Wednesday, 1st April 2009
An Oppressive PN Government
When a government loses contact with the ordinary people, when it fails to help citizens in their everyday problems, when life becomes so difficult for many in such a way that all their energies are taken up with simply surviving the present moment, these, my friends, are sure signs of an oppressive government.
Unfortunately, I am not speaking about the situation in some faraway country but, rather, about our own country, Malta. Many parents have to go out to work if they are to provide a decent standard of living for their children. For those workers with very low wages, it has become common for both spouses to work full-time and even part-time. This obviously has many negative effects on family life and it is no wonder that such stress is leading to the breaking-up of so many families.
Pensioners face a long hot summer. Although extreme heat endangers their health, given their frailty due to age, they can only hope to switch on the air conditioner for, perhaps, one or two hours daily, otherwise they will receive a bill for water and electricity which they would be unable to pay. Now, to add insult to injury, we have been informed that LPG, petrol and diesel prices have been increased. As if the sharp rise in water and electricity tariffs had not been enough! Some families are in despair at this latest announcement because they were already hardly surviving as things were, let alone now that fresh burdens have been added upon their shoulders.
Given this unacceptable situation, what does the Nationalist Prime Minister, Lawrence Gonzi, do? He insults all citizens by continuously smiling in front of the cameras and declaring that the overall situation in the country is very encouraging, that the Nationalist Government is meeting its objectives, that we must have courage because there are exciting times ahead of us.
In such a situation, it is the people who have to do something about it. Che Guevara once said : “Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves”. This is very true. In Malta’s case, it is the people who have to liberate themselves from oppression through putting pressure on the Nationalist Government to mend its ways. I am, of course, not contemplating any forms of political violence but, instead, legal and accepted means of showing one’s disapproval of the government in a democracy.
The only hope for all citizens and for our country is a return to socialism, that socialism which takes care of the poor, the weak, the downtrodden, the voiceless, the emarginated of society. That socialism that gives back dignity to all citizens who have been deprived of it.
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Comments
The involvment of an ex Minister confirms that this was a "state sponsored violence"!
I had written in the past in more detail of those horrid days in this and other Papers, and I had also named most of the thugs involved. In respect to Dr. J. Brincat's plea in the Times years ago, I refrain from naming the thugs again today.
Maltese workers do not want handouts from their Governments, but the dignity of productive work that will translate into all of Society benefit from.
One has to thank God that in Malta we don't have a 15.5% unemployment rate that there is in Socialist run Spain. Perhaps you should move to Spain, DZM, to experience real oppression..
“Joseph Muscat is long on words but very short on substance. Just for one example - his famous twenty point proposal regarding illegal immigration. Talk about 'oppression'! His main point seems to have been to 'establish a quota' - and, once exceeded, do what? Let the immigrants drown, shoot at them, ask them to turn back? Such is the substance of this man (or should I say, child?).”
Logical interpretation:
Process the established quota and let our EU equal partners take the rest to share our burden.
Such is the substance of the other man.
I know of two other instances when KMB felt the need to visit and commiserate with families because someone in the family had been grieviously assaulted by indubitable MLP mobs - in one case only prolonged care in the ITU prevented a murder. It would seem that such visits were a frequent occurrence but since the visits were never followed by police action the culprits persisted encouraged by the fact that their crimes always went unpunished and on occasions they were actually praised. Not so with those who had attacked Tarcisio Mifsud who were hauled to court and sentenced. Spot the difference?
Some Trade union activists are notorious for their use of violence worldwide, the UK, Canada, France, Italy and USA certainly are not free from that plague. It is an act of desperation when a PM uses a victim who went through this martyrdom 30 years ago to gain a few votes. No doubt David Casa and Simon Busuttil would agree with me on this one because they are the only ones who may lose a vote or two or maybe Vince Farrugia too.
“...........a group of thugs were sent to my office but the security officer helped me escape and I went to the police station for protection.”
“Later, Dr Mifsud Bonnici came to take me home and he explained that he had taken my family to find refuge.......” Mike Seychell.
Where is the state sponsored violence in this sad story? And how did we come to the conclusion that the thugs were sent? Were the PN supporters sent to keep me at gun point at the airport when they were celebrating the 1987 election result? Were the PN supporters sent when they beat the daylight out of Tarcisju Mifsud? Were the PN supporters sent when they pushed the balustrade over the Labour Supporters? Were the PN thugs sent when they tried to assassinate Kalcidon Agius and three foreign Socialists Activists? And how come nobody mentions the fact that there were three separate attempts to assassinate Mintoff? How do we know that Raymond Caruana’s murderer\s were Labour thugs and if they were, were they sent by the PL to give an obvious political advantage to the PN? There’s much more but what’s the point!
"On July 21, 1977, after obtaining a vote of confidence from the executive committee, a group of thugs were sent to my office but the security officer helped me escape and I went to the police station for protection.
Later, Dr Mifsud Bonnici came to take me home and he explained that he had taken my family to find refuge at the home of my brother-in-law as the thugs were heading for my home. Dr Mifsud Bonnici insisted we should remain in hiding until it would be safe to return home. This must have been the only case of a Maltese family seeking refuge in its own country for political reasons". (Michael Seychell - The Times, April 7-09)
Just when we are about recovering from the dizzying gyrations of Alfred Sant, we are now being spun again by his successor.
Joseph Muscat is long on words but very short on substance. Just for one example - his famous twenty point proposal regarding illegal immigration. Talk about 'oppression'! His main point seems to have been to 'establish a quota' - and, once exceeded, do what? Let the immigrants drown, shoot at them, ask them to turn back? Such is the substance of this man (or should I say, child?).
Such is the depth of the Labour Party. Such is the judgment of Joseph Muscat who shunned an invitation for a State dinner honouring an outgoing President and preferred a well timed foray to Sicily which could not possibly be postponed for a day or two! Such is the class of this individual that he would certainly go for a hamburger in his track suit (his own words) than the delicacies of a State dinner in formal wear.
Maybe your next article, DZM, should be a definition of the word 'banal'.
For a definition of 'oppression' you can go straight to U Tube where you will find a 'budget' debate speech by Dr. Fenech Adami across from (then unelected Prime Minister) Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, a week or two after Raymond Caruana was slain by Socialist thug(s).
I found the speech compelling but at the same time reconciliatory. EFA never advocated violence and neither did his party. The PN unlike the LP, never preached 'eye for an eye - tooth for a tooth'. On the other hand you may find the speech educational but at the same time it will heap a load of shame on your style of 'journalism'.
You may also visit the same site and suffer through KMB's debate on State television prior to the 1987 election trying to explain how oppressive the Opposition was and how difficult it was to deal with it regarding the issue of a radio license!
If you are inclined to defend the LP, then perhaps you should be offering some advice to your party exhorting it to adopt some moderation topped with a good dose of honesty
An excerpt from J.Sammut’s. L-orizzont 6\4\09.
“M'għandi l-ebda prova. Imma ż-żewġ affarijiet tant seħħew fl-istess ħin, li trid tkun totalment maqtugħ mir-realtà biex ma tislitx relazzjoni bejniethom. Fenech Adami laħaq Kap tal-Partit Nazzjonalista u Kap tal-Oppożizzjoni u immedjatament wara l-pajjiż għadda minn inkwiet industrijali bla preċedent. Fuq sempliċi 'punch clock'. Fl-istess ħin, għax din hi importantissima, li l-Gvern u l-pajjiż kellhom ir-riżorsi kollha tagħhom ippuntati biex għall-ewwel darba, Malta tkun ħielsa.
Gvern u pajjiż jirsistu biex Malta ssir ħielsa għall-ewwel darba u Fenech Adami u sħabu jappoġġjaw ħaddiema li sfrattaw pajjiż għal ġimgħat u xhur sħaħ fuq biċċa 'punch clock'. Hekk bħallikieku l-'punch clock' jiġi qabel il-ħelsien ta’ pajjiżna. Naturalment, aħna ma twelidniex il-bieraħ. Tal-'punch clock' kienet biss skuża. Fil-paj- jiż kellu jkun hemm l-inkwiet industrijali. U tal-Partit Nazzjonalista, issa b’kap ġdid fjamant, setgħu jinstigawh minn taħt u jappoġġjawh minn fuq.
Sa dak iż-żmien il-pajjiż kien magħqud. Mis-sajf 1977 ’il quddiem, il-pajjiż infired. Niftakar kont fl-ewwel snin tiegħi l-Bank Ċentrali. Jum qabel ma spiċċa l-istrajk ta’ seba' ġimgħat tal-banek, Lino Spiteri, dak iż-żmien Deputat Gvernatur tal-bank, kien laqqa' lil dawk li bqajna naħdmu. Lil dawk li ma strajkjawx.”
Part One.
An excerpt from J.Sammut’s. L-orizzont 6\4\09.
“Kien fil-bidu tas-sena 1977. U kollox beda fuq sempliċi biċċa 'punch clock' għall-ħaddiema tat-Telemalta. Il-biċċa dawruha fi kruċjata kontra l-Gvern Laburista tal-Perit Duminku Mintoff. Ħaddiema membri ta’ unjins żgħar riedu jagħtu appoġġ lil dawk tat-Telemalta. Anke tal-banek ħarġu bi strajk ta’ seba' ġimghat sħaħ. Kollox fuq sempliċi arloġġ.
Tidħak meta llum tidħol f’dipartimenti u postijiet para-governattivi jew fil-Bank Ċentrali u ssib li biex bniedem jiċċaqlaq minn post għall-ieħor irid jgħaddi l-'card' minn sensors elettroniċi u allura kull moviment tiegħu huwa kkontrollat u rrekordjat. Tidħak meta taf li llum il-linji tat-telefon huma kollha kkontrollati u rrekordjati. Fejn huma l-unjins ta’ dak iż-żmien???”
Human nature being what it is one has to accept that commentators would counter arguments by giving their own biased version of a story. What is totally indefensible is to resort to outright lies and falsification of proven historical facts, buttressed by a sly defamation of an adversary by insinuating that he is motivated by hate and sanctimoniously recommending that he seek absolution for his “sin” of daring to protest against the attempted rewriting of our recent history! With an intelligent audience that tactic does not succeed and it harms its author rather than the intended victim.
Let us be honest. We are not really being asked to forgive or to forget. We are being asked to allow the unhindered spread of a false and sanitized version of the political violence of the Mintoff and KMB era and the false attribution of that violence to its undoubted victimised, the PN supporters.
You are absolutely right, Lawrence. We have already heard that song before – and it seems that we are doomed to keep on hearing it.
Have you not seen my posting of two days ago?
Read it again and this time try to understand what I wrote.
I will leave songs to the experts (at Birzebbuga, perhaps).
I used that incident as one example. There were several more situations which the then police appeared to botch up purposely, investigated late, failed to protect innocent people, framed up others, while labour supporters burned and ransacked The Times, attacked the private residence of the Leader of the Opposition, vandalized Nationalist clubs, and all this with the tacit blessing of the Socialist administration at that time.
The VAT scandal is a poor explanation of your argument since, at the first tip given to Minister Fenech, he referred the information directly to the Police without tipping the perpetrators via an internal investigation. No one in his right mind is going to place blame on the government whose interest lies in the collection of taxes due, whether the government happens to be red or blue.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel were not of the same opinion as Mr Obama. Mr Sarkozy said he was adamant to Ankara’s entry while Mrs Merkel said Turkey should enjoy a special partnership with the EU.
Do you remember Mrs. Merkel’s fellow countryman, Mr.Verhaogen, saying that there exists no such thing as a special partnership with the EU ?
Nardu Debono was being interrogated after arson was found in his fields and he was the prime suspect of being the person who planted the bomb on the doorstep of the then Commissioner of the Police.
Police officers worldwide have a tendency to be overprotective in regard to each other’s safety; we see this in the movies and in the news. The RCMP and the American Police are notorious for these acts and nobody blames their governments when they are caught.
If we want to politicise any Government Department’s wrong doing we might as well blame the Government for the recent gross fraud at the VAT Department but that would be just as stupid conclusion.
I don't know to whom you addressed your last posting, however in response to your statement that, 'Life is short, one is not asked to forget, but forgiveness is a virtue', I thank you for the compliment because we, (other than Socialists) have forgiven a long time ago, otherwise our party would have adopted an 'eye for an eye' policy as was loosely advocated by Labour spokespeople during the last election campaign.
We are indeed over what has happened in the past but unfortunately the Socialists keep on reminding us by trying to dump on us what really belongs to them.
With regard to my last sentence of my last posting being edited by the Moderator, I feel that it contained nothing more controversial than what is usually levelled at Nationalist sympathizers. It made reference to people mired nose deep in muck should not open their mouth because of obvious consequences.
My question now is; How can one harbour so much hate and live in piece within himself.
I`ve been done wrong and carried on with life. My contributions reflect my left leanings not because I am a Labour supporter, far from it. I am what one would call, or better still what I call myself a true Socialist. Believe it or not I do not even vote. Life is short, one is not asked to forget, but fogiveness is a virtue.
If our assessment of Labour's past is so inaccurate or wrong, how come the majority of the Maltese voters keep preferring the NP to the LP ?
Is the majority stupid? Or is the minority so badly indoctrinated and misinformed that they continue to support a party which is unable to shed the black baggage of the past?
CJB, you mentioned Karin Grech and others - how about we mention the frame-ups, and other well known murders committed in the Police HQ and made to look as if the prisoner had escaped, only to find his mutilated body in a Qormi valley?
The baseless intimation that I harbour any hate towards anybody or that my comments are full of venom is a carefully worder defamatory slur by those who run out of logical arguments. They do not deserve an answer. Having said that I promise that I will continue to expose all attempts to falsify history, to deny the truth or to alienate the younger generation from the deplorable fact that, very soon after gaining our independence, we were in imminent peril of losing our recently acquired democratic credentials and that the danger persists as long as the instigators are active in our political scene.
My question now is; How can one harbour so much hate and live in piece within himself.
I`ve been done wrong and carried on with life. My contributions reflect my left leanings not because I am a Labour supporter, far from it. I am what one would call, or better still what I call myself a true Socialist. Believe it or not I do not even vote. Life is short, one is not asked to forget, but fogiveness is a virtue.
I have to keep on giving the same old replies because I keep being asked the same old questions - just as you are doing now. The burning of PN clubs and the placing of bombs (one of them on my own doorstep at the instigation of an MLP minister) stopped as soon as the MLP lost the 1987 election because the perpetrators were intrinsically a cowardly lot who lacked the guts to operate without the connivance of a corrupted police force and its political masters.
I do not have to examine any conscience or to come out of any cocoon. Unlike you I knew the facts from inside the police force itself because I formed a respected part of it until it was found necessary to frame me and to force my compulsory retirement "on grounds of public interest" because I refused to jump on the same corrupt wagon.
I started my new life a long time ago in fact as soon as I was reinstated in the police force after my compulsory retirement was annulled and officially declared by the Public Service Commission as "a miscarriage of justice"
Sad fact is that some people harbour so much hate that even when they are victorious their bitterness doesn’t allow them to find some peace within them. Have you noticed the extra dose of venom this week, I wonder why?
They had their great moments of glory, when we were licking our wounds, our wounds have healed and we know that it can only get better now and we look forward. They know that their future is bleak and for solace they look backwards. Laurence we mustn’t kick a man when he’s down, tolerate them and just feel sorry for them.
Incidentally, this is a big day for us; we have a new President, let’s wish him well.
Tell me about the big lie on an eve of an election! Tell me why the burning of clubs and bombs has stopped once you lot where in power. Search within your conscience and ask yourself...yes, Why? Come out of your cocoon and start a new life.
DZM would be foolish to take your advice to "let them oozo (?ooze) in their biased ignorance" because that "biased ignorance" is what has assured for the PN the serial electoral victories of the past twenty years and why one has to step backwards in time for two decades before encountering any MLP administration worth mentioning and its associated real oppression real "oppression" as practiced Mintoff and KMB. The two years of disastrous and truncated inter regnum of the Sant administration were far too short and hazardous for the MLP to prove anything either way.
Analyse this.
Murders: Karen Grech, Wilfred Cardona.
Attempted murders: RCC, Albert Mizzi & Family, Maj. Grech& Family, Dr.L.Pullicino & Family, Dom Mintoff, Kalcidon Agius, three foreign visitors from the Socialist International.
Ransacking: J. Debono Grech, Tarcisju Mifsud, and MLP Clubs.
Political rallies: For whom the bells tolled.
Oppression was when one could not speak unfavourably of the government.
Oppression was when the Leader of the Opposition's residence was ransacked.
Oppression was when one could not buy anything unless imported by government.
Oppression was when the Courts were manipulated at the whim of a government.
Oppression was when political rallies were tear gassed, shot at and unprotected by police.
Oppression was the political murder at one of the Opposition's club.
Oppression was when a daily paper printing press was trashed and burned.
Oppression was when private properties were seized without compensation and turned into party clubs.
Please do not try to educate, let them oozo in their biased ignorance, their own Party has managed that successfully, up to the very present day.
Can you lend me your time machine?
@ D Attard et al
Simply because you do not recall parts of history, a subject obviously not close to your heart, does not mean they did not happen. History is indelible and no one can alter it even if it is politically expedient to do so.
The word 'oppression' seems to have a different meaning in DZM's dictionary and perhaps he should have someone competent in the English language to define it for him.
Oppression was when one could not speak unfavourably of the government.
Oppression was when the Leader of the Opposition's residence was ransacked.
Oppression was when one could not buy anything unless imported by government.
Oppression was when the Courts were manipulated at the whim of a government.
Oppression was when political rallies were tear gassed, shot at and unprotected by police.
Oppression was the political murder at one of the Opposition's club.
Oppression was when a daily paper printing press was trashed and burned.
Oppression was when private properties were seized without compensation and turned into party clubs.
Need I continue?
The problem still is, that the Party in question, under whatever label it portrays itself from time to time, still embraces the old elements!
Well said, especially your comment below. I find it amusing the way PN supporters have to resort to an era which I don't even remember. :)
You know that you are being grossly unfair. The point at issue is your assertion that the present government is being “oppressive” in tackling problems, that are not of its own creation, but that are undeniably imported from abroad as an integral part of a world-wide recession and upheavals in the cost of fossil fuel. You imply without any proofs whatsoever, that these problems would have been dealt with less oppressively by a PL government. You must admit that it is not the fault of the “PN apologists” that all must track back “two decades” to find examples of the MLP performance when in power. It does not help at all that most of the problems facing the nation at that time were the deliberate creation of the MLP.
Previous comments have given abundant examples of the shortcomings in the general standard of living under Mintoff for comparison with today’s indubitable absence of shortages, superior water and electricity supply, better telephones, better health services, absence of political violence, functioning law courts, free press and trade unions etc.
The facts speak for themselves.
When Malta is hit by a world-wide crisis, that is no indication that its government is oppressive. One may speculate that the opposition political party may have handled the crisis more efficiently – but that is only idle speculation and cheap propaganda if it is unsupported by evidence from past experience.
"Oppression" is when a government boasts that its exchequer is bulging with money but the populace has to go abroad for essentials, when it is supplied with drinking water that is too saline and only intermittently by bowser, when it is subjected to unnecessary and provocative tear gas attacks and when the police open fire at peaceful political meetings, when political rivals risk being killed if they dare to have a social drink in their party clubs, when opposition party clubs and printing presses are systematically burnt down with impunity, when the approach of Christmas is dreaded as an occasion for appeals for more belt tightening because “the cake is still in the oven”, when colour TV sets and cordless telephones are luxuries restricted to smugglers and the privileged few and when accusations that government has lost its social conscience are made by the party’s own guru.
Well yes, it`s very clear, out of 12 thousand students on 1223 bothered to vote, so I take it that our future intellectual generation, is going to consist of some 1218, what is going to happen to the rest, 10,000 of them.
Cut the old crap, talk about something positive for a change.
There is no element of truth in the allegation that the Defence& Financial Agreements were “weak” and that they were “not going to reach its fruition at the expiry date”. The incontrovertible truth is that during the seven years of the GBO post-independence administration the diversification and growth of the Maltese economy had proceeded at such a fantastic high level, and above all expectations, that the British Exchequer attempted unsuccessfully to accelerate the rundown of the forces establishment and to save on the associated financial commitment. The scope of the Defence & Financial agreements had reached such an advanced stage of “fruition” that the GWU could afford the luxury of an insensate political strike at the Dockyard giving an electoral victory to Mintoff in 1971 at the same time destroying any hope to convert the Dockyard to commercial use.
Mintoff himself admitted that his success in obtaining funds failed to attract foreign investors to create much needed jobs. This was the price we had to pay for his confrontational tactics.
There is no element of truth in the allegation that the Defence& Financial Agreement was “not going to reach its fruition at the expiry date”. The plain unvarnished truth is that during the seven years of the GBO post-independence administration the diversification and growth of the Maltese economy had attained a much higher level than had been predicted or anticipated by anybody so much so that the British Exchequer attempted unsuccessfully to accelerate the rundown of the forces establishment and its associated financial agreement. That disproves any allegation of “weak position” on the part of GBO. The scope of the Defence & Financial agreements had reached such an advanced stage of “fruition” that the GWU could afford the luxury of an insensate political strike at the Dockyard engineered to give an electoral victory to Mintoff and it also destroyed the possibility of converting the Dockyard to commercial use.
The ‘Defence and Financial Agreement’ had to be renegotiated because the initial one was not going to reach it fruition at its expiry date and that was only due to the weak position GBO adopted prior to Independence. In this case ‘Post hoc ergo propter hoc’ is not a logical-fallacy because the conclusion is based on facts. B was inescapable due to the weakness of A.
The strengths of the new agreement would have been included in the initial one had GBO’s attitude not been in sharp contrast to Mintoff’s. If the man had Mintoff’s guts he would have returned home truly victorious and still left a cushion for future developments.
Innocently or conveniently you missed my point.
One may curse darkness or light a candle. The PN are famous for political damage control, they should use the same knack to minimise the negative spin-off of the world recession.
If an event "B" follows after event "A" it does not necessarily follow that event "A" must be the cause of event "B". Just because the present economic recession and the price hike for fossil fuel happened after the PN was relected to govern (for the umpteen time) it does not follow at all that a supposedly "oppressive PN Government" is responsible for them. Neither is there any reason to suppose that the LP would have handled the crisis any better. Quite the contrary in fact - but that is only a conjecture based on past performance.
If an irresponsible parent neglects a helpless child in the midst of a Tsunami and the child gets carried away with the floods and the parent blames the Tsunami for the loss of a child, it would also be a case of ‘Post hoc ergo propter hoc’ logical fallacy.
In a caring society, when the going gets tough the government should be there to protect the vulnerable instead of claiming post hoc ergo propter hoc.
I agree that Dr George Borg Olivier was the consummate polite gentleman in sharp contrast to your own assessment of an “arrogant” Dom Mintoff.
I disagree that the inbuilt right of the Maltese Parliament to further amend the constitution was any proof that the GBO constitution was somehow “incomplete” or that it “needed further incubation”. It only showed wise and prudent foresight so that, once the pressing immediate problems of defence and mass discharges from employment with the services were overcome, the constitution document would make provision for tackling other less pressing but still important decisions by the Malta parliament. That option is still there now, not because the constitution is still “incomplete” or not sufficiently “incubated” but so as to allow essential flexibility.
Re my last, Part One failed to see the light of the day through no fault of mine, they call it ‘freedom of expression’. Should the moderator change his mind I will accept all legal responsibility. Sorry you had to be disappointed.
The reasoning behind this blog is obviously fallacious. It enumerates a series of international economic disasters and just because they are happening during a PN administration they are being attributed to that party – the sort of “post hoc, propter hoc” faulty argument that if a car collision happens after the driver had had a cereal breakfast then the cereal breakfast must be held responsible for the accident! It would be silly to speculate that these international economic disasters would not have happened under a LP administration or that they would have been solved more quickly and more painlessly. That is not our experience of past LP administrations even though, admittedly, we would have to backtrack quite a few years and a couple of past leaders to find concrete examples.
Yes, dirty is what one would call the governmet that deprived us of a funtional constitutional court, dirty was the government that attacked the free press, dirty is the government that tried to deprive learners in Private Schools the opportunity to enter university by creating unfavourable conditions exclusively for them. Dirty is the government that suspended thousands of employees from work because they obejed a directive from a political party. Dirty is the government that abused the state owned broadcaster, MTV. Dirty is the Prime Minister who says that the Constitution is just a piece of paper that he can tear it up anytime. Dirty are the Ministers who state on tv that first they will only help their party supporters Black where the days when Eddie' house and mother were attacked, when Guido was injured, when the Times was burned and when a PN supporter is shot dead. Yes, Labour oppressed the people.