19 September 2011

Mary, don't ever kiss this guy

Saviour Balzan puckering up his lips
Like most people, you probably had a hard time watching the horrific footage of Shweyga Mullah recounting her ordeal as a nanny at the Gaddafi household.

Hearing her describe in soft tones how Alina Gaddafi repeatedly poured scalding water over her head simply for refusing to hit her (Gaddafi's) toddler defies logic. Let alone emotions. Alina Gaddafi posed for photographers in a black negligee. But it was not as black as her heart.

Like every decent human being you probably felt joy and pride when as you watched the footage of Ms Mullah being brought over to Malta for treatment. 

The uncontainable kiss that nurse Mary Bezzina gave to Ms Mullah in the ambulance on the way to Mater Dei from the airport was iconic of how the entire country felt at that moment.

But alas, not everyone experienced the same emotions. Saviour Balzan, the managing editor of Malta Today, wrote that Shweyga Mullah was "bandied around to the press on her 'well-planned' arrival in Malta".

What is this awful, awful man trying to say? That giving Shweyga Mullah the best care possible and welcoming her here for as long as she wishes to stay was a cynical publicity stunt? That she's just a circus animal being abused in the infernal GonziPN big top? That CNN have become Gonzi's lapdogs? Words fail me. 

The moment I think that MaltaToday cannot sink any lower, they do.

16 comments:

Rita Camilleri said...

this man is warped and pathetic.

silvio said...

I agree Malta did the right thing with this unfortunate girl,and she deserves all the help and love we can give her.
But we have to be hypocrits,not to admit it was a publicity stunt,and nothing else. What is being done to help this girl,could have been done to hundreds and hundreds of other wounded men women and children,but of course it would not have hit world news.
Yes, we did the right thing but let us not overdo our hypocrisy.

BondiBlog said...

@ Silvio - Malta has given more than it's fair share of help to Libyans and citizens from around the world, including the wounded. Help that was acknowledged yesterday in Malta by Jalil/Gibril, who are now running the country.

silvio said...

Can you state how many of the hundreds of wounded,have been brought for treatment in Malta?
I would be surprised if it is over 20 persons.

C said...

Lou, if this act is one of solidarity then it should not deserve political attention. But it clearly does. Why?

The fact is that none of us had ever criticised Gaddafi before the rest of the world (i.e. the US and Europe). Now that Gaddafi's out of the picture (or as soon as we realised so), the local political parties try to take credit, opposing the competing party.

The question to you is this: Why does this still happen in Malta? Why is the media so obstinate in keeping the average Maltese so ignorant?

We couldn't care less about the journalists' opinions about what happened. Give us the facts and we'll do the Math.

In general, Malta and the Maltese are changing. The media's approach needs a CHANGE too. The ones who realise this first, will prevail.

BondiBlog said...

@ C ... Where did you get the strange idea that an act of national solidarity should not be reported? Should we cancel l-Istrina then?

"The fact is that none of us had ever criticised Gaddafi before the rest of the world" Agreed.

"Why does this still happen in Malta? Why is the media so obstinate in keeping the average Maltese so ignorant?" I am not sure I know what you mean.

C said...

In fact the Maltese president has encouraged us all to see the Istrina differently.

The point about the Maltese media is that it should no longer take something as simple as helping this woman, and try to either paint it in red or in blue... That's all.

Antoine Vella said...

The truth is that many Labour supporters (especially the infamous 'Elves') are deeply galled that Malta once again featured positively in the international media (that "state of the art hospital" comment must have irked so much)so they childishly say something spiteful to vent their frustration.

Manuel said...

@ Antoine Vella. May Mater Dei be recognised the world over for the state-of-the-art hospital it is. All Maltese are proud of this sublimely-construed and superbly-constructed edifice.

If only the hotel services it offers to locals who are not the centre of global attention matched the beauty of the building and the skills of the medical, nursing and other professionals who labour within it.

Anonymous said...

@Mr Antoine Vella;
Min jaf kemm inkazza certa Mr.Vic Laiviera.

silvio said...

May I remind Mr.Vella that it was Dr. A.Sant who was the first who said that it was a "State of the art hospital"so I don't see why the Labour supporters should be"deeply galled"etc.
I sincerly don't understand why we have to bring politics in everythin
I fear the day when P.N.supporters will stop eating melons,because they are red and P.L. supporters stop using Arriva busses because they are a shade of blue.
I think it's time for some to grow up.
Don't you agree Mr.Vella.?

Charles said...

My only question is why was this covered by the Media whilst (as you stated) the media has hardly covered any of the many other wounded Libyans that were brought over for medical attention??
Wouldn't this be an exercise in Public Relations?
On the other hand I am not saying that assisting this girl was wrong and that this should not have been done, but a good deed needs no publicity!!

Anon 2 said...

By no means is the fact that this girl is being helped wrong ... but the transparent attempt at taking political mileage was nauseating to watch. As someone else said, why wasn't the same sort of publicity afforded to cases where the victims were not as recognisable as Shweyga Mullah?

Besides, I find the act of a nurse kissing a patient in full view of a camera (because Shweyga is a patient like any other - or should be) very unprofessional.

In effect I don't think that people are actually responding negatively to the fact that Shweyga is being treated in Malta (not at all), but to the way the whole thing has been publicized ... and to the way international recognition of the fact that Malta has featured in the ordeal of a (by now) internationally-known figure has been milked relentlessly, eagerly and somewhat clumsily.

Antoine Vella said...

Silvio, yes, by all means do grow up.

silvio said...

@Anon2.

Perfectly said. I agree completly with you.

Anonymous said...

Just an evil evil man. He is very dangerous for Malta.
Malta Today is only good to wrap anchovies.