Danish Doublespeak

The Malta Independent

Danish Doublespeak

The Danish EU referendum went the way it was predicted. The Danes, in no small measure, `voted against the adoption of the Euro as their official currency but more symbolically voted against the absorption of small states` sovereignty` by the EU bureaucracy dominated by France and Germany.

Prior to the referendum the Danes were warned in no uncertain terms by their own political corpse (demonstratinga rare across the board agreement to lobby for a yes vote) and by the EU structures that this would be a once in a life-time decision. If they reject the Euro they would be rejecting it forever,` was the clear warning given by whoever wanted to force the Danes to accept the Euro.

Not more than a few hours after the referendum result was officially announced and the 53% rejection of the Euro became an embarrassing judgement for the Danish government and the EU Commission, we had unashamed Danish double-speak.

The choice was no longer once in a life-time decision.` It became a temporary decision until the Danish electorate could be persuaded to vote yes in a subsequent referendum which could be put together at some time in the `future.

These yes or no referenda are becoming something of a joke. If the result is in line with that wished by Brussels than it is definitive and irreversible. If on the other hand the referendum goes against the will of Brussels than they` can keep on trying until they get the result they want, at which point in time the decision then becomes irreversible.

Who knows what would happen if say a referendum were to be held anytime soon in the UK to decide whether to proceed with their EU membership` Yet in spite of clear sentiments of dissatisfaction with the way the unelected Brussels bureaucracy keeps affecting the lives of the citizens, no one seems to suggest a referendum to give political effect to people`s wishes. Re-try referendum is only invoked `when people decide matters against the wishes of the big countries of the EU.

Locally we have had a taste `of `this referendum double speak. The Foreign Minister has correctly pointed out on more than one occasion that if the Malta referendum on EU membership would go against the government wishes,` they would have no` hesitation in organising forces to re-propose the matter in a subsequent referendum until the `right` electoral decision is achieved.

However local political puritans were `shocked` when Labour made it clear than a newly elected Labour government with a political mandate endorsing an EU policy very different from that of the present nationalist administration,` would not consider itself bound by the referendum result once Malta would still not have joined the EU in full membership terms.

Why the nationalist have a right to overturn a referendum result just as the Danish government seems bent to do with the full blessing of the EU Commission, whereas such right ought `not be available to a democratically elected labour government indicates that there are amongst those who still think that labourites are children of a lesser god.

Alfred Mifsud

Twemmini

Il-Kullhadd

Twemmini

Illum bdejna xahar gdid. Tlett kwart ta` l-ewwel sena tal-millenju telqet tigri. Dal-Gvern riesaq lejn nofs il-legislatura tieghu u z-zmien ghaddej bilgri. Dil-gimgha naghlaq 49 sena u ghalhekk hemm ragunijiet bizzejjed biex nieqaf u naghmel reflessjoni dwar twemmini.

Raguni ohra hija ghax ex-laburist deherlu li jien bil-kitbiet tieghi nuri twemmin differenti mit-twemmin laburista.` Li din il-kritika gejja minn xi hadd li ghadu jemmen li l-partit laburista ghandu jibqa` jitmermer sa ma jipprova li mhux tassew li l-hniezer itiru, `bizzejjed wiehed jifhem `kemm m`hemmx intenzjonijiet tajba fi kritika bhal din.` Izda x`fiha billi wiehed minn zmien ghal zmien jistqarr twemminu kif bhal insara naghmlu kull meta nirrectaw il-Kredu`

Jien nemmen li Malta ghandha tkun stat sovran u indipendenti hieles mill-bazijiet militari u ma tifforma parti mill-ebda blokk` militari. Nemmem li biex dan ikun possibbli irridu nibnu bazi ekonomika soda ghal pajjizna biex ma jigix ekonomikament dipendenti fuq min irid jerga jdahhlu fi blokk militari.

Nemmen li biex dan isir il-pajjiz irid ikun mibni fuq ix-xoghol, fuq il-bzulija u fuq l-efficejnza. Nemmen li pajjizna m`ghandux rizorsi x`jahli f`sussidji eterni li ma jindirizzawx is-sors tal-problema li twassal ghal htiega ta` dawn is-sussidji.

Nemmen li il-flus migbura mit-taxxi ghandhom jintefqu bl-akbar diskrezzjon u trasparenza u ma ghandniex inhallu pajjizna jkollu regoli ghal min jahdem mal-gvern laxki u komdi hafna u regoli iebsa u tqal ghal min jahdem mal-privat.` Nemmen li l-haddiema huma lkoll ahwa u li jghodd ghal wiehed jghodd ghall-iehor.

Nemmen li huwa zball madornali li l-pajjiz thalla jasal fir-rovina finanzjarja li twassal fiha li qed tittrasferixxi flus mis-settur privat li jistghu jintuzaw ghall-investiment u jmorru sempliciment biex il-gvern ikompli jberbaq u jonfoq waqt li l-pajjiz jihalla nieqes minn investiment mehtieg bhal fil-kas tat-toroq.

Nemmen li l-hela u l-inefficjenza, anke jekk ghal xi zmien joholqu` l-illuzjoni tal-benesseri, huma d-dudu li jsewwes` il-kapacita` taghna li nghixu bhala stat sovran u li nostnu is-servizzi socjali f`pajjizna.

Ghalhekk nemmem f`ekonomija soda, vibranti, efficjenti, moderna u kompetittiva f`dinja globali. Nemmen li dan jigi permezz ta` investiment produttiv li ghandu jghamlu s-settur privat li jigi mhajjar permezz ta` stabbilita industrijali u rati ta` taxxi diretti baxxi.

Nemmen li l-gvern ukoll ghandu jkun xempju ta` l-efficjenza biex ic-cittadini jkunu perswazi li flus li jhallsu f`taxxi qed jintuzaw sew specjalmet f`investiment socjali u infrastrutturali li jaghti bazi soda ghall-izvilupp.` B`hekk il-gvern ikollu dritt morali, `mhux biss legali biex jigbor it-taxxi dovuti kollha b`infurzar rett u sod.

Nemmen li huwa biss permezz ta` tkabbir ekonomiku li jista` jkollna sostenn tan-nefqa socjali tal-gvern bla ma jzid it-taxxi fuq ic-cittadini. Ghalhekk nemmen li l-gvern irid jaghti prijorita qawwija lill-erba` drittijiet naturali li ghandu bniedem indipendentement mil-qaghda ekonomika tieghu.`

Id-dritt tat-taghlim huwa dritt sagrosant u ghalhekk il-gvern irid jaghmel skejjel pubblici tajbin daqs jew ahjar minn dawk privati fil-livelli kollha ta` l-edukazzjoni.

Id-dritt tal-hajja permezz ta` servizz ta` sahha preventiv u kurattiv irid ikun efficjenti u effettiv halli min m`ghandux rizorsi xorta jkollu access ghal kura anke jekk forsi b`inqas komfort minn min ghandu l-flus li jhallas ghal kura privata.

Nemmen li l-bnieden ghandu dritt ghal abitazzjoni dicenti u min m`ghandux bazi ekonomika bizzejjed biex jahseb ghal rasu allura ghandu jigi pprovdut b`akkomodazzjoni socjali li jkollha l-istandards minimi tad-dicenza.

Nemmen fid-dritt tax-xoghol u tal-pensjoni wara x-xoghol. Nemmen li dan id-dritt irid ikun marbut mad-dmir ta` xoghol onest u efficjenti u nemmen li l-Unions ghandhom juru flessibilita` li jaccettaw metodi moderni ta` management basta jkun marbut ma programmi intensivi ta` tahrig ghal-haddiema biex tigi mghejjuna il-mobbilita` tal-haddiema u nimxu lejn kuncetti ta` permanent` employability milli ta` xoghol fiss tal-post sal-pensjoni.` Nemmen li l-ekonomija ghandha tkun vibranti bizzejjed biex tohloq opportunatijiet ta` xoghol gdid lill- haddiema li jintlaqtu meta industriji jew azjendi ohra inevitabbilmenti jghalqu jew inaqqsu n-nies u ghalhekk il-htiega ta` tahrig kontinwu.

Nemmen li l-istat ghandu jkun hanin ma min ma jistax jghin ruhu, il-marid, in-nies bi bzonnijiet specjali,` mal-fqar moderni frott is-single parenthood u l-familji mifruda.` Nemmen li pajjizna ma jistax ikompli jahrab mil-problema` socjali ta min iz-zwieg tieghu tkisser b`mod irreparabbli u bena relazzjoni gdida li l-istat ma jgharafx.

Ghax nemmen dan jien nemmen fis-socjalizmu demokratiku.

Alfred Mifsud

Passionate Disinterest

The Malta Independent

Passionate Disinterest

I have made this point elsewhere in the Press and stress it again here. The non-politically controlled media is doing the democratic structures of this country a great disservice in using very different measures in treating cases which could be a source of embarrassment to the two main political parties.

Whilst it has flogged beyond the point of diminishing returns the supposed irregularities on Labour` side the` Press shows passionate disinterest in cases which could embarrass the nationalist party in government even though the superficial evidence is that much more credible.

The Malta Independent last Friday defended itself editorially from such accusation arguing that their disinterest is due to the fact that Labour reached its conclusion before any investigations and consequently this affair is not worth following as it has become pure political armoury. It is very weak defence indeed.

Facts are facts and no amount of twisting will change them. Labour has made the point` that there is enough superficial evidence of external, possibly political,` interference in bank credit facilities of several million allowed to a small car importer controlled by a single person without track record. It has called for urgent independent investigations.` The first duty of such investigations is of the Board of the Bank who are probably loaded with such exposure decided upon by prior incumbents and are doing their damn best` to put up a brave face for them.` Under the pretext of bank secrecy the Bank has refused to comment on the case except to deny that there were internal reports critical of the exposures allowed and indicating outside influence.

In spite of sufficient indications of fraud in handling collections from clients without returning relevant bills of exchange the bank shows no wish to press fraud, probably fearing that this will bring the financial collapse of the company compounding further the reducing` recoverability prospects of the credit.

There is the duty of the regulator, in this case the Central Bank, to ensure that credit exposure decisions were taken in the ordinary course of business by the Bank without outside pressures.

Yet in spite of the smoke getting thicker and thicker we are expected to believe there is no fire. The Editor of this paper is quite willing to do so because of` misplaced speculation` as to whose hidden hand there could be behind these untoward exposures.



Rather than press for an independent investigation the Editor feels that because the absence of such investigation has unavoidably given rise to speculation about political` guilt, which until proven remains speculation period, then it should refrain from pressing for a truly independent investigation which would hopefully establish the facts and give us the truth, whatever it may be.

I emphasize that my experience of dealing with Bank of Valletta over a long period of time is that they take credit decisions in a very professional and thorough manner and if they err they do so on the side of caution. Which is all the more reason for suspecting that not all is as it should be in the particular case in question.

The Malta Independent has been following step by step an innocuous case where the Broadcasting Authority are trying to impose on Super One a right of reply beyond the obligations provided for in the Press Act. Why they take such a passionate disinterest in more serious cases where political interference in fraud cases is suspected begs questions which remain unanswered.

Alfred Mifsud