Mark Anthony Sammut

Din hi l-opinjoni tiegħi dwar il-kwistjoni ta' Franco Mercieca, li dehret fil-ġurnal 'Illum' ta' nhar il-Ħadd 16 ta' Ġunju 2013, bħala tweġiba għal dawn il-mistoqsijiet: X'jidhirlek mill-kwistjoni ta' Franco Mercieca? Qed tingħata l-importanza mistħoqqha jew hija 'blown out of proportions'? Temmen li l-waiver lil Franco Mercieca kienet żball? Taħseb li l-pożizzjoni ta' Franco Mercieca għadha tenibbli? Taqbel ma min qed jgħid li għandu jirriżenja? Taqbel li din il-kwistjoni ma kienetx mistennija mill-Gvern u li qed timbarazza lill-Prim Ministru? Id-dħul ta' Franco Mercieca bħala speċjalist tal-għajnejn hu ħafna aktar minn dak ta' segretarju Parlamentari. Taqbel li din ir-raġuni tiġġustifika l-waiver? Taħseb li d-diskors li kien sar fuq l-onorarja issa qed jaffettwa negattivament lid-deputati Laburisti? Naħseb li l-kwistjoni kollha tal-każ ta' Franco Mercieca hija l-kawża viżibbli tal-ħsara li għamel il-Partit Laburista

Article by Christian Peregin in the Sunday Times of Malta , 18 June 2013 Three months have passed since Labour was elected to power after a long period in opposition. Christian Peregin  speaks to analysts to see what they are making of the situation. If you thought a change in Government would bring the economy to a halt and spark street violence, the past 100 days have proven you wrong. But if you thought Labour was so well-prepared for Government that it would change the country overnight, you were also sorely mistaken. “It reminds me of an infant starting to walk,” says former editor of The Sunday Times of Malta Laurence Grech. “They will tumble, fall, and commit mistakes but eventually I hope they will find their feet. The fact they have been out of power for almost 25 years has a bearing on this,” he says. The Government has certainly given a fresh push to some sectors that were neglected by the previous administration. Transgender people have been given the ri

L-opinjoni tiegħi ippublikata fuq inewsmalta .com Jekk l-ewwel mitt jum huma indikazzjoni ta' kif ħa jkun qed jimxi Gvern fil-kumplament tal-leġislatura, l-indikazzjonijiet ma tantx huma sbieħ. Rajna Gvern li ftit jimpurtah mill-interess nazzjonali, imma jpoġġi l-ewwel l-interess partiġġjan. U biex jagħmel dan, mhu qed ikollu l-ebda skrupli, la etiċi u lanqas umani. Bdejna bir-riżenji sfurzati tas-Segretarji Permanenti u l-Bordijiet tal-Awtoritajiet, inklużi dawk regolatorji li għandhom ikunu indipendenti mill-Gvern fl-operat tagħhom. Rajna l-istess Bordijiet jimtlew b’kandidati, kunsilliera, Sindki, jew nies li ħarġu għonqhom fil-kampanja elettorali tal-Partit Laburist. Sa anke qed immorru għall-estremità li nipproponu nibdlu l-liġi biex anke Membri Parlamentari jkunu jistgħu jpoġġu f’dawn il-Bordijiet, mingħajr ma nikkunsidraw il-kunflitt li jinħoloq u r-rwol propju li għandu jaqdi deputat. Twarrbu nies apolitiċi u tal-affari tagħhom bħal Perit Felice, ftit ġranet qabe

This article  was published in the Times of Malta on the 11 June 2013 Quite a number of articles have been written about the controversy surrounding the President and the Malta Community Chest Fund. Considering how the Maltese hold the fund to heart, and how generously we contribute when we are asked to help, this came to no surprise. I was most taken aback though, by  an article on the Times of Malta  penned by Andrew Azzopardi, who happens to be a member of MCCF’s board. In his attempt at damage limitation, he follows a line of thought which I find to be not only fundamentally flawed but intrinsically dangerous, especially when it comes from someone who lectures at our highest academic institution. The main gist of his article is that we should turn a blind eye to the board and the President’s behaviour because the cause is good, the President has done a lot to raise the MCCF’s profile, and Darleen Zerafa, the President’s relative who was offered the scholarship, works tir

Do you remember Muscat on Bondiplus, when he and Gonzi had to react to a number of statements made by the presenter? One of them was:  ‘in politics you may not always be able to tell the truth’. Gonzi had reacted with a clear: “Definitely not. You must always tell the truth, above all, in politics. This is a cardinal principle.” Muscat had replied: “Sometimes you have to tell the truth.” In the first three months of his premiership it has already become apparent that the 'Sometimes' is going to be pretty rare. In three months, Muscat has already officially lied three times. He lied when government denied that Micallef was going to be made V18 chairman. He was later in fact made. He lied when he said that he had successfully negotiated a special deal with the Commission regarding the Excessive Deficit Procedure. The Commission has flatly denied any special agreement , and reitarated that the EDP opened against Malta follows the procedure established by the treat

When the man who defended them, or might potentially do, visits them to announce on his own an amnesty for the 'celebration of the election victory'. Are we by any chance investing in our post-Ministerial clientele, since we can't get the Parliamentary honoraria? It seems it is now fine to have both Justice and Home Affairs under the same Ministerial portfolio. Especially now that the man in charge of the prison, the Police, the Army, the Courts of Justice, and the Attorney General's office is not only one and the same, but also a top criminal lawyer, making his interests now much more conflicting. Where's Franco Debono when you need him?