointing fingers at “the church” is tantamount to accusing “arabs” after a Libyan goes on rampage in Paceville.
Traffic
It will never be solved. Not without a fascist unelected government of wise men and women. Only then could the Maltese “suffer” the imposition of a car-free island where most money is spent on an efficient common transport system. Reducing the car amount to a bare minimum can only be dreamt of so long as politicians pander to the perceived “needs” of a population that has been bred to be “hurt” (read: throw a tantrum) whenever it does not get what it wants.
Maybe that is why Taghna Lkoll fares so well among the Maltese. More often than not they are led to believe that they are getting what they always wanted – irrespectively of the fact that what they see is not actually what they had hoped for.
Of mankind we may say in general they are fickle, hypocritical, and greedy of gain. – Nicolo Macchiavelli
According to the very first Highway Code for motorists a vehicle had to be preceded by a man running before it waving flags in order to warn anybody of the oncoming machine. Oh how times have changed. Nowadays what we in Malta call “indicators” are considered to be an optional accessory that would take all the fun out of a surprise switch the of the lane, “road rage” is an accepted state of affairs and the existence or otherwise of traffic is a question of perception. I watched an intriguing documentary on arte this weekend about how the Ancient Egyptians built their chariots. The precision technology to obtain a perfect chassis and suspension is mind-boggling considering that these people lived further away from Jesus than we do today. Still, we have our own precision engineering don’t we? So precise that the best of the best dedicate most of their time foiling energy emission tests ad maiori aurigi comoditatem (for the drivers’ better convenience).
I digress. A “tragedy unfolded” during a charity event in Malta this weekend. A vehicle termed by those in the know as a “supercar” had one of those episodes where “the driver lost control of the vehicle” and it suddenly and unexpectedly “careened” into the unsuspecting crowd of onlookers grievously injuring upward of a score of them in the process. What follows is not written out of any disrespect to the injured – for there would be no point in disrespecting anyone who got injured really would there – it is a reflection if you will on what went on and what has been going on in the island of saints and fireworks.
They say that two wrongs do not make a right. There are so many wrongs here that the question of whether there could be a right in it all is actually not even one that we begin to contemplate. Charity. It all begins there. They tell me that this event has been going on for 10 years. Which is neither here nor there. From the ice bucket challenge to Presidential Yacht scurries across the fliegu we must have realised by now that our tendency to disguise a good day out in an excuse for charity is of world beating standards. Giving for the sake of giving without having to go through the shenanigans and posturing is not really a thing in an island where auctions are held publicly for the humble experience of carrying a titular statue on the shoulder. That the current lot in government/ heading the state panders to this jamboree of not so charitable showmanship only serves to fan the flames.
Which brings me back to the need for speed. I try my best not to be condescending but this paqpaqli business is all about people obsessed with speed and machines that deliver it. Like any other form of energy and power this is one that requires “control“. Speed is harnessed into engines that express power in terms of horses – quite a large number of them in fact – and it seems that the thrill is all there… those few seconds when the human body is hurtled through the air in a metal (or modern material) box preferably while said box is making the sound of a giant farting his beans. Thrilling indeed. So thrilling that in order to make this event a “charitable ” one the organisers sell one-minute rides in a million euro machine to the gaping few who are there for a moment of happiness. They could have tried the russian mountains and rollercoasters in a fun fair but there would be no Porsche symbol emblazoned on the metal container of choice and in this society of appearances every little label counts… vorsprung dursh technik and all that.
The sad sad thing is that in a tiny country like Malta where estate is worth its price in gold (or corrupt politicians) there is nary a space to have a bona fide racetrack. We make do with a bit of an apron at Hal Far with empty plastic bollards standing in for safety barriers. Under the patronage of the Charitable President of the Republic the slaves of speed will wander around overpriced gas-guzzling machines taking selfies while in the background another of the machines tos and fros with its ecstatic passengers for the price of a luncheon for the poor. That this kind of entertainment clashes with the supposed charitable aims is just part of the problem. It also has no place on a tiny island. So sorry for the speed fanatics but if they really want to enjoy the thrill of a ride all they have to do is save up for a trip to Spa Francorchamps, Nurburgring or Monza and engage in a simple economic transaction – pay for a ride.
The logic of “we like it we want it” is ridiculous. It is as ridiculous as wanting to use up acres for a golf course, an indoor ski slope or any such fantasmagorical idea that is founded on the fantasy that Malta is the size of Texas. That’s not all. It took Malta’s full complement of ambulances a double trip to despatch all the injured to hospital or clinics and this with the added assistance of a chopper. All the goodwill in the world cannot underestimate the inability of the small island to deal with such circumstances in the most ideal of situations. Our authorities enable this kind of thinking though. The political fear of failure is such that Chris Fearne was addressing the journalists on the minutae of operations at Mater Dei – in other words the system was National Alert Mode for a motor vehicle accident. “Thankfully” the context of the event lent itself to a flood of commiserations and clichés that happen when Malta goes in its very own Daily Mail patriotic mode.
Prayers for the injured, a tearful President, a burst in blood donations… that’s all well and good. It’s almost part of the show that must go on and I don’t intend to apologise for this cynical approach. We have seen it all before when a Fireworks Factory explodes to smithereens – the outbursts of compassion, the prayers, the politicians on site. the one thing we do not do from this kind of episode is learn. We have an obstinate approach when faced with the pedagogy of life events. We ignore.
So expect the Labour politicians to up their pandering to the idea of a “motor racetrack” as though it is a solution to the crazy need for speed. Expect a new event with faster cars and greater attendance to raise funds for those who were injured raising funds. Expect more of the same… and expect much, much more mourning when it inevitably goes wrong again. The mourning after.
