"The experts will decide in the best interest of the child"

Minister Helena Dalli has repeatedly assured the Maltese public that in processing adoption applications, it will be experts who'll decide whether the prospective parents are fit for adoption and whether the adoption will be in the best interests of the child.

One would have assumed this board of experts to be made up of social workers, family and social researchers, psychologists...people qualified to assess children and prospective parents.

But if we have a look at the Taghna Lkoll photo album, look who we've got deciding whether a person is fit to adopt or no:

A 22-year old law students who's only qualification is being the daughter of Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera and the niece of Parliamentary Secretary Jose Herrera.

Guess that is enough to merit you the title of adoption expert in the new meritocratic, taghna-lkoll Malta.

Now Hon Helena Dalli, say it again with a straight face:
"It ... will ... be ... experts ... who ... will ... decide ... in ... the ... best ... interest ... of ... the ... child"

Maybe I just need to update my definition of the word "experts".

Daphne ma nqatlitx ilbieraħ

Daphne ma nqatlitx ilbieraħ.
Daphne inqatlet meta esponiet traffikanti tad-droga, bil-provi u bir-ritratti tagħhom, u dawn flok ġew arrestati sabu Gvern jgħattilhom. Għax il-papa kien midħla tal-Partit. Għax kien ħabib tal-Ministru.
Daphne inqatlet meta esponiet korruzzjoni fil-Korp tal-Pulizija, meta esponiet spetturi u kuntistabbli li kienu kompliċi mal-kriminali, u dawn flok tkeċċew sabu Gvern li jtihom il-promotions. Anzi, min minnhom kien laħaq tkeċċa qabel, sab Gvern li reġa' daħħlu lura.
Daphne inqatlet meta esponiet bil-provi każi ta' ħasil ta' flus fuq livell internazzjonali, minn reġimi dittatorjali, u l-Kummissarju, l-Avukat Ġenerali, u l-politiċi tagħna, flok ħadu passi raw kif għamlu biex l-evidenza tinqered jew titħalla taħrab.
Daphne inqatlet meta l-Avukat Ġenerali u tliet Kummissarji tal-Pulizija in fila, raw quddiemhom il-provi ta' kriminalita' organizzata min-nies fil-poter, u għalqu ħalqhom u m'għamlu xejn.
Daphne inqatlet meta l-politiċi tagħna ħ…

Daphne wasn't murdered yesterday

English translation of this original blogpost in Maltese.
Daphne wasn't murdered yesterday.
Daphne was murdered when she exposed drug traffickers, with photographs and evidence, and instead of being arrested they found a government ready to cover up for them. Because their daddy was into the Party's circle. Because he was a friend of the Minister.
Daphne was murdered when she exposed corruption in the higher echelons of the Police Force, when she exposed inspectors and police officers involved in criminal circles, and rather than seeing action being taken we saw a government rewarding them with promotions. And re-instating those who had been expelled in the preceding years.
Daphne was murdered when she exposed cases of money-laundering on an international level, involving high-profile politicians from dictatorial regimes, and our Police Commissioner, Attorney General and politicians, failed to take action. Rather, they sought to ensure these crimes were covered up and the evidence…

Il-kont tad-dawl u l-ilma...qed tinsteraq?

Ftit tal-ġimgħat ilu, il-gazzetta The Malta Independent investigat kif is-sistema l-ġdida ta’ kif qed taħdem il-kontijiet l-ARMS kienet qed twassal biex il-konsumaturi jirċievu kontijiet ogħla milli suppost (ara hawn). Diversi ekonomisti u akkademiċi wkoll tkellmu fuq dan u spjegaw kif dan qed jiġri, fosthom Marie Briguglio.
Kif qed jiġri dan? Ħa nipprova nispjega ftit kif taħdem is-sistema. Ir-rati li bihom tħallas għal kull unit mhumiex l-istess. Biex jiġi inkuraġġit li kemm jista’ jkun wieħed ma jikkunsmax aktar milli suppost, hemm skali (brackets) ta' prezzijiet li jogħlew skont il-konsum. Kif tindika t-tabella hawn taħt, jekk ma taqbiżx ċertu ammont ta' units f'sena, tħallas prezzijiet b'tariffi aktar baxxi, u aktar ma wieħed jikkonsma, aktar jiswew il-units. S'hemmhekk sempliċi.

Sa ftit tas-snin ilu, għalkemm numru ta’ familji kienu jirċievu kont ta’ stima kull xahrejn jew kull tlieta, il-kont attwali kien jinħadem fuq perjodu ta’ sitt xhur. Dan kien ifisser l…

Mark Anthony Sammut

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