The new American ambassador has announced with little or no pomp that Malta is best placed to offer aid in training the Afghans in good governance and agricultural techniques. I have absolutely no doubt that Americans in general have little appreciation for the history of Afghanistan and the resilience of the Afghan people in fighting ‘the infidel’.
In a nutshell, the recent history of Afghanistan reads like the story of the Vietnam war. The US, it seems, never learns from history.
If the understanding of history rates low for the average American, their appreciation of Malta and the Maltese way of life is far worse. Hopefully Malta will decide to send nobody to Afghanistan: the last thing we need are Maltese in body bags.
But what is far more interesting is the importance the American ambassador gives to Malta’s ability to teach others the art of governance.
If there is a segment in our administrative abilities that deserves to be spread to other countries, it is surely not good governance. Here we are, living in a country where governance is limited to the people you know and do not know, or to the favours dished out and to the contacts you have, and the American ambassador comes forward to suggest a role for us in Afghanistan, ignoring the fact that we are probably one of the most corrupt countries in the European Union.
I have always found the Americans to be super-superficial, and this suggestion continues to fortify this belief. I also cannot understand what makes the American ambassador believe that we, as Maltese, can teach the Afghans agricultural techniques. Does he know anything about agriculture in Malta? I cannot see one segment of Maltese agriculture that could stand out as a teaching module for any farmer.
At least, the Americans are honest enough to admit that their system of patronage does exist. They are willing to admit that some of their journalists are scum and one-sided. Their bloggers, for example, are the best example of scum. But then they have no hang-ups about calling themselves scum.
The Maltese are not completely different. Indeed, we are an inferior example of the American model. Unlike most others, the Maltese that act like Americans believe that everyone else is stupid. So for example, if you appoint an ambassador in France who is well known to have business links in their representative country, any questions related to his appointment are considered as personal or envious. In the US, an ambassador appointed to a country with direct business links would not be considered. They would have to accept to be grilled by a bipartisan committee. In Malta, such considerations are non-existent.
Look at all the Maltese chairmanships and the ambassadors and the board members and ask yourselves: do any of these get questioned for their competence? In an American system, individuals such as Alex Tranter would not be chairman of Enemalta and so on and so forth. People like Tranter would not survive in the media flak if the whole country suffered a blackout. But people like Tranter love the financial remuneration they receive.
When questions are asked about why the only qualifications of political appointees is their allegiance to the government in power, any queries related to their appointment are also considered vexatious and irresponsible.
The American ambassador is of course unaware that everything in this country is linked to whom you know or do not know. Does the Ambassador know that political parties do not divulge who their donors are? Does he know the political background to the Chairman of the ETC or the Resources Authority or MEPA or the boards of MEPA and all the other committees? Neither does he seem to know how the head of news at PBS is chosen, or the editorial board chairman and the CEO. Or the conflicts of interest that exist in some of the appointments.
Unknown to the ambassador is that this country is based on the principle of black and white. Or in better terms, the system of apartheid. If you are in hospital and want to have a room all to yourself, it helps if you know a leading politician. If you need special favours it helps if you know a minister. The same applies to everything else, from the courts to the police right down to the cemetery.
If the ambassador wants to be briefed on this, he need only access the archives of MaltaToday.
Once again, the question of who does or does not get a promotion in the civil service very much depends on who you are and are not. Then of course, the American ambassador cannot even appreciate what State control exists. He cannot appreciate what happens on state TV with the complete control of companies such as Where’s Everybody, led by Nationalist acolytes such as Peppi and Lou, two characters who, unlike me, are led by principles and a Mother Theresa ideal that would make Ghandi blush.
So, it follows that the meek or naïve proposal to send off a group of civil servants to Afghanistan to lecture good governance to the Afghans (and converted Talibanis?) is best described as a proposal which is best laughed at. It enlightens us on ‘the poor intelligence’ in the hands of the Americans, the superpower that knows it all.
Spin, the Maltese way If the ambassador wishes to get a real taste of spin and the way the truth is controlled and censored, he only needs to tune into the Where’s Everybody publicly-funded station – PBS.
Last Friday, I was told that Joe Azzopardi’s programme was screened on State TV to debate two subjects. The first was about Victor Scerri, a disgraced PN politician, and the second about Noel Arrigo, the disgraced former Chief Justice.
Peppi (or Joe) obviously chose to discuss Victor Scerri three months too late. Victor Scerri, the man who was president of the PN, believes that his building permit in Bahrija was perfectly in line with MEPA policy. If Joe-Peppi really wished to debate an issue which is relevant, he should have focused on Tonio Fenech. Or better still, Joe Mizzi and the Enemalta extension.
Yes, Tonio Fenech, who would have been forced to resign in any country, including the US, where principle also counts for the media, not just bank accounts.
Perhaps the American ambassador would like to take Tonio Fenech to lecture the Afghans in good governance – the same minister who refrains from answering questions about his Balzan renovation saga and refuses to give details about the companies that are behind many controversial bids.
The same applies to Bondì, who consistently times his programmes to cause least damage to the government he appeases and supports. I guess it has to do with their principle to portray themselves as independent journalists or hosts when they are not; and everyone else as people without principle and envious of them.
The second item on Joe Azzopardi’s programme was Noel Arrigo, given that the man might consider appealing the sentence and of course he would expect a fair trial – this consideration is not on anyone’s mind, not even on the mind of Natalino Fenech or Joe Pirotta, the two men who should be deciding editorial policy.
Since when are debates on TVM about cases which are sub judice or still subject to appeal allowed? Maybe the American ambassador could chip in: he seems to have understood the Maltese, to such an extent that he wishes to involve us in the Afghanistan conflict when we would do well to see to our own problems.
On the Attorney General Silvio Camilleri The right of press freedom has many limits, as I have learnt from my long experience in journalism. What I expressed in my opinion in MaltaToday on 22 November was a view based on a number of circumstances that resulted from media hype and political pressure. The Mistra saga, in my very subjective view, is a case in point. I never intended to state that the Attorney General Silvio Camilleri was not fulfilling his Constitutional obligations, neither that he is not independent or lacking in integrity. My views were purely subjective. And if they were construed in any other way I apologise unreservedly. I may have a so-called ‘invective pen’ but I can assure Dr Camilleri that I have no agenda against him personally or his office.
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