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A year ago a skimpy editorial about the Dragonara Brasserie appeared in this newspaper. Egged on undoubtedly by the gaming authority, the police interrogated yours truly for an offence.
It has to be appreciated that the police normally only act if asked to do so.
The thing that kicked the police into action was an editorial that appeared a year ago on a left-hand page tucked away in the culture section of this newspaper making a reference to a restaurant at the Dragonara Brasserie. The police inspector, visibly uncomfortable, proceeded to ask me the questions, which included amongst others: “were you aware the article had informed readers that gambling can take place at the Dragonara?”
My answer to that was: “MaltaToday readers are insightful enough to appreciate that the Dragonara is synonymous with gambling.”
The police investigation, and I would imagine eventual prosecution, has nothing to do with the high moral ground or with the fact that police have so much time on their hands. The name of the game is harassment, creating fear and trying to gag the press.
Not to be taken with a pinch of salt is the fact that the gaming authority is chaired by Joe Zammit Maempel. Apart from acting as the lawyer for the Nationalist party, he is also legal counsel to Peter Fenech, the man who is attempting to give the impression he has had nothing whatsoever to do with the Jumbo Lido. The Louis Galea canvasser, Nationalist diehard, lawyer, and now also chairman of the Mediterranean Conference Centre, will read carefully what is published today on the front page. So will the readers.
Zammit Maempel has sued this newspaper for libel on behalf of Fenech, claiming that Fenech has nothing to do with Jumbo Lido.
If anyone believes for a minute that this newspaper is inventing stories then please take your time and check the facts, but believe you me the name of the game is to gag, to stop, to do something to make us realise that one cannot go on revealing the truth. The message, if you want to be in the media, is to become a notice board for press releases and then it is sort of okay.
Jumbo Lido stands for scandal, nothing more, nothing less. Tonio Borg, the Home Affairs minister, and the Commissioner of Lands, should appreciate this.
Now back to the issue of gambling.
Maltese law lays down that one cannot advertise (advertising is not editorial) gambling in the Maltese islands to its citizens – but there are exceptions to the rule. The Minister has the authority to make exemptions and exemptions he has made.
And of course the exemptions are Super 5, Keno and UBET and advertising in ‘tourist’ places such as hotels, which as we all know are frequented by thousands of Maltese. The same applies if one writes in Malta This Month, Air Malta’s in-flight magazine, which of course is also read by many Maltese.
The law is not meant to uphold the morality issue but to protect monopolies, which is sort of okay if we want companies like Maltco to set up house in Malta. If it was the high moral ground the minister would not allow foreign betting companies to invest their business in Malta and ban gambling altogether.
Monopoly, not morality, is the issue.
Last year, on 16 January 2005 to be precise, a small editorial – not an advert – made a fleeting reference to the Dragonara Brasserie. A year later the police are called upon to act.
The issue is not about abuse: it is about gagging. It is about a downright lack of priorities. The Peter Fenechs and Joe Zammit Maempels of this world have a particular idea of what the free press stands for. I could be described as conceited, but let us face it: MaltaToday is a cut above the rest when it comes to news. It is a pain. And the powers that be could be better off without us.
But we are not going anywhere and the good news is that we are here to stay and guess what… we’ve got plenty of fuel for the trip. The Fenechs and Zammit Maempels prefer to read angelic prose from soft-spoken Simon Busuttils, or letters to the editor from geriatric tourists seeking old acquaintances from a short-lived encounter in 1943. The political appointees of this world embrace the status quo where chairmen of the boards are appointed not according to their abilities but according to their political allegiance to the PN, where appointments with sizeable remunerations go to boys that support the party. They live in a world where the PN must reign forever and anything in its way is malignant, deceitful and bad.
This, I would think, is the new way of doing politics under the vision of Lawrence Gonzi.
Peter Fenech, as the editorial on page 19 attests to, feels no mortification that the company he is director of has had 109K waived by Tonio Borg’s Lands Department and that he as director of the same company has got the courts to order the payment of thousands from the people who ran a kebab house at Jumbo Lido on a management agreement.
Needless to say, even this idea of government leasing out to a company and allowing it to sub-contract the management of Jumbo Lido to a third party is peculiar to say the least. Well, Peter Fenech, who I would imagine believes in the rule of fair play, feels no uneasiness here.
Similarly, I wonder if Joe Zammit Maempel feels any discomfort about how illegal slot machines in Malta and Gozo should warrant less attention than a year-old news story about the Dragonara brasserie?
The Peter Fenech episode has more to do with the future of the press than with the case of Jumbo Lido. He is under the impression that we are about to shut up. When Peter Fenech’s legal partner Simon Busuttil militated in MIC, he talked for endless moments about a Europe that would draw new horizons for Malta and the Maltese. Little did he know that it is the Maltese press that can ensure transparency, accountability and truth and not politicians and their acolytes. Not MEPs.
Some in the press, and we pride ourselves in being one of the free and independent media, are engaged in pinpointing patronage, networks, interests and unethical behaviour. Nothing will stop us from doing this.
Little notice was given last week to the decision by the two Nationalist MEPs’ decision not to support the anti-homophobia resolution presented to the European Parliament.
Is there anyone who realised the resolution also aimed to underline the fact that some EU countries still do not recognise homosexuals as victims of Nazi atrocities? It took France until 2001 to bring itself into line and recognise that homosexuals were victims of Nazism.
Visiting shops and retail outlets in Malta is generally a nightmare. Attempting to attract the attention of the salespeople is an impossible task. Showroom staff juggle with their mobile phones as you crave for some attention. You could walk in dressed up like a slot machine or sporting a t-shirt with Jumbo Lido emblazoned in garish gold, and nobody would notice. Nobody says good morning or good evening. Nobody smiles. Nobody says thank you before leaving.
Once upon a time I had heard Mugliett talk about vocational schools. Beats me what happened to them. Today I guess he is counting his potholes to measure his efficacy as a minister.
Taking a glance at the new members on the Labour executive one is entitled to believe nothing is going to change in the MLP. It appears that both the Falzon faction and the Sant faction have gained and lost something.
Though much is said about Alfred Sant not being the right leader to sail a Labour Party into victory over the PN, one should not at any point imagine that Michael Falzon is the man for the job. You cannot run an alternative party with the political acumen of Michael Falzon. I read the speech he gave at the conference and it is a fine recipe of imperial waffle. At least Charles Mangion, with all his credibility problems, is somehow more wholesome in his content.
The MLP needs to re-invent itself urgently, it still has a chance but the clock is ticking fast.
The up-and-coming Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando has nothing to say about the proposed Ta’ Cenc development. Strange, considering how critical he has been on other proposed developments. More interesting is Pullicino Orlando’s virulent critique of Melita Cable. Strange, coming from someone who is supposed to militate in a party that encourages the spirit of free enterprise.
José Herrera was blabbering the other day on a religious programme on Super One. The Valletta lawyer, who will be facing stiff competition from the party-backed Simon Micallef Stafrace in the next election, stated that he admires former PN deputy leader Guido De Marco. Not surprising for someone who sounds more like a Nationalist than a Labourite.
He admires De Marco because the PN icon once stated before entering into politics one should have a good financial base. His statement led an irate Labour MP, Marie Louise Coleiro, to phone in and disagree openly with his accepted wisdom saying that money should not be a prerequisite for entering into politics.
sbalzan@mediatoday.com.mt
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