Mark Anthony Sammut

This was posted today on a personal blog called  cominorepublic . I don't know the blogger but this post sums up precisely what's going wrong in the Maltese psyche. This is the link to the original . I am copying here because it's everyone's must read. The Taghna Lkoll Protocol 1. Joseph Muscat’s movement, whose seeds were sown almost four years ago with his “Inhobbkom” announcement to an already fawning public has finally reached full cult status. The absolute obliteration of values other than those that contribute to the neutering of the mind is manifest with every step the movement in government makes. The only universal values of the movement are (a) We are not political (read divisive), (b) We are proud Maltese, (c) We are all-inclusive. 2. Elsewhere this has been described in different terms (Prozac Nation was one of them) and what this amounts to is really an opiate of the kind described by the bearded fella from Trier. For although the cult does have “va

Five young PN politicians, including myself, were interviewed by MaltaToday about what led to the PN's defeat at the polls and what the PN should do to reinvent itself. The below are my replies. Why did you join the PN? I joined the PN because it's the party which most reflected my political values. Free market, lower taxation, individual freedom, the emphasis on education to empower the individual, and believing in Malta's place in the European Union as an equal partner. In the past few years did the PN give enough space to young persons and women? I think women did and still do have an equal opportunity to voice themselves and work in the Party, not only through the MNPN but also in the central structures. Both the President of the Executive and the President of the General Council are women, and elected without the need of quotas. Having said that, all Party branches including MNPN and MZPN need to reach out more to get youngsters and women to participate

A short note of thanks to the 544 voters who gave me their first-preference in the Gudja Local Council elections. This was an increase of 101 voters from four years ago, which positively reflected a 4% increase to the Nationalist Party in our locality, contrary to the national trend of the other elections held on the same day, and which has finally translated to a second seat for the Nationalist Party in the Gudja Local Council. I welcome Stefan Caruana, the new PN councillor elected, and newly elected PL councillor Demelsa Grech. Well done also to John Mary Calleja and Romeo Baldacchino, both re-elected as Mayor and Vice-Mayor respectively. And finally, thanks goes to George Fenech, Clayton Abdilla and Raymond Caruana, who though not elected were ready to offer their services to contribute towards our locality. I also wish to thank the voters in the Fourth and Fifth districts who trusted me with their vote on my first try at contesting the general elections. I vouch to kee

Artiklu tiegħi li deher fil-ħarġa tal-'mument' tal-Ħadd 17 ta' Marzu 2013 Nibda billi qabel xejn nirringrazzja lil dawk kollha li urew fiduċja fija bil-vot tagħhom fl-elezzjoni li għaddiet. Minkejja li ma ġejtx elett, se nkompli nagħti sehmi u l-enerġija tiegħi fi ħdan il-Partit Nazzjonalista. Il-Partit Nazzjonalista tilef bil-kbir. U quddiem telfa bħal din, l-ewwel u qabel kollox irid ikollna l-kuraġġ nagħrfu b’umilta’ l-iżbalji. Mingħajr ippuntar ta’ swaba, mingħajr konklużjonijiet mgħaġġla, imma b’sinċerita’. L-ewwel pass biex tibda tfieq huwa li tifhem x’kien il-mard. F’din l-elezzjoni ma nemminx li  ġew riġettati l-policies, li f’ħafna minnhom ma hemm xejn differenti mill-Partit Laburista,  imma iżjed l-istil ta’ tmexxija. Biex niġbor kollox fi frażi waħda, ngħid li f’dawn il-25 sena edukajna poplu imma fl-aħħar snin ma trattajniehx ta’ edukat. Irridu nammettu li tajna stampa ta’ arroganza, u li din l-arroganza m’għadux postha fis-soċjeta’ tal-lum. Iż-żmien

Ilbieraħ kellimni statista. Raġel sempliċi u umli, li tani kollox mingħajr ma tani xejn. Kulma tani kienet il-liberta' li naspira għal kollox mingħajr ma niġi bżonn ħadd u xejn. Ħlief li noħlom u naħdem għal dak li nixtieq. U xfaru d-dmugħ. Għax ftit min-nies li ltqajt magħhom dal-ġranet, lesti jarmu kollox: il-viżjoni, l-ideal, il-ħolma, għax iqisu biss il-ftit tagħhom. Għax insew għalxiex jissejħu Nazzjonalisti. Insew li l-ġlieda tagħhom kienet kontra uħud mill-affarijiet li illum qegħdin jitolbu għalihom. U għax ftakart ukoll li uħud inqdew bih. Dawk li ppruvaw iwaqqfuh mit-twettiq ta' din il-ħolma, illum qed jgħidu kemm kien tajjeb. Kemm kien kbir. U ilbieraħ ġie. Kellimna. Għadu kburi b'pajjiżu bħalma kien snin ilu. Kburi li ta' warajh għadhom qed jibnu fuq dak li wettaq. Ta' pajjiż fejn tista' tirnexxi waħdek. Ta' pajjiż ta' kulħadd. Għax pajjiżna għandu storja, li waslitu biex illum, pajjiżna diġa hu tagħna lkoll. Ilbieraħ fuq

The end of this electoral campaign has come. Next Saturday, we will be deciding who is to lead our country in the coming five years, and who is going to represent us in Parliament. It's been a long journey, but personally it was an enriching one and full of new experiences. Meeting you in your homes, during social activities, and at mass events, was a pleasure. It was an insightful encounter with the realities being faced by people outside of my usual 'comfort zone' - a unique experience that I will treasure and that I hope I will keep building on. I believe the Nationalist Party has what it takes to keep leading the country forward, as it managed to do during the worst recession of the past 80 years. I also believe that I can give a positive contribution to my country and my Party in the coming five years, and that's why I have presented myself as a candidate for the coming elections, and why I'm asking you to trust me with your vote. Below is a final video

Dan l-artiklu deher fil-ħarġa tan-Nazzjon tas-Sibt 2 ta' Marzu 2013 Qiegħdin nismgħu ħafna kritika u xetti ċ iżmu dwar il-wegħdiet elettorali kemm dwar dawk li qed isiru mill-Partit Nazzjonalista kif ukoll dwar dawk tal-Partit Laburista. Kontra ta’ dak li għamel il-Partit Laburista, il-Partit Nazzjonalista ta dettalji ta’ kemm sejra tkun l-ispiża, wegħda b’wegħda. Minn naħa l-oħra, il-Partit Laburista semma’ figura globali mingħajr ma ta dettalji. Jidher li jibża’ jagħmel dan għax meta ta ħjiel tal-finanzjament meħtieġ għall-proposta tiegħu dwar il-power station li twebbel li jibni, din il-proposta mhux biss kienet deskritta minn esperti bħala mhux fattibbli fiż-żmien li qiegħdin jgħidu huma imma wkoll li l-figura tal-ispiża hija kważi in-nofs li fil-verità t irrikjedi! Din id-disfatta fil-kalkoli finanzjarji hija reflessjoni ċara tan-nuqqas ta’ ħila tal-Partit Laburista fejn jidħlu affarijiet finanzjarji. Għall-kuntrarju ta’ dan, il-Partit Nazzjonalista wer

This article  was published in the Times of Malta on Thursday 28th February 2013 In a few days’ time, voters will be choosing who will lead the country in the coming five years and who will be representing them in Parliament. This is not an instinctive decision to take. It is not a gamble. Therefore, amid the colourful billboards, nice slogans and rhetoric, it’s important for the discerning voter to focus on the important. On the priorities. On the essentials. The world has just been through the worst economic recession of these past 80 years, from which it has not yet fully recovered. In many countries, banks crumbled, governments collapsed, jobs were lost, University fees raised, pensions reduced, health services diminished, tourism suffered. In many countries, people are suffering the consequences of populist decisions and the failures of governments to take the necessary hard decisions because of electoral needs. Not so in our country. During this recession, the Nat