.png)
.png)
.png)
Lawrence Gonzi in full defence of Cachia Caruana, who faces resignation motion
Richard Cachia Caruana's succinct comment about Labour motion: ‘Don’t believe all that George Vella says’.
5 May 2012, 12:00am
Miriam Dalli
Miriam Dalli
2 min read
Eminence grise... as one of the Nationalist government's chief strategists, Richard Cachia Caruana remains highly influential and indispensable for the PN.
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi mounted a defence of permanent representative to the EU Richard Cachia Caruana, as journalists at the Nationalist party's think-tank AZAD prodded the Brussels' ambassador for his reactions on an Opposition motion calling for his resignation.
"Richard is an ambassador for Malta," Gonzi - whom the motion calls on to ask Cachia Caruana to resign should it pass by a simple majority in the House - told the press.
Asked whether he was comfortable about a motion that could have the backing of at least three of his own government MPs who fell out of favour with Cachia Caruana - who still enjoys considerable influence in government as a Cabinet member, albeit unelected - Gonzi leapt to his ambassador's defence.
"He has been our permanent representative for the past eight years. In fact, we are today celebrating the eighth year anniversary of our membership. It's strange how the Labour Party doesn't celebrate it," Gonzi said.
He added that today, the PN was celebrating an accession which was made possible by the people "and also by Richard Cachia Caruana."
Cachia Caruana was participating in a rare public appearance to give a talk on the past eight years of Malta's membership of the EU. After negotiating Malta's accession, Cachia Caruana - formerly the personal secretary to prime minister Eddie Fenech Adami - was appointed permanent representative in 2004.
The Opposition has accused Cachia Caruana of behind-the-scenes manoeuvres when he successfully managed to overturn Malta's unconditional withdrawal from Nato's Partnership for Peace in 1996, into a 'suspension'. His so called "procedural bandaid" allowed Malta to rejoin PfP and gaining access to EU-Nato meetings it was previously barred from, without having to go for parliamentary approval. Malta rejoined PfP a day after the Nationalist government was re-elected in 2008.
Cachia Caruana's reactions to the motion moved by shadow foreign minister George Vella were rather succinct: "Don't believe everything George Vella says."
Vella's motion is in the main inspired by contents revealed in the US embassy cables published by Wikileaks.
The government has proposed that Cachia Caruana be grilled by MPs in the foreign affairs committee in parliament, something the Opposition has not refused by not by way of excluding debate on the motion.
Miriam Dalli joined MaltaToday.com.mt in 2010 becoming assistant editor f...
•
How can gonzi not defend RCC, it was him who made lawrence gonzipn leader in his race against Dalli and Galea. What mad dog would bite the hand that feeds it. I guess RCC has enough gosip on gonzi that the latter does not even dare think anything but good about RCC.
•
Cachia Caruana's reactions to the motion moved by shadow foreign minister George Vella were rather succinct: "Don't believe everything George Vella says."....No, we believe what the Cardinal has to say!
•
Mela tajjeb,qabel il GWU ghax kienet tattendi il kabinet kien zball,u issa ghax din il persuna tattendi il kabinett tajjeb !!!!!!!!
Ghal linqas,Dr.George vella tela,ghax telawh n-nies,dawn min tah dak d-dritt sogrsant !!!!
S-sahha li ghandu min tajielu,il-partit jew il poplu !!!!
Issa iridu naraw lill Franco Debono kif ha jivvota ghax skond hu dan ghandu ''sahha divina''.Z-zmien itiena parir.
Luke Camilleri •
Birds of a feather....
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/2008/11/02/sbalzan.html
In his Brussels post, the Cardinal has created a regime which is by far the costliest operation to come out of Malta, and one best described as extravagant by our standards. In 2008, his activities in Brussels cost the Maltese taxpayer as follows:
i. Salaries: €1.18 million
ii. Allowances: €1.98 million
iii. Rent (not of offices): €153,000
iv. Repair/upkeep: €109,200
v. Hospitality: €11,000
A total of over €3.5 million. Not bad, considering that apart from all these expenses, four years ago the Cardinal captained the purchase of a mega-embassy complex known as Dar Malta for the price of €20.8 million
•
edyjoyce one more thing. The EU also wanted the Maltese Government to increase factories rent because it said that the rent charged was not commercial. Did I hear Lm28 per square metre? I think so. The Gonzi Government had to increase it because Gonzi was ordered to do so by the EU, but due to the election being so near and the EU is more happy with our obsequious Gonzi Government it allowed Gonzi to increase it less for the time being and name it service charge. That is how things are made by the EU and our obsequious foreigners lackey in Government.
•
Mourinho: Tiftakat dawk il-karti imqssmin lejliet ir-referenum jghidulna: " JEKK TIVVOTA IVA INSIRU EWROPEJ. JEKK TIVVOTA LE INSIRU AFRIKANI ".Dahhluna fl-UE u INLEJNA BL-AFRIKANI !!!!!!!Issa gejna aghar milli intlejna bl-Isqallin ! Pero qed nintlew ukoll bil-kriminali Bulgari u Rumeni. U lil dawn ma nistghux nergghu nibaghtuhom lura pajjizhom ghax Malta saret taghhom daqs kemm hi taghna ! Mela ghandek ghal x'hiex ticcelebra ! Evviva !
•
Antoine Vella: And just shows what a hopeless judge of character YOU ARE !
•
I remember the fuss the PN made when the GWU had a cabinet post-something I do not agree upon, even though it represented thousands of workers- but this is ridiculous, a person, who is not even elected, is given a cabinet's post. I bet it runs in the family, because with the PN,things,important things are planned and executed in the 'salotti' of certain Maltese families, without the knowledge of Pn's bloggers brigade, who are simply foot soldiers, no more no less!
•
Ftakru wahda hbieb li il-familja GONZI dejjem hsara ghamlet lil-mahbuba malta taghna.Staqsu lil-missirijietna u jejdulkom.
•
Cachia Caruana's comment about George Vella shows what a good judge of character he is.
•
Richard Cachia Caruana's succinct comment about Labour motion: ‘Don’t believe all that George Vella says’.
Le nemmnu lilek Sur RCC u lill parrinu tieghek EFA u l-gideb fahxi li gdibtulna qabel ir-referendum ta l UE. Misskhom tisthu li akkost li slahtu l voti bil gideb dahhaltuna hemm gew!!!
•
Richard Cachia Caruana's succinct comment about Labour motion: ‘Don’t believe all that George Vella says’.
Le nemmnu lilek Sur RCC u lill parrinu tieghek EFA u l-gideb fahxi li gdibtulna qabel ir-referendum ta l UE. Misskhom tisthu li akkost li slahtu l voti bil gideb dahhaltuna hemm gew!!!
•
@Mourinhio...in 10 yrs time.. the
•
Obviously not all things that the government has done are completely wrong. But the Gonz has definitely lost his touch with the people out there. At the moment all that the prime minister is doing is just campaining his image and imaginary successes.
If some fundamental questions are asked:
What about the smart city joke of the year jobs?
What shall be the future of airmalta?
What about the current promotions at the moment that are being given to blue eyed chosen ones in different institutions? meritocracy is definitely not the order of the day!
What is this sick joke of sending propaganda ninvestu fik u fil futur tieghek!
The list is endless! Prime minister Do us a favour and admit your complete failure and shortsightedness !
•
edyjoyce You forgot the more than 1 Billion euros left in MAlta's coffer by the PL Governments which were squandered by teh PN Governments and the some 6,000 MILLION euros national debt contracted by PN Governments. You forgot that the EU is also having a slice of the VAT pie, all the customs duties and levies while we pay the customs officers to collect them for the EU. ALso remember that we have lost the cheap Libyan oil because the EU ordered our obsequious lackey PN Government not to renew the contract because it said that cheap oil for Malta causes unfair competition to its mainland industries. Remember that we lost the money from the Italian Protocol, the interests on the foreign reserves that we had to transfer to the European Central Bank when we joined the disastrous euro, the mysterious vanishing act of more than 14 tons of GOLD left by PL Governments which have now been diminished to some 100 kilos by the PN Governments without any explanation and without the money appearing in any budget. These are only a few examples that spring to mind among many others which I am sure that anyone can point out.
•
Dr Gonzi qed jiddefendi lil RCC. Kburi hafna li dhalna fl-EU. Sewwa. Kien ftahar hafna bl-irlanda. Din marret zorba. Kien ftahar hafna li dhalana fil-Euro u alla hares ma dhalniex bla bla bla. Din ukoll marret zorba. Tghidx kemm tkaza bl-Islanda meta inqalet il-kwistjoni finanazjara tat-2008 u qal ara xi grala billi l-islanda ma hix fl-EU. Issa ara r-Reuters x'qed jghid fuq l-Islanda Dr Gonzi u ghidilna min hu l-ahjar, hux min hu qed fl-EU jew min ghandu rajh f'idejh bhal l-Islanda? Il-poplu ghandu jimxi mal-proverbju malti " Isma bil-fors, emmen jekk trid"
•
Qeghdin taraw kif meta tkun tal-qalba u tal-klikka kemm iqum jigri “il-Par idejn Sodi” jew “il-World Leader”, imma meta il-poplu ingenerali ikun involut, imur jivvota kontra ir-rieda tal-Maggoranza bhal ma ghamel fil-Ligi tad-divorzju, jivvota bil-qalb biex jgholew il-kontijiet tad-dawl u l-ilma jew jiehu xi €500 fil-gimgha allavolja jigi jghidilna li ninsabu jew dehlin fi-krizi. Hallina Gonz forsi nibdew naraw ftit progress, ghaliex dak li jisthoqlu dal-poplu u mhux il-mizerja li dahaltna fiha u sakem iddum hemm ha nibqu nizlin l-isfel fil-mizerja li inthom in-Nazzjonalisti kapurjuni ghalija. Taht Dr Borg Olivier kien hawn il-faqar, taht il-lejber tlajna ftit il-fuq mhux hazin u kelna ftit rasna mistrieha, telgha Dr Fenech Adami u nefaq dak li l-lejber ghamel, bhala riserva ta flus, deheb u assi ohra w int Dr Gonzi tahtek sbarazzajt kollox u mhux biss imma dahhaltna f’dejn u deficit enormi ghaliex smajt mill-ex Ministru tal-Finanzi “id-dejn ihalsuh uliedna, ulied uliedna, ulied uliedhom, ulied uliedhom u Alla biss jaf kemm il-generazzjoni trid tghaddi biex nergu insibu ruhna fejn finanzjarjament spiccajna fis-sena 1987, meta il-poplu kellu flus bizzejjed biex isiefer biex imur jixtri bicca cikkulata.
•
man in the stree kumment perfett. mourinho mela ma rajtx l-ahbarijiet li wiehed sqalli mar lura ghax tkecca mix-xoghol f'MAlta u ghamel suwicidju? Miskin, imma dan mhux ukoll kien qed jiehu xoghol u hobz cittadin Malti? Jiena stess rajt Taljan jitkellem ma wiehed mill-managers biex jibda jahdem Malta. Imbghad kontghaddu z-zmien b'min kien jghidina li jigu l-Isqallin jehdulna xiogholna u ghadek tipprova taghmel hekk minkejja l0-provi kollha li ghandek. U tantx tahlef li se nibqghu fl-UE, l0-ewwel nett ghax mod jew iehor il-poplu jrid jerga' jinghata cans li jghid jekk iriddx jibqa' jew le, u barra minn hekk l-UE ma tantx baghala hajja grazzi lis-Sinjur Alla.
•
Nistiednek tigi sal kcina tieghi sabiex niccelebraw dik il grajja tal misthija, fejn ahna laqwa fl'ewropa hares ftit lejn t toroq,trab konna nibilaw u trab ghadna nibilaw barra il hofor (CRATERS).KIF MA JISTHUX DAWN N NIES. sur gonzipn.u ddahakniex.
Igor P. Shuvalov •
"Don't believe everything George Vella says." These arrogant people believe that they are the only people who speak the gospel truth.
•
vera ardit dan il bniedem. tal anqas lil Dr George Vella tellghuh in nies biex jirrapresentahom lilu min tellghu?
•
Our great leader Gonz has said that : ' In fact, we are today celebrating the eighth year anniversary of our membership. It's strange how the Labour Party doesn't celebrate it." Can our great leader tell us how the PN has celebrated the eighth anniversary? Perhaps by a reception for PN supporters only? Or by a rise in the price of diesel? @ mourinho: mhux li-Sqallin biss hadulna hobzna, izda l-pajjizi kollha tal-EU. Idhol fil-hwienet u fil-lukandi u hlief Inglizi, Irlandizi, Francizi, Spanjoli u ohraijn ma tarax.
•
yes....8 years in the EU !!! ghalina u ghall- uliedna !!
The anti EU and or EU sceptics are still banging their feet and trying to convince us that by becoming EU members jigu l isqallin u jehdulna hobzna !! as they used to say..
Above all, the most important is that we are in the EU to stay for good...and no KMB or EDJ will change that ,no matter how many figures and phrases they produce.
•
I dont think that Cachia Caruana should be grilled by the Committe but he should be grilled (welldone) by parlament. after all the motion is to be discussed in parlament not in a comitee where the GonziPN has majority. Cachia Caruana was never representing all Malta. how can it be when he formed part from the stratigic group of GONZIPN for election.
•
What is there to celebrate about Malta's entry into a modern colonial era ? The many millions of euros we have been ordered to pay Greece ? Or the hundreds of millions we are guaranteeing for the EU's bailout fund ?? Or the €72 million a year which is costing the government to implement EU laws, as revealed by the think tank 'Open Europe' , besides the millions we are
paying each year to the EU budget - last year another €66 million ?? Let GonziPN and those who eat and drink from the EU's gravy train celebrate !
