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| Nicola' Abela Garrett |
All the ingredients were there for the re-staging of the Davida and Goliath set piece. A gutsy, attractive, 20-year old theatre studies university student confronts the boorish Minister Austin Gatt.
Nicola misses lectures because her bus fails to arrive as the Transport minister strides to his chauffeur driven Jaguar. Nicola' valiantly berates the minister and he mutters 'No problem', possibly while contemplating another 20 years of PN government.
As political theatre, you couldn't make this stuff up.
Sure, on her Facebook wall Ms Abela Garrett told the Minister to take it f'"Oxx Ommu" (click below). And this about my aunt Marie Louise who is no longer with us.
And sure the day before she told her friend Matt Bonanno, a journalist with The Times, that she was going to give him a "story" (click below).
But we were all 20 at some point were'nt we? These are the sort of things you say and do at that age ...
But we were all 20 at some point were'nt we? These are the sort of things you say and do at that age ...
40 comments:
From Facebbook
Catherine Giurdanella NOT in the right way but she is right! NOT only for transport matters!!!
Derek Fenech I don't agree with such expressions of frustration however when Dr Sant had visited University and the students en masse had given a theatrical show of foul language and obscenities, surpassing the one of Ms Garret, I do not recall that you or other columnists came out to condemn the act. Oh wait your blog wasn't online at that time :)
Philip Vella I dont recall reporting the ones that started swearing in front of Super One news cameras..Did you Mr Lou Bondi??
From Facebook
Pamela Brincat ANYTHING WRONG??? SOMEONE WANTS TO HAVE ANY REVENGE OR SOMETHING??? SHE WAS RIGHT!!! HE FAILED IN PUBLIC TRANSPORT AS WELL!
Mario Vella heh. swift intervention to spare the bastard's (taht's Austin) blushes. I don't see how this makes an iota of a difference. Student pissed off at King Boor, discovers King Boor is visiting, decides to humiliate him, not jsut humiliate him but tell her journalist friend to report as well in order for the humiliation to reach its desired effect. KUDOS TO THAT. More people should follow suit
Mario Vella I fI knew Austin gatt would be turning up anywhere near I'd be more than eager to throw him a couple of expletives as well. Waht matters in this case is, whether premeditated or not, the girl managed to serve him what he deserved and what most seem incapable of serving him.
Antonella Pace Cassar she was one with golden eggs, we need more like her......... a MINISTER couldn't find an answer and now he's trying to take revenge on her pffffffffff HE IS REALLY SUCH A SHAME!!!!!!
Jonathan Azzopardi Actually on the Times the minister was quoted "I was a student once and I expect nothing less from a student, but to speak her mind and publicly express her protests without fear.
"I can assure her that there is absolutely no animosity and I consider the case as closed.
Since you pointed it out please permit me to point out something for you. In the background that you do have a family relationship with Onor. Austin Gatt, do not take these insults personally. Was what she did correct? She had a point yes but the words could have been put better, although please do quote when your family was mentioned, I did not read this anywhere. What I did read was Ms.Nicola's apology later on. I suppose it's only fair to mention this as well.
Konvint li Joseph Muscat jitlobha tohrog maghhom. Iva konvint. Ghandha l-kwalitajiet kollha biex tohrog mal-Labour. Iz-zmien itiena parir.
Ms Nicola BISKUTTINI F'HALQ IL-HMIR. Your only problem as a 20 year old is to get to lectures on time. My problems were way different when I was 20. I couldn't get into university without a parrinu, I couldn't read In-Nazzjon on the road (It was called N-taghna cos we weren't allowed to say NAZZJON). my weekends were spent going to mass meetings to fight for democracy, not knowing if we would return home safe and sound, after a beating from the members of the police force. I can go on, but instead ask your parents for a lecture of what it was like to be 20 in the 80's. They could while away your time on the bus stop and then you wouldn't call Dr. Gatt an FW.
What's the big deal with this story, we are so parochial that even a non-event like this makes the news. So Ms Garret is understandably frustrated and acted her age - big deal. Public Transport in Malta has been inefficient for decades, Arriva have slightly improved it, but there is still long way to go.
Minister Gatt should be happy he is in Malta.
It would have been tomatoes or rotten eggs anywhere else.
Kos kemm jinbidlu z-zminijiet!! Ara x'kien jigrilha din l-istudenta kieku ghamlet hekk f'dawk iz-zminijiet meta ohrajn bhali konna ghadna nattendu Tal-Qroqq. Tghid mhux kienu jehduha sad-depot u joffrulha xi kafe u bil-kwiet kienu joqghodu jikkalmawha!!
Sewwa issir taf din l-istudenta li llum setghet taghmel hekk ghax hafna kienu dawk li fit-tmeninijiet sofrew swat biex f'pajjizna jkollna d-demokrazija u l-liberta tal-kelma.
Maybe Nicola's reaction was way too much. Agree on that. But the arrogance of Dr.Gatt is well known. He failed on this one. I have to be on the Bus stop at least 90 mins before for a 10 mins ride everyday to go to work. Thanks to Dr.Gatt today I got all wet for the planning of shelters on Bus Stops not to mention in July & August in the Sun. Unfortunately until today Arriva failed big time. I know what I'm saying because unfortunately I use the service at least 3 times a day. Drivers attitude improved, but my wage didn't since unfortunately on a couple of occasions I arrived late at work and had to pay the consequences. Unfortunately today I consider my self an ex PN supporter and one of those that won't even bother to mark election date on his diary. And all this because of politicians like Dr.Gatt.
I sent a comment to The Times but am not sure they'll upload it so please allow me to repeat it here.
"This little incident brings up another issue not yet addressed by those who have so far commented.
Political correctness in Malta has reached the point where, if a man uses vulgar language (as Ms Abela did) or cracks a dirty joke within earshot of a woman, she may accuse him of sexual harassment and take him to court (or report him to the Special Advisor on Sexual Harassment if it happens at the University). We’ve seen it happen some months ago in a workplace.
Well, the use of obscene language by this student should open our eyes and make us relax a bit: women – even tal-pepe girls - know all about swearing and will happily mouth vulgarities when it suits them.
Real sexual harassment does exist of course, and is a crime, but perhaps it’s time to put things back into perspective and not let political correctness go too far."
Helen , are you implying that because you had "a Bad time" when still a student,to-days students shoud thank GOD, they are better?.
Times change,and above all if you had a bad time it could be because you had no guts to fight for you rights.You where just a bunch of cowards. All you ever did was tie youselves to the railings at Castile.
I was just wondering how long it would take for the mud slinging machine to set in. How dare she speak out!
I'm sure that with this performance, Ms. Abela Garrett will pass her finals with straight A's and will go on to become a great stand-up comedian.
What a pity that our money is being wasted on such crackpots who cannot get their priorities right.
When I was her age, apart from the fact that the Faculty of Arts didn't exist, I had to sweat blood to get to University because I came from a Church school. This spoilt brat made such a scene because she's arriving late. We used to try to make a scene because they would not let us enroll to University, and we used to get batons, not cheers in return.
If this brat is not making it to her lectures on time, she should wake up earlier. Period. That's what I do to get to Valletta for my job every day.
@ Helen. How tiring you lot are! So because the 80s were screwed up big time and nobody in his or her right mind would argue with that, we are to just shut up and accept mediocrity for ever, just because today's mediocrity is better than the mediocrity of the 80s!
Dear Nicola,
your outburst is living proof of the stupidity of ex minister Joe Grima's allegations that in Malta, there is a democratic deficit.
Has ex-minister Grima forgotten how protesting university students were treated on October 1977? If he has, let me assure him, the students of then ,have not fogotten.
We're living in 2011!!! Gejja tghid Helen bil parrinu, nazjon u meetings for democracy!!
She had the guts to tell him what every Maltese person who uses public transport want to tell him!!
When everyone was finding hard to get from one place to another cause of the chaos of the service Dr Gatt was having his sip of drink in his seafront flat at Marsalforn relaxed!!! Ofcourse he has a Gozitan id to pay less for the ferry and a chauffer to get him around wherever he wants to....
What is he.....affraid of the Arriva directors?? After 3 months of this bad service he should do some action!!! I'm sure that each manager of his own business will act if his employee does such a thing.
Perhaps Nicola misses the old bus drivers.
Perhaps she doesn't remember when Austin Gatt's residence was picketed by a number of individuals led by their association president, all through the night.
They were concerned with his DNA.
Perhaps she's not aware that someone is resisting any finetuning to kick the foreign partner out. And that certain rags won't say this to grind her axe.
The ones who won't have her remember the eternal transportation of steel on its direct route to the reconstruction of the seat of learning and the halls of justice.
It was a 'spontaneous demonstration by the aristocracy of the workers.'
Mater Dei is just next to the seat of learning, why doesn't she hop over to see what's happening there? The ophtalmolgy department makes a good start, as does the trauma unit. Too many broken Arabs.
Nice one Nicola, interesting how many facebook friends you've made.
Anyone called Ronnie Pellegrini?
Anyone who likes Lorry's legacy?
Tell me Nicola, do you do this as a matter of principle, or is it just an alignment of the planets?
Or maybe you were doing an Herrera?
The Gozitan Bodicea who thinks Austin and his ilk aren't family?
Oh by the way, don't try doing this at the Manoel christmas panto, you risk bringing the house down. Literally.
Now hop along and do some research.
The problem with most of the old fuddy duddy Nationalists (with all due respect of course) is that they think the country owes tthe Nationalist party everything and that we should vote Nationalist forever because thirty years ago they got us out of the rut.
They do not realise that using the same mantra ad infinitum will back fire. Young people are naturally rebellious and I can just see them voting Labour just to spite the traditional Nationalists.
One thing that got me thinking when I saw James Debono's last survey was not how large the Nationalist majority was among university students, but how much Labour had gained. PN had 26% while Labor had 22%. I think if you compare this with 2008 you would see a major step forward by Labour.
dear Helen i think you have major problem.... you'r stuck in the past cause i cannot see what your past has do to with arriva problems.
This Nicola should consider herself lucky to have a tax payer -funded university with a teatricals course for her to practice in. In 1977 ,there were university students who were unable to sit for their final exams because their faculty was closed summarily by Mintoff and his toady ministers ,and entry to it barred by bullies and chains. The students who dared to protest ended up beaten up and arrested by the police.
Tista tghidilna Nicola, x qed tiggwadanja Malta - u jien personalment bhala tax payer- talli hi qed tithallas biex tmur titghallem tikkummidja fil-kors tat-tejatrini?
Jekk din l ghazziena ippatentjata ma tridx toqod tistenna il-karozza tal- linja, tmur timxi jew tirkeb rota u mhux tkompli tahli il-flus tat-taxxi tal-Maltin bil-kummidji OXXeski!
Tfajiet tampara imorru jahdmu shift ta' ghaxar sieghat kull jum biex ihallsu it-taxxi halli hi tixxOXXa!
The new bus service is a mess and what this girl did is understandable. Having said that, I see nothing brave or rebellious in what she did...there's nothing brave in sticking your neck out when you safely know that there won't be any thugs such as those around Lorry Sant or Wistin Abela. As for those who are saying that what happened 30 years ago is in the past I say WRONG! Given that Muscat is surrounding himself with dinosaurs from that era and rehabilitating those shameful times as the "golden years" the PN and it's supporters are perfectly entitled to continue bringing up the past.
But there’s more. Ms Abela Garrett told The Times that she spent two hours waiting for a bus to take her from Attard to Naxxar. There is no such bus.
She also told the newspaper that she has been missing lectures or turning up late because of the bus service, but there have been no lectures since June and the university only opened again last Monday, with no lectures that day or Tuesday. So unless she missed lectures on Wednesday, the day of her ‘teatrin’, she can’t have missed any lectures at all.
Funny how this didn’t click with The Times’s reporter.
(Copied from daphne's Blog)
Checked by my self from university and Arriva customer care and resulted 100% True.
The Times of Malta should check things first before reporting such news and make some home work before making someone look like a hero everything was orchestrated well even the times reporter was informed before.Maltatoday style of Journalism.
It is very sad to see a university student use such uncivilised and disrespectful words towards the Minister's mother. I met Mrs. Marie Louise Gatt once at her home and although bed ridden (and I think in her eighties) she impressed me with her impeccably sharp mind. She was doing a cross word puzzle from an Italian news paper and she told me the clue of the last entry to complete her puzzle. Even before she finished telling me the clue she strongly insisted that I should not tell her the answer! I humbly told her that propably, even if I tried hard it will take me scores of Italian books to get to the answer.
James Farrugia, Manikata
Att teatrali miftiehem minn qabel....fejn naraw issoltu lill-cameras tal-one imorru press conferences tal-ministri li jhabbru investimenti? fejn naraw il-cameras tal-one jibqghu mixghulin waqt li ministru jkun miexi? issoltu tal-one imorru biss joqghodu jistennew lil xi ministru biex jistaqsuh xi mistoqsija patetika minn taghhom...mhux biex jiffilmjawh ihabbar xi investiment....kollox igieghlni nissuspetta li kien hemm xi ftehim biex dan l-att teatrali ikun jista' jigi iffilmjat....min jaf forsi lil din it-tfajla pastazuna se jaghmluha the new Lorry Sant u johorguha mal-partit tal-Lejber...ghax Lorry Sant u shabu (li ghadhom hemm illum) ma kinux jiddejqu juzaw kliem baxx u pastaz fil-parlament...!!
1.Firstly the Times should see that it’s journalists are real professionals and not some comedians like our friends of Malta Today… (hacking some PBS Chairman)
2. I admired Austin Gatt press release which finds me in total agreement, as he said there it starts and there it stops… you are on campus… then if all was orchestrated I pity this ‘small’ lady! she looked for some quick/cheap publicity which will harm her general reputation although it seems that in today’s world funny unprincipled people are the order of the day and here Cyrus comes to mind…..
Possibbli li f'dan il-pajjiz tant ghanna flus x nahlu li lil studenti inhallsuwhom biex imorru jitghallmu it-tejatrin l universita?
Mela tlifna mohhna f dan il-pajjiz tal-Mickey Mouse?
Ahjar nibdew nibzu ghal flusna billi insellfu , mhux naghtu senza interessi li stipendji u innaqqsu min certa korsiiet li minnhom , il- pajjiz u il-poplu ma hu qed jiehu lura assulutament xejn lura!
Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country.
Veru li f'universita ha jifthu korsijiet godda (bl istipendju sintendi) fil- pole-dancing,strip-teasing ,dagha fahxi u copying/ pasting quotable quotes fil-facebook?
ara kieku ghamiltha fi zmien il-labour fit tmeninijiet eh, taf daqqtejn kont taqla!!
Boo-hoo! So she said 0xx ommhu and she knew she would offend him in public. So what?! We need more people like her to put our politicians were they should be - serving the people.
"Attractive", WTF?! I thought you were into objective journalism!! :-pp
Times of Malta shared a link.
Thousands of students protest across Italy against budget cuts - timesofmalta.com
www.timesofmalta.com
Thousands of Italian schoolchildren and students took to the streets countrywide yesterday to protest youth unemployment and education budget cuts by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s centre-right government.
Like · · Share · 14 hours ago
Emanuel Micallef likes this.
Emanuel Micallef Where are our students? There is so much to protest about locally! And it also effects them personally as a whole and their future as citizens. Wake up before it is too late.
13 hours ago · Like
Emanuel Micallef
Director at malta civil serviceStudied at Institut International D'Administration FrancaiseLives in MarsaskalaFrom Cospicua.
TRID TARA BIEX TEMMEN LI kumment bhal dan inkiteb fil facebook min direttur tal malta civil service.
And here's my reply to you and the rest.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/matt-bonanno/my-side-of-things-by-matthew-bonanno/262837083754952
we say girls have no balls well Nicola proves us WRONG we should take her example and do what she did to the Prime
Minister too and it should not be ILLIGAL!
When I was her age I was beaten up at University by the aristocracy of fucking wankers fresh out of the Dockyard, complete with pipes and chains. My vote and my choice got her where she is today. I wonder where her vote and her choice will land her children.
The beaten up by pipes time is long gone I do remember those times too but I av put that time behind me we can call today's beaten up by pens time and if get beten up with a pen then you are ruiend for LIFE if you know what I mean!!
Please note that my access to the Malta Today' site has been automatically blocked because my comments about labour's atrocious past had no answer from PL apologists. So whoever is responsible for this rag has come to their rescue and blocked my access.
What i found utterly boring in reading these comments is: in 1977 and in 1980 and in 1985....right i am sure that the past was tough...Because you see in 1565 thousands of maltese died for the country in the great siege and there was no mule service at that time...Now we can either go like little children and have grudges for the past and accept the slaps we get from the leaders of our country or we can fight back and admit where there is right and where there is wrong!
Some of you also mentioned 'she's in theatrical school?! what kind of a stupid course is that?' Well allow me to be frank here. I would be quite sure that if there was an opportunity to go to 'theatrical school' and achieve her ambitions she might as well would have done it WITHOUT university. So clearly this means that the governemnt wants to spend your taxes so that people like her can find a future place to work without needing to complain about how dear things around us are becoming.
Finally i want to make it clear that what the student said was clearly in a fit of rage as it might have been seen at first sight. but looking at it from a broader perspective the woman was having some great trouble with the arriva buses. I would have said something to the minister but something like: When do you intend to change the transport system and omproving it!? are you just gonna sit by and idly watch in your BMW your fellow citizens suffer in the cold or in the blistering heat whil you have your aircondition and heater in your 'free fuel' car?' So yes the student could have been a little more formal. JUST A LITTLE.
Be logical please. All right 'democracy granted us freedom of speech'...i will pretend i did not hear that...this country is not a democratic one. It is lead by a party which is demochristian. Think through before blabbering uselessly for such a system of governement still denies certain freedom of speech and press. Have a good day.
Nicola should not have said " no shame, no shame " but "shame on you, shame on you, stand down". That should have sent a better message.
Maltese people who live outside Malta are watching you all. What a mess with the Transport Ministry! Forty years ago when I was still in Malta there was no problem with transportation, except of course on strike days. Have the Maltese population made 40 years of strides backwards?
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