Jagħmel tajjeb il-gvern jekk se jibqa’ jara kif iżomm responsabbli lil Skanska u oħrajn għax-xogħol tal-mistħija li wettqu fl-isptar Mater Dei. Mill-bidu sal-aħħar il-bini ta’ dak l-isptar kien imniġġes bit-tmexxija ħażina li bla dubju ssarrfet f’korruzzjoni.
Is-sabiħa kienet li sa mill-bidu nett, il-muntatura għall-isptar kienet waħda ta’ qdusija. Il-fondazzjoni San Raffaele, immexxija mill-qassis Don Verze, kienu se jagħmlulna favur eċċezzjonali billi jiġu fostna — hekk qalulna.
Mill-ewwel xammejtha tinten. Meta ġie jkellimni Don Verze, biex mingħalih jimpressjonana b’kemm kellu poter, qalli li jekk indoqqu d-daqqa tiegħu, iġib miljuni ta’ self b’imgħax baxx mill-Kunsill tal-Ewropa. Bewwiġtu ‘l barra.
Konna bdejna ndaħħlu strutturi separati u trasparenti, ta’ disinn, ta’ twettiq tal-kostruzzjoni u ta’ sorvelja tax-xogħlijiet biex għall-bqija tal-binja jinżammu kontrolli serji fuq kif isir ix-xogħol.
Wara l-1998, il-gvern ta’ Fenech Adami żmantella kollox. Ħalla l-binja tibqa tielgħa “għal riħha”. Twettqu xogħol ħażin u korruzzjoni qabel. Hekk reġa’ ġara.
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Effie
Effie Mifsud ma kienx jidher fl-aħbarijiet. Ix-xogħol politiku tiegħu baqa’ jagħmlu għal għexieren ta’ snin. Fl-aħħar tal-ħidma tiegħu, mexxa l-Brigata Laburista. Kien jemmen fiha, stinka biex iżommha ħajja.
Nies ġenwini u attivi bħal Effie kienu u għadhom fost l-aqwa sostenji tal-Partit Laburista matul is-snin.
Il-kummentaturi tal-lemin fil-midja li xxaqleb lejn il-PN xebgħu jżebilħu lil dik li kienet il-Brigata Laburista. Hawn ukoll, bħal ta’ spiss, marru żmerċ.
Veru li fl-aħħar snin tagħha l-Brigata ma rnexxilhiex tirrifletti l-bidliet fis-soċjetà tagħna. Imma Effie u sħabu li kienu jmexxuha baqgħu sal-aħħar jagħtu xhieda tal-ħeġġa tagħhom biex jikkontribwixxu għal titjib fil-ħajja tal-ħaddiema u wliedhom.
Grazzi Effie.
Nagħti l-kondoljanzi profondi tiegħi lill-familja ta’ Effie Mifsud għat-telfa li ġarrbu.
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Trojan
Fir-rumanz ġdid tiegħu “Trojan”, Alex Vella Gera jibqa’ jesplora tema li tirrikorri f’kitbietu: kif ċirkostanzi moħbija jew sigrieti fil-ħajja ta’ persuna jsawru d-“destin” tagħha.
Ir-rumanz jiffoka fuq il-ħajja ta’ Ġanni Muscat, kittieb tas-snin sittin, awtur ta’ rumanz wieħed. Jispiċċa bużbetku, ikkakkmat fir-reliġjon, u ffissat fil-qtates. L-aktar li naqraw hu dwar l-aħħar snin tiegħu, imma bit-teknika li juża Vella Gera – ta’ narrattiva li tmur lura u ’l quddiem – nieħdu ħjiel ta’ kif żviluppat matul is-snin il-personalità tiegħu.
In-nisġa tar-rakkont setgħet żelqet fil-melodramm. Ma jiġrix hekk bis-“sorpriża” tal-aħħar li tavvelena s-sigriet ta’ Ġanni Muscat, waqt li tħalli sigrieti oħra mdfuna.
Ħadt ħafna gost naqra r-rumanz. Biċċiet minnu setgħu kienu aktar kompatti (bħall-episodji tal-qattus). Oħrajn iżommu ritmu eċċellenti (bħal meta Muscat iqum billejl biex jifli r-rikordji tas-sigriet ta’ ħajtu).
English Version – Holiness and corruption
The government will be doing well if it persists in holding Skanska and others responsible for the shameful work they carried out at Mater Dei hospital. From beginning to end, the construction of that hospital was undermined by bad management that without any doubt, bred corruption.
The irony is that right from the start, the launching pad chosen for the project couldn’t have been holier. The San Raffaele foundation run by the priest don Verze were going to do us an exceptional favour by coming here, so we were told.
I always thought this suspicious, to say the least. When post 1996, don Verze came to visit, in order to impress with the reach of his influence, he told me that if we played it his way, we would get a loan of millions at low interest from the Council of Europe. I showed him the door.
Indeed, we had begun to set up separate and transparent structures for the design, the actual construction and monitoring of ongoing works, so that for the remaining stages of the project, serious controls would be in place.
Post 1998, the Fenech Adami administration dismantled everything. Construction went on in coughs and gasps. Before, there had been bad workmanship and corruption. They recurred.
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Effie
Effie Mifsud never featured in newscasts. Yet he was active in politics for long decades. At the end of this involvement, he led the Labour Brigade. He believed firmly in it and worked hard to keep it going.
Genuine and active individuals like Effie have been and remain the best assets of the Labour Party during its long life.
Columnists writing in the PN leaning media were always ready to vilify the Labour Brigade for as long as it was there. But here too, as usual, they missed the point.
True, in its last years the Labour Brigade failed to reflect adequately the changes happening in society. Even so, Effie and his comrades who ran it till the end gave an enduring testimony of their determination to make a contribution towards an improvement in the lives of workers and their families.
Thanks Effie.
I extend my profound condolences to his family for their loss at his death.
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Trojan
In his new novel “Trojan”, Alex Vella Gera continues to explore a recurrent theme of his — how hidden or secret circumstances in a person’s life shape his/her “destiny”.
The novel focuses on the life of Ġanni Muscat who started out as a writer back in the sixties of the previous century and managed to write one novel. In his old age, he has become embittered, fanatically religious and a cat lover. We get to know best his later years, but the narrative technique deployed by Vella Gera — as it snaps forward in time and then back — allows us to have some understanding of how his personality developed.
The plot could have slipped into melodrama. This is avoided due to a final twist in the story that debases completely Ġanni Muscat’s life secret, while allowing other secrets to remain buried.
I enjoyed reading the book. Some parts could have been less exhaustive (as in the episodes where cats make an appearance). By contrast, at other points an excellent rhythm is maintained (as when Ġianni Muscat wakes up in the middle of the night to re-examine the stored mementoes of his secret life).
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