So Joseph Muscat and his wife have two cars worth €60,000, paid from their own pockets! What’s the big deal about Bondiplus telling us last Monday that MEPs, if they spend their money correctly, get €90,000 net per year? At least Muscat paid the car from his own money and if he is getting the allowance from the State, he is getting it for being a leader of the Opposition, for which he is entitled to by law... just as any President Emeritus continues to have his driver and car paid by the State for the rest of his life. The big deal is not that. The big deal is how can our ministers and parliamentary secretaries survive on their meagre salaries when their invitations account for most of their salary? If the President of Malta gets a salary of €50,906 for the year 2000, that is only Lm21,000 – it means the Prime Minister gets less, the ministers get even less and the parliamentary secretaries get even less. But in their case their euro is not equivalent to our euro, and they never complain about the bills and the increase in their cost of living. Their lifestyle flourishes.
The big deal is how our Cabinet no longer publishes their sources of income any more. It is true that when in previous years they were obliged to do so, they all took us for a ride – but at least we could tell how low they could go. We know there are members of Cabinet who are still directors of companies and of groups of companies, and the citizens have a right to this information. I am not sure if their code of ethics allows this, but nowadays the only place for codes of ethics is in the dustbin. Politics has corrupted this country.
The big deal is how unemployed persons can afford more expensive cars than Joseph Muscat and his wife, and how nothing is done by the State about this. How unemployed persons continue to conducttheir business but register commercial companies, speculate in property, or drive bowsers and scammels with their private telephone numbers printed across them, or get loans from our banks when in the eyes of the law they are unemployed. Sometimes they are even given social assistance.
It is neither a big deal for employment agencies, most of them without a licence from the ETC, to employ Maltese on oil rigs without registering their employment; so that in the eyes of the law they are unemployed.
The big deal is how corruption in this country does not have the same definition as in the other countries. How our funny Permanent Commission Against Corruption is without resources, and is expected to find any trace of corruption. How this country is a haven for politicians’ fouls and tax evasion. Connections in this country are more sacred than corruption. Once upon a time Dr Frank Portelli pointed out what was happening at Mater Dei and the squandering of money taking place over there; but now the matter is buried under the ground and the rich got richer and the poor got poorer.
The big deal is how the tender for a 100MW power generating plant at Delimara was signed without any fanfare made by the government. It is obvious that the public sees this quite as a strange occurrence, when our politicians are known to call the press for trivial things. This has raised many suspicions in the mind of the man in the street.
What the press has failed to question so far is who the Maltese entrepreneurs are, if any, involved in the BWSC tender because I find it strange that this company has no Maltese counterparts. Nor any mention is made as to who the lawyers representing BWSC in Malta are.
We all know how many law firms have flourished: many of them are making money because of their connections with politicians. We also know how certain firms get the contracts associated with one particular ministry because of their connections with that ministry. We all have eyes to see!
Nor is it a big deal that the European Court of Human Rights does not want any of the judges being recommended by the government. Cut the crap about women judges and be honest with us: tell us why none of the three judges have been accepted by Strasbourg. Not only that, but the insult we received from the Court lately in suggesting that we have a judge from another country representing Malta – at least this is what was reported in the press. Can’t our journalists investigate as to what is going on really and what is the real reason none of our judges have made it to Strasbourg yet? Why are we taking the government’s explanations as the gospel truth when there is more to it than that?
Is it not also a big deal in not being provided with audited accounts as to where these millions of euros supposedly coming from the EU are going. They tell us how many millions came and are still coming, but we do not see any improvement in our way of life, in our roads, in our lifestyle. Can Brussels tell us where the money it sends to Malta is being spent? Because so far, when we look around, we cannot account for this money. If the government is failing to provide us with this information, it is Brussels’s duty to do so as after all it is our money.
Isn’t it a big deal that our pharmacies are not selling medicines but cosmetics? Nor is the increase in the cost of living a big deal… just as the long waiting lists at Mater Dei for appointments and operations are a big deal. Nor do they care that 5% VAT is still being charged on certain medicines. Muscat mentioned the vaccinations, but this is only one item. My chemist tells me that even gauzes are still being charged 5% VAT. But this is no big deal for them. What do they care? They’re alright, they jump the queue, and if you’re alright, then f*** you Jack.
So what we want to know instead… is not that Joseph Muscat and his wife spent €60,000 on two cars: we want to know how do the Prime Minister, the Ministers and the Parliamentary Secretaries make their salaries last and why they have become so indifferent to the people’s needs and expectations.
Any comments?
If you wish your comments to be published in our Letters pages please click button below. Please write a contact number and a postal address where you may be contacted.
Download front page in pdf file format
All the interviews from Reporter on MaltaToday's YouTube channel.
The big deal is not that. The big deal is how can our ministers and parliamentary secretaries survive on their meagre salaries when their invitations account for most of their salary? If the President of Malta gets a salary of €50,906 for the year 2000, that is only Lm21,000 – it means the Prime Minister gets less, the ministers get even less and the parliamentary secretaries get even less. But in their case their euro is not equivalent to our euro, and they never complain about the bills and the increase in their cost of living. Their lifestyle flourishes.
