Where politics are concerned there is no doubt that the man in the street is talking about one subject. Whether one is a Labourite or a Nationalist, the case of Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando is on everyone’s lips. Even certain PN activists are of firm conviction that cry baby Jeffrey should resign. With regard to the past election the Nationalist Party won with just over 1,500 votes, and the party secretary general Joe Saliba admitted that the case of Pullicino Orlando nearly contributed to a PN defeat at the polls.
Nobody will be surprised when I say that Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando has been pressured to resign by various VIPs who play a political role in the field of politics. The man will not resign though. The man is adamant to stay “there”. Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando will not bow his head in shame and cower like a dog which has just tattered his master’s bedroom slippers. Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando will not give up his seat in parliament, after being a cry-baby for a while, Jeffrey has new metamorphosed into Russell Crowe playing gladiator. I am convinced that Jeffrey will “fight” this battle to the end, whichever way that may turn out. Jeffrey keeps repeating that before the election he made a clean breast of things and cleared up everything with Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and hid absolutely nothing from the latter. Of course nobody can comment on what was said between the prime minister and himself, or whether Jeffrey lied when he said that the prime minister was told everything, because the only person who can vouch for what Jeffrey said is Dr Gonzi himself.
What if Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando told the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? Even so, will that not make the Prime Minister an accomplice refusing to reveal the “crime” performed by cry-baby Jeffrey? At this moment in time, there is sufficient knowledge to state that the prime minister is in a fix. Should JPO be found “guilty” and asked to resign, will he state that the prime minister knew from A to Z about the case and kept mum, thus incriminating himself? If then again the prime minister will state that JPO did not tell “all” to him, will this make JPO so mad as to take it out on the prime minister and the cabinet members who are now leaving Jeffrey to fight his battles alone?
Only time will tell. What actually will happen makes MLP supporters front-row spectators to a Machiavellian drama which is taking place. The outcome? Who knows?

Valerie Borg
Valletta

Herman Buttigieg
Fgura

As a certified lifestyle and weight management consultant, and a personal trainer holding a Diploma in Nutrition from Oxford College UK, as well as a macrobiotic counsellor, I always advocate organic produce to my clients, and obviously to myself and my family.
The problem here in Malta is that it is disgraceful that organic farming is not promoted enough. In saying this, I do not mean websites, information, etc., but the actual organic produce. How is it that there is only one organic farm in Malta that has to cater for the whole island? And how is it that it only opens once a week, and you cannot buy as much as you like, because there isn’t enough for everyone? And why only in Ghajn Tuffieha (I am referring to the GAIA Foundation)? What about people coming from the south? How come hawkers all over the island say their produce is organic because it’s theirs, but they don't hold a certificate? And why is it that there are farmers (I heard this through the grapevine, from farmers themselves), who literally soak their vegetables in pesticides, sometimes even overnight, and then cut them to sell the next morning? Where are the inspections and control?
To add insult to injury, I phoned the Ghammieri experimental farm and the girl answering my query told me she would appreciate me browsing moam.org, so that I could find out myself where I could buy organic produce, as she was very busy!
I did search the MOAM site; there are seven farms people can buy from. One of them is Ghammieri, but apparently the girl working there didn't know! The other is GAIA foundation; Mallia and Wigi specialize in olive oil, free range eggs and stone fruit, and the others are in Gozo, and they still don't specify what they sell, I browsed NEWS AND EVENTS: and the last event was 2006! So much for the promotion of organic foods.
So that leaves me at the same point I started from. It is no wonder that we have a sick nation. Even people who want to buy this food are not finding it. I shudder to think that I, being vegetarian, might be doing more harm than good by consuming a large amount of produce which is heavily laden with pesticides and God knows what. All this because in my country, I am ashamed to say, we don't see the importance of organic produce.
I hope you answer my email, as this was my only resort, as no-one answered the phone in your department.

Shirley Cauchi
Via email