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Karl Schembri
Controversial lawyer and TV presenter Toni Abela has vehemently refused to advertise the annual charity show L-Istrina on his programmes on Super One, saying that he has no confidence in the organisers.
Speaking to MaltaToday, Abela said he was against the idea of exposing handicapped people and others who were suffering from hardship on a trivial cabaret show that only instigated more consumerism, self-promotion and mere commiseration.
“I don’t believe in L-Istrina and its organizers… they’re not welcome on my programme,” Abela said. “I am full of admiration for Caritas and other charities, but on L-Istrina people are just encouraged to appease themselves by donating money in order to win many prizes without realising the very nature of the problems they’re supposed to be addressing.”
Criticising the show’s front men, Peppi Azzopardi – a former colleague of his in their Alternattiva years – and Lou Bondi, Abela dismissed L-Istrina as a personal publicity springboard for the two TV presenters.
“For me, Peppi and Lou are PN activists and I’m not ready to legitimate their ambivalent situation, where they’re political animals in one situation and philanthropists in another,” Abela said.
Azzopardi was equally dismissive of Abela: “He is such a clown (pulcinell) that he refuses to come on L-Istrina, but he accepts to go to the Labour party’s Grande Fratello fund-raising event,” he said referring to the upcoming MLP reality show to be broadcast live to raise money.
“Obviously, Abela won’t be doing that for personal publicity, but to raise funds for the MLP. I will just invite him to host L-Istrina himself next year. I admit there’s personal satisfaction in organising all this, but it wouldn’t even cross my mind to take shoulder all this burden every year if I didn’t believe in solidarity, in using my abilities and others’ to raise funds for those who need them.”
The two presenters, of Xarabank and Bondiplus respectively, have attracted the participation of virtually every politician and personality on the islands, starting from the President of the Republic and ending with young budding singers vying for some publicity.
The show usually includes an annual strip stunt by TV personalities and would-be celebrities and intermediate video clips of severely disabled children broadcast with Azzopardi’s voice urging people to call and donate money with his famous catch-phrase: “Kif tista’ ma ccempilx?” (how can you not phone in?).
Even the Malta Labour Party, which used to boycott Azzopardi and Bondi and their annual charity cabaret, is now participating.
They hope to collect more than Lm1 million on Boxing Day during the marathon fund-raising event to be broadcast live on TVM. Half of the proceeds will go to the Community Chest Fund, headed by President Eddie Fenech Adami and his wife, while the other half will go to non-governmental organisations. Taking a swipe at the President Toni Abela added “I don’t even trust Fenech Adami to manage the people’s money. He was incapable of managing the country, how can I trust him with my money?”
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