|
If there is one thing that has humbled me, it is the outpouring of sympathy from every corner. Well just about every corner.
Well, the port workers, the racists, the Christian fundamentalists, the speculators, the men I face in court, the hunters and some of the politicians and their diehards that I have repeatedly hit out at, were conspicuous for being absent in showing any compassion.
Having said that, the media world was united in expressing solidarity, and that is a great feeling.
But let me be very clear, the torching of a door or the brunt of a libel (see page 7) are not too different.
The intention behind them is the same.
They will not succeed.
Three weeks ago, I wrote an opinion piece titled Scum of the earth, hitting out at those who transmit xenophobia from their respectable high horses.
I had no negative reaction to that opinion apart from one email from one of those so called respectable gentlemen castigating me for not upholding freedom of speech.
I did not reply to Martin Degiorgio, but if I did it would have been rude and vulgar.
There is no room for racist talk in Malta, or for extremist nationalistic discourse and for discussions that lead others to consider intolerance as their Bible and violence as their tool.
Some weeks ago in The Times a letter suggested in very clear terms that the Jesuits should not be the ones targeted but the newspaper columnists.
All editors should refuse such letters for publication.
I for one should stop offering any reportage on people like Lowell or Beattie, the latter one who expects us to take him seriously just because he is an economy lecturer at University.
We cannot take things lightly anymore. When I heard that a relative visited a Norman Lowell hatred meeting at a restaurant in Paceville just for the fun of it I relayed the message that he was a fool and that I was not amused.
Nothing must be taken with a pinch of salt any longer, even if it means confiscating the walking stick concealing a piercing and an extended knife from a leading Nazi sympathiser.
The whole issue of security in Malta is a farce. If arsonists can get away with ‘murder’ in front of a police station, then no one is safe anymore.
The government has allowed private industry, namely the wardens’ companies to install CCTV all over the Islands to cash in on speeding cars but does not even have the sense to install a CCTV at the Prime Minister’s residence and in other sensitive places.
It is all a question of budgets.
They are fuelled by their thirst for making profits. The obligation of the state to provide safety for the citizen does not appear to be a priority.
In the government’s view, or rather in Austin’s view this is not revenue generating.
There is something very Catholic in this approach, one only seems to pray if it leads to salvation.
No pain without gain.
Well, with such a string of arson attacks one would imagine, that somehow, somewhere there would be someone accountable.
The day before arsonists struck at my house, I was told that bars at ix-Xatt where all talk about ‘dak Saviour.’ Port workers are not too happy with what I had said.
So here I go, I will say it again.
Censu Galea, the man responsible for the ports, refuses to divulge how big is the pension fund for port workers administratively collected by the Malta Maritime Authority.
This is typical Censu Galea, a nice guy by all means but someone who is representative of that malaise in the Nationalist government characterised by the great desire to be a pussy.
Well, since Censu does not want to reveal the amount, the pension fund created by Dom Mintoff I will attempt to.
The fund receives 32c5 for every tonne unloaded onto the quay and another 32c5 because from the quay it is loaded onto the so-called rail.
65 bloody cents a tonne is channelled into the fund of these poor creatures. The collection has been administered by the Malta Maritime Authority an institution that is paid by the state and our taxes.
The 65 cents are then added to the final cost of the product.
The fund must hold some Lm12 million, and the pension funds have a diversified asset investment in the Malta Stock Exchange.
Port workers may look like lager louts but they are not, they could easily fit into the best paid of all self-employed.
Now do not get me wrong, I have nothing against being well off.
But not at our expense, please.
The port reform will not take place. Because Censu Galea is no Margaret Thatcher, he is a Nationalist minister who hasn’t the faintest clue what is needed for a competitive Malta and who does not have the balls to bulldoze his way at the ports.
To ensure that we retain the status quo and a monopoly, the port workers have recruited the services of former MLP deputy leader George Abela seen by my many as “dak li jekk jaghmluh leader, jisparaw ‘il fuq.”
Which is of course a pipe dream, because Abela still hasn’t realised that to become Regent you have to kill the reigning King.
The other lawyer to fight for the port worker’s right to continue making pots of money at our expense is the one and only PN general conference President Victor Scerri, unlike Abela a lacklustre lawyer whom I would seriously only consider using if I had a litigation case with a house mouse.
From port workers to cabinet reshuffles; in the UK, Tony Blair has suffered a humiliating defeat at the local councils.
He did not have his party’s secretary general appear at a press conference preaching to the media not to worry because it will be okay next time at the national elections.
Blair, like Gonzi, argues that he will lose in the local councils but win in the national elections.
Blair, unlike Gonzi, has the nerve to reshuffle his cabinet colleagues and demote his heavyweights. In doing so he is sending the message that he is listening.
Gonzi does nothing of the sort.
He is scared to act.
At least that is my impression.
He is petrified to take steps.
He is a prisoner of his fear.
And yes I will say it, he is downright indecisive.
A reshuffle is a must, it will propel him forward, do away with all the criticism that he has a geriatric cabinet.
I am not asking Gonzi to promote the likes of Clyde Puli or David Agius, but there are others.
People like parliamentary secretary Tony Abela should call it a day.
And others should be demoted and moved around.
In the party Gonzi should act fast to improve his public relations, reform the media, reinvigorate the daily newspaper with a dynamic editor. And on TV he should rope a Georg-like figure to sex up the news and discussion.
I will not ask him to reconsider the secretary general, for Joe Saliba is to Gonzi what a mother is to a foster child.
They need each other but the least Gonzi can do is to send the message that he will grow up to be the rejuvenated man.
The first May and the celebrations around this date showed how badly disorganised Labour can be.
If the PN has lost all its sex appeal, the MLP is like an ageing tart from Strada Stretta.
The Ta’Qali get together was a flop and the May First meeting in Freedom square, one of the ugliest squares in any capital city was ill-attended with most MPs and candidates nowhere to be seen.
The cherry on the cake was Alfred Sant’s speech.
He was unprepared, uninspiring and a complete let down.
It went nowhere and did nothing, it simply did not enthuse anyone.
The whole event supported with blaring techno music did however provide a sound bite for most of the media with Sant’s unexpected: Watch it, watch it. And of course a wonderful vista of sparsely clad kiddies dancing to the rhythm of the music.
Alfred Sant has done something shoddier. He has given the Nationalist party a trump card.
His latest objection to the introduction date of the euro is another one of those historical mistakes which can be compared to his war on the introduction of VAT, the participation of political parties in local councils and the European Union.
He may be right about the intro of the euro, but he does not realise that there are things you simply cannot change. The euro is an inevitable consequence of membership.
By questioning the introduction date he is raising the spectre of yesterday’s man.
His best policy would be to say nothing.
By saying nothing he stands to gain.
Frank Portelli is about as forthright as one can get. A former Nationalist parliamentarian with a flair for saying it as it is, he writes today that the government should come up with a windfall tax on the profitable banks. The monies from this tax could be transferred to make good for the fuel price hike.
What a jolly good idea.
And if anyone says that this will scare investors, the answer to that is bollocks.
The banks are making such a quick buck, that not even a 30% windfall tax would depress them.
My Pontius Pilate award of the week goes to Jesmond Mugliett for stating that he does not have anything to do with the choice of roadwork companies. As we all know Mr Mugliett will never miss an occasion with the press if a road is either in progress or about to be constructed. But if you ask him about the private contractors he mumbles: “Not me, not me.”
And since we are at it, Dear Pontius, what with Ghadira, do you still intend to pass the new road through the pristine countryside?
My Heroes
Oskar our good old kelb tal-fenek and Agatha our young Basset Hound are to be congratulated for their sterling response to the smoke and flames early Wednesday morning. Oskar was his usual macho self. I trust that after this daring episode he will be rehabilitated by the Naxxar local council, who may consider appointing him honorary canine citizen of the town.
sbalzan@mediatoday.com.mt
|
