If the Honourable Lawrence Gonzi, Prime Minister and former president of the Catholic Action movement, believes he can get away with murder, it is only because The Times has come to his rescue. The Times should seriously consider changing its name to ‘Castille’s Poodle Daily’ or ‘The Damage Control Times.’
Tonio Fenech tells us he said what he had to say, when he pronounced himself in The Times interview yesterday. This, by the way, is the same newspaper which had chosen to take John Dalli to the cleaners after the same Prime Minister believed Joe Zahra: that Where’s Everybody ex-employee and a good friend of that TV host who, until last week had the coolest fascist-like hairstyle in the whole universe.
Dalli, by the way, is a Nationalist too. But he is not a Jesuit and more importantly he is not a member of any Masonic lodge, and is not linked to big business as so many stooges would like others to believe.
But enough of Dalli for the moment, because I am sure there many will start suggesting that I am on Dalli’s payroll. It is Tonio F. we are interested in.
Here is a man who does not believe he should even consider resigning. Here is a man who has presided over the worst financial years of the last 22 years and is still treated with kid gloves by the press.
But believe you me: if he were living in a country where national TV is not run by political appointees and staunch Nationalists Claire Vassallo Thake and Joe Pirotta, and where the daily leading newspaper is not run by the De Marco family and their acolytes, Fenech today would be yesterday’s man.
Tonio Fenech has said that he informed the PM about his trip, and he came back saying that it was okay.
What a mess.
Flying on a private visit with businessmen George Fenech and Joe Gasan is not on.
Since when do ethical standards get sanctioned by the PM? Who the hell is Gonzi to decide what is ethical or not ethical?
When George Pullicino was planning a yachting trip with the former Planning Authority chairman and Malta’s leading tuna magnate, the PM also had no opinion. We only got to know because the skipper of the chartered yacht ran aground in Sicily.
Gonzi’s two weights and two measures is best illustrated with his pussycat approach to Fenech and Pullicino, and his inquisitor’s stance with other politicians of his party.
When Joe Saliba, the secretary general of the PN, went on holiday with Zaren Vassallo – another business buddy of George Fenech and Joe Gasan – Dr Gonzi saw nothing wrong or unethical.
By the way, neither did The Times, a newspaper managed by Adrian Hillman, Mario De Marco’s very close friend and a former campaigner for Guido De Marco.
You see, ethics very much depends from where you look or happen to look.
Well, George Fenech has every right to run his own business and think that people like me are a waste of time. To sort of make the press feel that the Tumas Group is a promoter of good journalism, we have the Tumas Foundation: a foundation that should be boycotted by any sensible journalist or any pressman who believes that there should be a very distinct separation between the journalist and the business lobby.
So it is fortuitous that this week Joseph Muscat will be speaking at the foundation. I wonder what he will have to say about this scandal?
It is interesting to note that when this newspaper asked a few questions to some opinion makers, there were the usual long periods of silence and no comment. Even Lino Spiteri had nothing to say. But say, say... not to worry.
This newspaper publishes some very interesting stories on how Tonio Fenech was more than willing to allow George Fenech to have a casino annex at the Hilton. Read through it.
This MaltaToday edition also goes into the strange arrangement made to lease the Lotteries and Gaming Authority from George Fenech’s premises. Yes you heard right. The same authority meant to control and monitor George Fenech’s business, rent out from him.
And this newspaper also talks of how Tonio Fenech flouted the procedure of ethics as laid down for all elected parliamentarians; and how his Prime Minister saw fit to look the other way and blow a raspberry.
Talking to ‘The Castille Poodle Daily’, Tonio Fenech said he was a committed Christian and so on so on. He said that he was personally against gambling. Last week we nearly died laughing when a Valentino look-a-like appeared on PBS, now this week we are very much like that child in The Exorcist; spouting saliva and froth from the mouth at the sight of Tonio Fenech.
You do not need a jelly brain to realise that Tonio’s hand on heart declaration of a committed Christian, and his declaration to halt all gambling, is the most spectacular exposition of bullshit we have ever witnessed.
If he is a committed Christian he should leave politics and enter a Benedictine monastery, and then he should start a campaign against George Fenech’s casinos and entertainment venues.
Or if he wants to do both, he should just tell all the gamblers to f*** off and get off the Island.
Unlike Fenech I am not a committed Christian, I am not against gambling and hurrah! I do not get on a private plane to see Arsenal with Joe and George.
What Tonio Fenech meant to say is that he would like to be a committed Christian, but in reality he prefers to be a politician and suck up to big business.
Accepting a freebie on George Fenech’s private plane was wrong – PERIOD. There are no two ways about it.
The Prime Minister’s answer was worse.
By standing by Tonio Fenech, the Prime Minister has shot himself in the head.
Tonio Fenech said yesterday that the Prime Minister had produced an anonymous letter about his fatal flight.
My sources in the parliamentary group have no recollection of this. They were either looking the other way or else the PM was so fast when he produced the letter that no one really noticed.
Tonio, can you give yourself a break and leave us all alone? And if you are worried about what will happen to Gonzi or your personal assistant Alan Caruana. I would not really worry. They will forget you after some time, and move on.
Very much in the same way we have forgotten all that talk about doing politics in a different way.
Nota bene: A speedy recovery to our colleague David Darmanin. Get better David!
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 Times should seriously consider changing its name to ‘Castille’s Poodle Daily’ or ‘The Damage Control Times.’ 
