A few months ago I stated I would gladly opt for time at Kordin instead of forking out Lm4,000 to Louis Buhagiar. Little did I know that I cannot convert a Lm4,000 libel fine into a prison term. So Buhagiar will receive a cheque, and his Labour pals and lawyers Jose Herrera MP and Edward Zammit Lewis another cheque of some Lm800.
It is no big deal. Buhagiar makes that kind of money in record time from his patients. According to Dr Frank Portelli, he made Lm500,000 (see letter pages).
Now the former Labour junior minister will be Lm4,000 richer, but as long as the good Lord gives me the energy to tap these thoughts and words on a keyboard, I will be there reminding him that the world of Profs Buhagiar is very different to that of missionary doctors in the heart of Africa.
And since I am on the subject of libels, I must reproduce a letter from one of MaltaToday’s readers, which I received earlier this week.
“Dear Mr Balzan,
“I will be very blunt about this. I really appreciate and admire what you write in MaltaToday.
“Remember, you are dealing with the Maltese ‘mafia’, the politicians. These are like a bunch of bananas, they are all yellow and stick together. They have been lying and making promises since St Paul came to Malta. The population laughs at your articles, acknowledges them, but still suck up to their party.
“In my opinion you need money to fight for all those libel cases issued against you, even if I have no doubt that all of your articles are facts. I would suggest making a fund for MaltaToday, and those true readers who believe in all the work the paper is doing can donate to a very good cause to try and put more pressure on this tyranny to stop.
“You can start with me. I am attaching a cheque as a contribution to your work. While I hope you appreciate this donation, I give my whole support and wish you luck for the future.”
Last Sunday, I was listening to a radio host on Campus FM.
The host hit out at journalism, describing it as corrupt.
I wonder why he felt the need to raise the subject in the first place.
I met PN junior minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici during a Super One programme. He lambasted me for picking on Tonio Borg all the time. I replied that Borg should climb down from his moral throne and probably he would gain more respect.
Carmelo talked of the sacrifices politicians make. He does not seem to realise that politicians are constantly mocked by their electorate, and yet because they are so powerful, the whole electorate butters up to them.
Carmelo is a very different man to his father Ugo. Father and son are equally able speakers, eloquent and well read. But Ugo is a cut above his son, and more importantly he sits on the liberal side of politics, unlike his son, who would find himself at home in the American bible belt.
George Pullicino is Minister for Environment. On Joe Grima Live he suggested that whilst brushing their teeth the Maltese public should keep the tap water closed to save on water. This is Pullicino’s ostentatious way of saving energy and appearing more green than Harry Vassallo.
I feel rather unwell when I hear a politician sound like big brother. I feel worse when I realise that the politicians sound more like a bunch of Baron Munchausens. I would have loved to ask George what he is doing about all the illegally drilled boreholes that pump thousands of litres of water every day without any consideration for the water table.
Pullicino is sounding every day more like Edwina Currie, the Tory minister who apart from bedding John Major, is also remembered for her unforgettable quote: ‘The strongest possible piece of advice I would give any young woman is: don’t screw around, and don’t smoke.’
Smash TV, or rather Joe Baldacchino, decided to send an SMS through another person on Thursday evening informing me that the programme Int X’Tahseb was being stopped with immediate effect. The explanation given was that MaltaToday’s television surveys did not have a good response for Int X’Tahseb, and that there was no revenue coming in for the programme.
Some people cannot fathom that we do not cook our surveys. What did Baldacchino expect that I invent the number of people watching my programme.
Well, such is life.
The other thing about SMSs is that it allows people who are either chickens or do not have the gall to face people, to get away with murder.
I cannot understand why Baldacchino used an SMS to get a message across, when the same Joe Baldacchino wished for a copy of the anonymous poison letter referring to Labour MP Silvio Parnis – one of his TV hosts – he chose to phone and not send an SMS.
When I told him that I could not give him a copy I did not send him an SMS, I told him viva voce over the phone.
Fatima, I mean, the mayor of Naxxar, is being all extra nice to folks in Naxxar. She even sent me a complimentary slip with her mobile number. Very nice of her.
She praises herself for all the work she has done in Naxxar.
One little piece of work that was sort of advertised in a Naxxar leaflet is of a man spraying herbicide on wild plants on the shoreline at Bahar ic-Caghaq. Now, who in the seven heavens prays for no greenery at Bahar ic-Caghaq… and can George Currie, I mean George Pullicino. inform her on the dangers of herbicides between his toothpaste sermons?
Back to the heart of Naxxar. If anyone wants to the see the miracle of Fatima in Naxxar, all you have to do is park in front of the council – but do be careful – because you will get fined and then walk across into the playground, and there on your right you will see the most unpleasant sort of neglect. I guess it is a monument to Fatima’s success. I am reproducing a small picture just in case the miracle of Fatima sort of disappears.
The other day the Prime Minister pronounced himself on pension reform. There was nothing new in his blueprint. All the valuable information needed to outline a pension plan was missing.
It was obvious that the PM was in a hurry to announce some more bad news. You see, when surveys are telling you that you are doing hopeless, the best medicine is to find an alibi. The perfect alibi is the 67.5% surcharge and pension reform.
Just wait and see. Next Sunday, the Prime Minister will be blaming reform and government resolve as the main reason for the bad results at the polls. If a half-baked pension reform is not enough to quench the thirst of the sceptics, we have road works on the eve of a local council election in most of the councils with an election.
Does Lawrence sincerely believe that people do not see through him?
I hear that Welcomevents are facing some court action over damages at the Mediterranean Conference. Poor souls, wonder whether we will see a programme on one of their TV programmes to discuss this very interesting court litigation?
I took a day off this week and walked along part of Victoria Lines. It is an identifiable stretch but it is impossible to continue a walk along all these fortifications because on the route individuals (cuddy farmers and other gorilla species) have simply taken over public spaces and made it their own.
The worst offender is the Bingemma panel beater who has taken over a whole fort, his lawyer Labour MP Anglu Farrugia reminded us last time that his client had lease from the lands department dating back to the early eighties.
That is when, by the way police officers beat you to death and Maltese forts and parcels of land were leased out to the so called proletariat.
This is another testimony to the failure of our Home Affairs Minister who happens to be Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici’s senior minister, Tonio Borg.
In eighteen years in government the PN has failed to set up an updated land registry system and has been consistently reluctant to rout out the hundreds if not thousands who have taken over public land at the expense of the vast majority.
sbalzan@mediatoday.com.mt
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