I have some earth shattering news. According to the so-called representatives of the trappers, hunters and conservationists (giggle) in the Maltese archipelago, I am now the would-be legal representative of The Times.
Well, only if we are to believe the lawyer of the hunters’ federation, who has instituted libel proceedings and confused both myself and Illum editor Kurt Sansone with our counterparts in The Times. At least they got my name right.
It appears that the hunters are so obsessed with this newspaper that every time they read something they do not like, they blame it on us and rush off to their lawyers.
Having said this, I have no brief for The Times. I am sure I need not convince anyone about this. But if anyone does not know this then, voila! Here is the latest news: in the last two months, there has been a whispering campaign against The Times.
And it has been a cruel and ugly campaign, too.
The Times has attempted to do what it is supposed to do and report the real news… and this has shocked the Nationalist spin machine. They expect everyone to genuflect in front of the great patriotic party, and to argue that everything that gets done is part of a Divine Plan.
The Times, according to the PN, should be a faithful servant. For example, it should not have suggested that ministers such as Jesmond Mugliett resign. On the contrary, they should have declared that this attack on Mugliett is completely unjustified.
Strangely, when The Times was critical of the PN or trying to be downright truthful, the leader of opposition continued to lash out at it. Which is one way of confirming that Alfred Sant does not want to win an election but to remain opposition leader until Jason Micallef reaches the venerable age of 50.
The changing times at The Times has led Nationalist spin doctors to launch spurious and personal gossip about certain individuals working for that newspaper, painting them out to be agents of the Labour party. Now, I have no reason to defend other journalists, but it is the principle that is sacred here.
The matter has gone far too far and it goes to show the kind of lengths the Nationalist party machines goes to, when it wants to move things. The worst thing that could happen at this stage is for The Times to succumb to this pressure.
I am not going to go into the details but to hit out at people in a media organisation not on what they say, but on matters unrelated to the font size or content of their stories, is simply not on.
I cannot say this is a novelty. This is the way the PN works best. Anyone who cares to read through the history of the PN will be amazed at its mysterious way of treating people they do not like as disposable items. Even internal warfare in the PN is not free of such tactics; one need only take a close at what happened during the last leadership battle.
I guess all this chivalry has to do with the PN’s concept of Christianity which probably finds its roots in the times of the crusades when the gallant celibate Knights would trespass by a Moslem village on their way to Jerusalem, and treat all the Moslem men to an impaling and the women to some very unchristian experiences.
Political parties have always been the authority on dirtying their opponents. In days gone by we had an inconsequential waiter by the name of Terrinu Bono who invented the story that Lord Gerald Strickland had been seen wearing the garb of a Freemason. It was one way of trying to shaft Strickland. Now, they are trying it on The Times.
And as my Strickland-loving great aunt would always recount, “Il-Laburist itik daqqa ta’ ponn go halqek, in-Nazzjonalist xi stallett f’darek!” – The Labourite will give you a straight in the face, but the Nationalist will always stab in the back.
It is even worse when one thinks that the people who are spreading the rumours are not exactly in a position to throw the first stone. And if they want examples of what I am trying to say but find very difficult to print, I will be very willing to oblige.
If the PN thinks that it will win the next election by using these tactics they better realise that they are on the wrong track.
When Joe Mifsud wakes today he will say to himself that he is a very lucky man.
Norman Darmanin Demajo could have made it for three votes. Not bad, he should go on and not give up. It was a mistake of his men to retreat and withdraw their names from the contest of vice-President.
In his post as President, Mifsud will be assisted by vice-President Dr Peter Fenech of Jumbo lido fame, the politically appointed chairman of the Mediterranean Conference Centre and Chairman of the Manoel Theatre; a Louis Galea canvasser and the lawyer who has been so kind to sue this newspaper for libel for four consecutive times. He will no doubt be a great asset.
Joe Mifsud is a liked and disliked person, but he could start by understanding that his first resolution should be to get more journalists to like him.
Well everyone turns out to be a Snow White some time in his life, perhaps this is the moment for Joe Mifsud.
The Ta’ Cenc development has been resurrected from the ashes and we have been told to have a good careful look at the Environment Impact Assessment. I promise not to.
I cannot understand why we should have a study to convince us that something should happen or not happen at all, when it should never have happened in the first place.
In other words, why should we discuss development in an area which should never have been developed? I may only have the lower part of my torso Gozitan, but I have every right to believe that Ta’ Cenc should remain as is.
And if you ask me, all these so called studies are one way of making biologists, hydrologists and archaeologists make an extra buck instead of simply contenting themselves with a miserable University salary.
Let us cut all the crap and decide once and for all, that if an area is an outside development zone then it should not be developed. Fullstop.
Which takes me to the new initiative by George Pullicino to upgrade enforcement of illegal development in Outside Development Zones by introducing an aerial photography monitoring system. It is a laudable initiative, even though it will not pick up 3D infringements such as Astrid Vella’s keyhole window. But most of the other naughty business is usually quite evident from the air.
It now needs to get agreed to in Parliament. One hopes that it will not be shot down.
The other day, I phoned Alfred Grixti a contributor to maltastar to point that he was incorrect or better still lying when he said that we had not asked for Xaghra Labour MP Joe Cordina’s comments when writing about his involvement in the company that owned the Ulysses Lodge at Xaghra. Needless to say we did get Cordina’s comments.
On the phone Grixti explained that Cordina’s had forgotten to have his name removed from the company that later applied to develop the slopes at Ramla.
So, I asked, what did Grixti have to say when we reported that Nationalist MP Tony Abela was still involved in the notorious company Ajaca Ltd according to MFSA? Did he have any qualms about that story?
And finally, why is it Carmen Bajada, the Labour councillor, who is taking the initiative to have the Ramla permit quashed, and not Joe Cordina the Labour Mayor?
