Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando thought that his revelations on Richard Cachia Caruana would turn out to be another Watergate, the scandal that forced the resignation of US President Richard Nixon in 1974.
Given the flimsy majority in Parliament, he scored a vindictive personal victory with the resignation of Malta’s ambassador to the EU, a resignation from which Malta will suffer greatly, as Mr Cachia Caruana’s wealth of experience and knowledge will be hard to replace, if not impossible.
But as the situation developed, it has turned out to be JPO’s Waterloo. The decision taken last Thursday by the PN Executive Committee is effectively an expulsion from the party, even though less dramatic words have been used.
That JPO still believes he can be a candidate for the PN at a later date shows how delusional he is.
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Franco Debono and Jesmond Mugliett have also been banned from contesting on behalf of the PN. To be fair, Mugliett has never voted against the party, but things have gone too far and the PN chose not to make a distinction. After all, Mugliett did go against the direction given by the PN Whip on a Labour motion.
As for Debono, it was the judgment that he deserved.
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I was pleased to note that someone with the credentials of Judge Giovanni Bonello is in complete agreement with my thoughts on parliamentary privilege.
A few weeks ago, I wrote that the concept of parliamentary privilege should be revised to stop MPs from abusing it. I said that parliamentary privilege should be invoked only in respect of matters related to the national interest. Unfortunately, for many years MPs have used it to attack individuals on a personal level and any libellous remarks made cannot be challenged in court.
Judge Bonello told this newspaper last week: “The exigencies of good governance can still be respected if victims of slander, abuse and defamation by MPs are given the right to request an independent and impartial court to establish the truth of allegations made in Parliament under the cover of immunity. The only exceptions I would concede would be very narrowly defined instances in which the national interest clearly overrides individual rights.”
Spot on, but I do not think that MPs will ever vote in favour of removing their right to parliamentary privilege. It would mean that them giving up a tool they can use against individuals whom they see as a threat.
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I do not normally find myself in agreement with a trade union leader, but UHM secretary-general Josef Bonello hit the nail right on the head last Sunday.
He was quoted elsewhere in the media as saying that a lot of money that could be used to train people is being wasted on social services.
At present, Malta spends €19 million a year on employment benefits, €33 million on social assistance and €12.7 million on assistance to single parents – a total of nearly €65 million.
“Our social benefits system is being abused and the country needs to look at this with urgency,” he said.
I could not agree more. I have been saying and writing this for many years, but to date no government has embarked on a comprehensive exercise to cut down on abuse.
This money is being thrown down the drain. It is not an investment; it is just a grant that is of benefit only to the people getting it, at the expense of the taxpayer. And the people getting it are in no way contributing anything back to society.
Governments are afraid to touch on this matter, because it could mean a loss of votes. Each year, we speak of record sums being given in social benefits and to me, this means a failure of the system because abuse is increasing, not being curbed.
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I was quite surprised that a survey carried out last week showed that people in the 45-55 age group formed the largest proportion of those who will be voting Labour next time around. I thought that people in that age group would have been more inclined to vote PN.
This group was in its late teens and early 20s between 1981 and 1987, which is the time when the Labour Party was ruling without having obtained the majority of votes. It was the darkest period in our political history and the future for young people looked bleak as the University was restricted to a few hundred students, there was no MCAST and there was no European Union membership to provide educational and employment opportunities.
I thought that people who spent what should have been the best time of their life fighting for democracy and having to forfeit their dreams under a government that wanted to create a socialist generation would not want Labour back.
Apparently, I was mistaken.
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The Joseph Calleja concert in Floriana yesterday week was a resounding success. The Maltese tenor of international fame delighted the crowds with a string of arias that demonstrated all his talent.
It is pleasing that Joseph Calleja has not forgotten his roots and fits a concert in Malta in his tight schedule every year. He is still grateful to his first teacher who noticed his singing skills and worked to enhance them.
Of great emotion was the tribute to Lucio Dalla, the Italian singer who was at the Granaries last year in what turned out to be one of his last appearances on stage before his death. That Joseph Calleja chose not to sing Caruso, as had been suggested to him prior to this year’s concert, shows a humbleness, sensitivity and appreciation that is hard to find in celebrities.
I equally enjoyed Ronan Keating’s performance, especially his last song Words. It was a fitting tribute to The Bee Gees, who have now lost a third component with the death in May of Robin Gibb, twin of Maurice who died in 2003, and Andy who died much earlier.
The Irish singer’s interaction with the crowd and his comments about how much he enjoyed being in Malta seemed genuine, unlike those of Italian singer Gigi d’Alessio. I thought he seemed quite detached from his surroundings and was singing without emotion.
And, by the way, from where did he get that horrendous T-shirt?
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