Monday, 18th January 2010
IT'S THEIR CALL
The story that no-one much contested the elections to administrative posts within the Labour Party raised quite few comments, hardly surprisingly. I've no doubt the lads and ladettes on the PN side of the media equation had quite a few laughs and published quite a few snide remarks of their own, the political scene having been set by Labour's own gleeful stories, over the years, about the trials and tribulations of the PN's inner workings.
Truth be told, I've always been mildly bemused by this fascination the two parties have with the problems that beset each other's intestinal tracts. As soon as rumours of stories about conjecture about kites flown about the possibility of, say, the PN's Officer-in-charge of Paper Clips in the Secretary-General's Assistant's Secretary's office being less than fully gruntled with his lot, you get that peculiar rag, Kull Hadd publishing a story about how the PN was going to disappear up its own fundament.
Equally comically, as soon as the possibility of a story about a rumour about a whisper that Joseph Muscat's third assistant under-driver's fourth replacement being moderately annoyed that he has been replaced in the glow of the master's favour, Il-Mument gives the thing front page prominence, for all the world as if the end of Labour's world was nigh.
In fact, how each party constitutes and runs itself is pretty much its own business, said business being conducted by the die-hards and worthies, usually men of a certain age, who have beavered away from the year dot to rise up the ranks to become counsellors or whatever they're called.
Both parties have within their frameworks areas that cater for youths and for women and for - for all I know - cross-dressing transvestites of indeterminate gender, but from the outside looking in, as I am (which might be hard to believe for those who think I'm right on the inside of the PN, which could hardly be further from the truth) the vista is uncompromisingly of grey men in grey suits proposing grey policies.
So in this regard, Joseph Muscat is a bit of a relief, given that he's not given to sporting grey suits and what's left of his hair (I'm a fine one to speak) is not yet grey. Give it a few more months of coping with Toni Abela and Anglu Farrugia and it will be, I suspect, but that's a whole ‘nother story.
Thus, which is an alternative to "so" in this context, when the commentariat starts spouting about how the Labour Party hasn't changed and what clearer evidence could you wish for in the light of the way nothing has changed at the top of the party, I wonder whether this is really anyone's business but Labour's.
I mean to say, if they really want to have an International Secretary whose claim to fame is the fact that he looks bonny in a sailor hat and was opposed to Malta's joining the EU, then who are we to gainsay them? So what if the party President, the extremely affable Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi, is the same guy who has been in place for quite a few years? Frankly, I could think of quite a few potential candidates who would be a much worse president, and believe me, that's not much of a compliment to SZA.
The bottom line is, I and you and anyone who isn't a fully paid-up member of the jolly old Labour Party hasn't the right to criticise their choice of leaders. Nor are we entitled to comment on what can only be described as the rather perplexing decision to ditch the post of General Secretary, occupied with such distinction by Jason Micallef, whose aversion to writing about food is only one of his many fine qualities.
It's Labour's call, not ours, and if they choose to give the impression that always these changes but always the same thing (toujours ca change and all that, my French stinks) then, hey, who are we to comment?
Why change a winning team, hey?
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Comments
"Joseph Muscat, to my mind,tried to be a bit different when he kept aloof from the selection of the Secretary General". A decent thing to do and besides the Statute was intact then.
"now we all know that that wasn’t a very smart thing to do". You must be kidding, no?!
Inconsistencies at their best!
Political Leaders ,worldwide, choose their own lieutenants either by direct appointments or by influencing the General Conference, Gonzi is definetely no exception,he went as far as selecting for President the same person who made him Leader of the Party. Joseph Muscat,to my mind,tried to be a bit different when he kept aloof from the selection of the Secretary General and now we all know that that wasn’t a very smart thing to do.
Thank you for the quotes which, in no way describe the facts:
Fact 1. Dr. Gonzi could not possibly 'offer' the post of Secretary General to Simon Busuttil because it is not his sole decision to do so. That's what the Party Executive is for and for a ballot to be taken. The NP does not 'change' its Statute if and when it's expedient to do so, ala the LP who are trying to get the delegates to amend the Statute AFTER the decision was taken by the leader!
Fact 2. Dr. Busuttil would never use words like 'snubbed' - 'lucrative'. He would never 'snub' Dr. Gonzi and would never describe his job as an MEP as 'lucrative'. But even if he did, he would not be wrong since an MEP's salary is many times that of an MP, let alone a SG. 'Snubbed' and 'lucrative' are the reporter's own words.
Net TV, in-nazzjon and il-mument are not impeccable and news and articles are often tinted with political hues, but outright untruths are not the order of the day . On the contrary, many libel suits lost by the LP news media show differently.
Ask Beddingfield!
Sorry to disappoint you but the only impeccable sources that I rely on are Net tv, in-nazzjon and il-mument.
Excerpts of JPO interview
Yesterday, the outspoken backbencher was clear in his appraisal of Busuttil’s opinion:
“It is in even greater bad taste when the criticism is levelled by someone who, by his own admission, puts his personal interests before those of his party.”
He was referring to Busuttil’s refusal to accept the post of PN secretary-general when asked by Lawrence Gonzi.
“I refuse to be judged by others whose primary concerns when it comes to their political involvement are manifested by their behaviour. Dr Busuttil himself admitted publicly, a few months ago, that he snubbed our Prime Minister, Dr Lawrence Gonzi, when he offered him the post of secretary-general and chose instead to retain the lucrative position of MEP.”
Forgive me, I didn't realize that you rely on such impeccable sources for the gossips-of-the-day.
You must regard what you find in MaltaToday as the gospel truth!
Instead of repeating what I wrote, you should have produced excerpts from the infamous JPO interview of June 2009.
“You think for one moment that Simon Busuttil was expected to relinquish the position of MEP to become a Secretary General?” I think you have to ask that to the Dr. Gonzi
“Fertile imagination totally unsupported by the least shred of evidence. Just the type of fantasy constantly disseminated by the Labour media to those who are always with their mouths agape ready to swallow anything they hear!” you need to read the interview that JPO gave to Malta Today on the 1st June 2009 and then tell me if it’s fertile imagination.
I don’t know where is Marisa and to be onset I don’t care, but if you are looking for her don’t look for her at the NP HQ in Pieta’. I don’t think you find her there lol
"We still remember what happened when Dr. Gonzi asked Dr. Simon Busuttil to run for general secretary and he refused. And as far as I can remember Dr. Gonzi was pushing Charlo Bonnici to be elected not for Paul Borg Oliver". At least the NP had several contestants for SG while the LP had none! You think for one moment that Simon Busuttil was expected to relinquish the position of MEP to become a Secretary General? What you actually should have said was that had he decided to do so, Dr. Gonzi would have had no objections. That's more like it, Mr. Borg!
Fertile imagination totally unsupported by the least shred of evidence. Just the type of fantasy constantly disseminated by the Labour media to those who are always with their mouths agape ready to swallow anything they hear!
"I wrote some weeks ago in the Nikita Alamango blog that the PL needs to abolish the role of the general secretary". I am glad that you have such predictive powers that Marisa - Joseph would pick up on your advice! By the way, where is Marisa, these days?
We still remember what happened when Dr. Gonzi asked Dr. Simon Busuttil to run for general secretary and he refused. And as far as I can remember Dr. Gonzi was pushing Charlo Bonnici to be elected not for Paul Borg Oliver. Some may interpret this as democracy in the PN but others can interpret it that Dr. Gonzi lost control of the party.
I think it’s a lot better to be asked to resign than to be humiliated the way Paul Borg Oliver was by sidelining him and let Simon Busuttil run the EU parliament elections with disastrous results.
'Jason made the right choice'! As if he had any!
The crux is - what happens if the democratic secret ballot turns down the proposed amendment of abolishing the post of Secretary General? Will Jason be asked to 'step up' to his old role? Or will a horde of contestants come forward to contest if Jason decides not to?
What will even be sadder, is that if the amendment to the Statute is approved, it will confirm that the Joseph machine is nothing but a replica of how things were done in the dictatorial old days. Some 'new way of doing politics"!
An exercise in democracy - the Labour Party's way? Seems like the LP has painted itself into yet another corner.
Hawduni ha nifhem!
All amendments to the PL statute have to be approved by the majority of the General Conference by way of a secret ballot. The party members elect the delegates who are empowered to make decisions on party policy and choosing the members to constitute a National Executive body. This means that each and every party member has a say. Non party members, supporters or otherwise, have a natural right to criticise each step the PL makes and Dr. A Borg Cardona and his stooges never miss a minute to exercise their right.
Jason Micallef was not unseated from his position, only the party delegates can do that. Mr. Micallef was asked to step down and at least he had some sense to realise that he hasn’t got the right credentials and empowerment to be effective. Jason had all the clout to stay there or refer to the General Conference. He made a wise choice.
Very interesting comment Bocc and I for one, not being a 'tesserat' of either the LP or NP have no right to criticize either.
But then, don't forget that if the LP, Joseph in particular, has deemed it right to disregard some 900 paid up Labour Party delegates who elected Jason so overwhelmingly a year or so ago, then who is to say that we, the outsiders may not comment on the juicy tit-bits the LP insists on doling out on the onset of each of the year's four seasons?
Besides, without colourful exchanges from both sides, five year long election campaigns get to be a bit boring!