Accurate article

The opinion piece by John Vassallo, ‘The sad plight of the innocent Palestinians’ (October 30) was lucid and accurate. It was also courageous for being written in this age of intimidation and censure. Would that it succeeds in communicating the truth despite the prodigious propaganda.

Trevor Parry – Ireland

Palestinians check the destruction in the aftermath of an Israeli strike on the Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, on November 1, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. Photo: AFP

Ominous quiet

Raymond Bencini (September 27) rightly asks what is the Medical Association of Malta doing about Silvio Grixti, who seems to have been a major player in the scandalous benefit fraud orchestrated by top politicians and others, including the OPM and God knows who else.

Right now, there are a good number of influential people, in government and elsewhere, running round like headless chickens and trying to avoid the barrage of flak and fallout which by now should have been coming their way.

Also, I think Eddie Aquilina does a great job in his piece ‘A frontal attack on democracy’ (September 30), which gives a wider insight into what governance and corruption in Malta has degenerated to.

But, wait a minute, I would imagine that the lull in the outcry, which should be shaking the island to the core, is probably the result of all those involved frantically trying to bribe and persuade investigators, through backhanders and nepotism that exists in the most corrupt country in the Med, in order to make things disappear into the ether so they could avoid the backlash. And since politicians, MPs and the OPM are said to be complicit in this heinous crime, perhaps medical professional bodies had their finger in the pie as well.

Having worked with regulatory bodies in the UK for the last 15 years before I retired (medical, pharmaceutical, dental, chiropractic, etc., councils) on Fitness to Practise committees, I can tell you that every medical professional suspected of even being remotely involved in such a fraud would have been suspended forthwith and investigations commenced immediately. The government would have been hounded by the media to investigate, to initiate public inquiries and to publish statements.

As I said, the reason that all has gone quiet in Malta is most likely because those involved are dashing for cover and those in authority are trying to find ways to cover up for their friends and family who happen to be involved and who might implicate them.

I mean, how come there does not seem to be a public outcry yelling for justice, the same way that is manifested by those ignorant crowds that attend political mass meetings to be conned into voting one way or the other?

Does anyone ever wonder why no EU representatives have yet jumped in and started to investigate what is now a serious fraud that involves buying votes, which, hence, translates into general elections being rigged? This is stuff of Third World countries.

Paul Brincau – Uxbridge, UK