Living in the countryside is a lifestyle choice associated with the fresh air, the greenery and the calm. When we chose to move into a converted chateau a while back (it’s converted into apartments mind you) we had the idea of rural countryside bliss in mind. What I did not count on is the cock (tee-hee – note: this bracket has been included to fit with what counts as trendy in this day and age) that is a permanent fixture in our neighbour’s menagerie.
This morning I was unable to find the snooze button on the persistent sound that seemed to have taken over my alarm clock. The crowing of the cock was surely planned by the same devious bastard who had scheduled early morning mowing of lawns and clearing of paths on Saturdays in the Parc de Merl. I am sure that this particular rooster has a magna cum louder (sic) in statistical mechanics and opts to crow at apposite intervals designed to torture the brain of even the most innocent bystander.
Trying to catch an extra half hour snooze in the morning? Epic fail. Give me urban regularity any time. I must say though that I am definitely not looking forward to the noises of Paceville waking up in the morning come (tee-hee) next week.
Debts
I am no genius in the grander economic theories of the way things work in our lives but I follow the news enough to know that what happened last night in the US of A will have huge repercussions on the order of things in the Western World (and par consequence beyond). The lawmakers of the great nation finally agreed on a manner in which to deal with impending doom of financial meltdown. They did so by voting for the only way out – increasing debt levels and increasing spending cuts.
We might have the very wrong impression that this will only affect people on the other side of the ocean but while we are immersed in navel-gazing exercises and dabbling with redefining Maltese concepts of political correctness (wrongly, I hasten to addf) the bite of the current treatment phase of the financial armageddon will definitely be felt in Malta too. I can’t wait for the next government to reopen the whole “Hofor” speak. The really cool (it’s sarcasm Jim, but you wouldn’t know it) thing is that the two options we have: Inhobbkom J or a New Faction of PN could both choose to blindly blame it on the Gonz while navigating the economy into darker waters. Spiffin.
To Do or not To Do
I currently have the attention span of a bluebottle fly in a rubbish tip. That is probably why blogging on J’accuse has become even more sporadic than is usual in the desert of the summer months when most people do not even sit at their pc’s anyway. In any case the appointed date for the joining of fates approaches at breakneck speed (1hr/hr) my mind seems to have wandered into a capsule which I timeshare with various to-do lists that are my curse.
It’s not like I have to plan Malta’s new transport system or anything but in between little chores related to nuptial preparations, moving of houses and final touches at the workplace before the long Ferragosto, I find myself swimming in a sea of shifting deadlines that defy any attempt of self-control.
There. That has to be it for the day. We hope you have enjoyed this running commentary of random ramblings from the greyish skies of Luxembourg. Have a good one till the next post. And don’t forget we are also on tumblr for the experienced browser’s perusal..
This is the J’accuse column from yesterday’s The Malta Independent on Sunday (July 31st).
I cannot stand conspiracy theories. Worse still, I cannot stand most conspiracy theorists for their willingness to accept half-truths and bent facts much more readily than keeping their feet firmly on the ground. The stubborn manner with which a conspiracy theorist will bark out his “facts” and non sequiturs, without pausing to allow some much needed oxygen to reach his brain cells, is extremely frustrating. For someone who cannot stand conspiracy theories, the behaviour of Malta’s press world (commentators included) over the past week has been crazy to say the least.
A series of curious incidents that would each merit a separate chapter in the burgeoning annals of Maltese political and social eccentricity were pounced upon by a media circus that was all too eager to fill columns and pixels with whatever qualifies as a “scoop” or “exclusive” this day. The colourful summer recipe included some amateur spinning, some hastily assembled assumptions, a dash of insinuations and (in most of these cases) plenty of blind hope in partisan savoir-faire.
Cyrus the grate
If you set aside the Norway massacres, the latest life-vest thrown to the euro and the stories about the US’s battle to avoid economic hell (or if you actually thought of those before), then you would probably be thinking of the manner in which Cyrus is getting his name slapped across the headlines. He seems to manage to do so with grating irregularity and has long surpassed the star factor that his fellow councilman Nikki Dimech had achieved with his little bit of shenanigans some time back.
The latest instalment in the record-running show “PLPN’s Got Talent (kemm ahna sbieh min jaf jarana) is a series of events that − if you believe the conspiracy theorists − was triggered off by Cyrus’ Great Switch. Incidentally, here is one for the Black Belt Conspiracy Theorists − did you know that the name Cyrus has been linked to the Indo-European meaning “humiliator of the enemy”? Now that’s some food for thought. A kiwi, almost.
I cannot bore you with all the sordid details of the step by step accounts of what happened, who phoned whom and who called for who’s resignation. I’ll let you be bored elsewhere because frankly, if you have not picked up the various truths and colourings-in, then you might as well go on living the life of the blissfully ignorant. For those of you who love to perform the weekly hara-kiri of senseless speculation I have a few questions prepared.
A series of interesting questions
The PN first. Do you ever intend to start vetting candidates in such a manner as to avoid indecent surprises once they are elected to Parliament? Do you have any mechanism that somehow tests candidate suitability on the basis of the supposed basic set of values your party used to proudly carry? Do you still think that backing JPO to the hilt in the run up to the elections was a brilliant scheme?
And now Labour. The vetting question holds true for you too. Is it really enough for someone to say “I don’t like PN anymore” for them to suddenly waltz in and become a prized asset in your roadshow? Your “Dear Leader” called for the resignation of Edgar G C for having called the police commissioner. Are you telling me that a Labour PM would not be worried about having a politically motivated police force and that therefore no phone calls would be made asking for reassurance that none of it is happening?
Worse still, it is a fact that EGC called Commissioner Rizzo upon instigation and in the presence of Cyrus Engerer. The same Engerer is under investigation for criminal offences. The worst that could have happened, politically speaking, is that such accusations and process are now public knowledge − but that does not change the nature of the offence for which he is ultimately accused. It does not in any way absolve Cyrus from the necessity to go through the due process. My question is − given the stinking web of networks and interests that seem to be weaved into the case − wouldn’t a temporary suspension from the Labour Party be the least you could do to ensure that Engerer gets to defend himself without the burden/excuse of political manipulation?
Networks
I dealt with the role of networks in the whole story before it unfolded any further. For further elucidation do pop over at www.akkuza.com and check out the post entitled “I.M. Jack − the one about Cyrusgate”. The way I see it we have a perfectly normal course of events in Maltese politics and social life that is suddenly being given a specific twist because of the convenience it has for certain parts of the partisan charade (and possibly for Cyrus himself).
Maltese social life is based on the building of networks. As I said in the blog: our PLPN society is built on webs and connections and networks. You publicly move up the ladder and before you know it you are a wheel in the power machine: sometimes you end up using that wheel’s power in complicated rituals that involve the exchanging of favours. Within that power system lies an unwritten rule that family and close friends might be given added consideration: it’s private you know. Think of the last time you saw someone getting his friend through on the VIP list in some nightclub and then think wider, bigger.
Look around you. Whether you are at the bank or at the grocer or at the public registry or negotiating a discount on your fine with a warden, there is one thing in common. You look at them beyond the normal confines of basic social interaction. You try to get to the banker who knows you or is a cousin twice removed, you prefer the grocer who treats you as a friend or the tax assessor who is married to your office mate’s brother and hopefully you are lucky enough to be dealing with a reasonable warden. These connections are crucial (as Google+ and Facebook have long found out) because the main currency on which these circles operate is the trading of power units.
Buying power
The policeman who meets a politician in the street and guarantees that a hush-hush case will probably be heard behind closed doors is attempting to wield the power he has in his sphere of influence. You find this kind of power all over the place − take civil services everywhere for example. Sometimes it is impressive what will open a door or close another. In Luxembourg, where the civil service employs mainly Luxembourgers, I learnt a crucial lesson that oils the wheels in your favour. It was simple really. Do not address the public servants in French. Short of Luxembourgish try English. Often it makes the difference between being ignored or misdirected and getting what you want immediately without as much as a huff.
What I believe lies behind the grossly inflated Cyrusgate is the wielding of multiple bits of power with the mistaken intention of upsetting or strengthening partisan loyalties. When suspicion falls on the police force about expediting or delaying the application of justice, what we are really saying is that there is a PC somewhere who holds the key to the speed of treatment of a dossier with Cyrus’ name on it. The mere fact that he can choose to speed it up is his little corner of power. Did this constable use it to ingratiate himself with one of the two parties? I doubt it. Can it happen? Possibly. And it can happen in favour of any of the two hubs of the main networks: the PL or the PN. And that is what worries me in the end.
Think also of the intricate network of lawyering that has been mentioned. Between Cyrus’ lawyer and Marvic’s lawyer we have a confusing cross-section of party and government loyalties. It’s clumsy but it’s done. That is the problem. I have long stopped blaming the policeman or the lawyer. I blame the system encouraged by voters (you know that don’t you?). Even though it should not make sense we accept lawyers shifting between their lawyer’s cap and their political cap as though it is the most obvious thing in the world. It’s not OK. It’s far from being OK but it’s how we do it in this country − whoever is in government.
Getting what you want
There’s no knowing how Cyrusgate will end. Papers like MaltaToday will go on milking the conspiracy theory dry while caught in a web of inherent contradictions. What jars most is not the need for the press to fill their papers with gossip that sells like pastizzi, but the readiness of the observers to swallow the filth without as much as a simple question that should bring the illogical conspiracy theory crumbling down. What will remain is a series of networks that are nurtured to feed the illogical partisan politics that is becoming less and less representative of value-driven politics every day.
The question on everyone’s lips once the police were suspected to be involved in Cyrusgate was “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?” Well maybe not in Latin but the gist was there. The phrase means “who will guard us from our guardians”? The biggest worry I have goes beyond that issue. In fact, I am convinced that our guardians only operate along the social mores that we have all become accustomed to and accept. They are the same social guidelines and standards that we continue to endorse every election year. Seen in that light, the question everyone is asking should be rephrased into one that is more simple and accurate: “Who will protect us from ourselves?”
www.akkuza.com is still dispensing highhanded advice from grey and rainy Luxembourg. We’re in Malta for August though – just enough time to remember why we still bother aye?
This is the J’accuse column that appeared on the Malta Independent on Sunday on the 24th of July.
Speaking to the press after the bombing and shooting that rocked the world, Oslo Mayor Fabian Stang could hardly control his emotions. In a phone interview with the BBC, Stang spoke of how he wished he could have been on Utoya island to put himself between the heartless gunman and his victims: “I would have told him to take me and spare the young campers.” Stang’s words were echoed by both the Foreign Minister and Prime Minister Stoltenberg. The nation had been stung and the biggest tragedy among all the unfolding tragedies was that the agent of the grim reaper had chosen to target the promising youth of a peaceful nation.
Although early signals (mostly US based) pointed towards another al Qaeda linked tragedy, it seems to be increasingly probable that the perpetrator was nothing less than a crazed Christian right-winger who could have been acting on the basis of some grudge against the liberal government. Be that as it may, Friday’s focus was on the loss of life. The grief and mourning was based on a common value: that of appreciation of life and of the wasted potential among the 80 or so young men and women who were indiscriminately shot while on their political camp retreat.
Life as we know it
It is normal for a nation to mourn its dead. When the dead are the result of an extremist rampage and include large numbers of people in their youthful prime there is no end to the sense of loss. Society values life. Even the most savage of communities understands the importance and value of life − life is not and cannot be treated lightly. There is a reason why murder ranks above theft or larceny in a criminal code. It is the most obvious demonstration of the importance of life to a society. From Hammurabi to the modern day, life has been treated as the most precious gift and the taking of a life was conversely the most severe of punishments. Life, as we know it, can never be treated lightly.
If we zoom out of the zone of operations of a Christian Fundamentalist in Norway and zoom into Somalia’s regions run by Muslim extremists, we find another example of the abuse of life for the sake of some twisted political agenda. The Al-Shabab Islamists have denied western aid agencies access to the famine stricken parts of Somalia because they believe that reports of famine are all part of “Western propaganda”. The Al-Shabab control regions − Bakool and Lower Shamble − that are among the worst struck by droughts and are still refusing access to the much-needed aid agencies.
Real life choices are being made daily in the regions immediately outside Somalia’s capital Mogadishu. The image of mothers wrapping material tightly around their stomachs in order not to feel hunger pains and save whatever food found for their offspring was an image of ultimate sacrifice. It’s a recurrent story in our “civilisation” − whenever the tyrant or the crazed mass murder has left his mark, you will also find symbols of human self-sacrifice: forgoing their own right to a life in order to save others. We build our greatest narratives around this idea − from the sacrifice of sons of gods to the last Harry Potter installation when even the young wizard has to die for a while (apologies for the mini-spoiler) in order to save the world of Muggles and magic.
Sacrifice
The latest news from Norway describes the attacker as a Christian extremist. We’re dealing with labels here. As a friend commented on Facebook, you cannot describe the work of this man as madness because there is no folly in the manner of execution. This is the work of someone with twisted principles and whose value of life is severely handicapped by a tunnel vision that can only be damaging. There was a kind of sense of relief to note that the hand of al Qaeda and all things claiming to be “Muslim inspired” was not remotely present this time round. The stereotypical assessments (big bomb, big attack therefore Muslim extremists must be behind it Q.E.D) fell on their face rather quickly and there is a lesson to be learnt there too about making rash value judgements on the face of appearances.
This week we had the opportunity to learn an equally important set of lessons in Malta too. The tragic death of young Eritrean Ashih while trying to save the life of a French person at sea gave us a first, important example. Ashih had faced the perils and terrors of open sea in his gamble to start a new life away from the troubles he left behind. He had survived the first part of his Iliad and begun to build a new life in Malta. This was the Malta whose louder members tend to remind men like him that it has no use for them… that they better return to their homeland. I am sure that when he jumped into the sea he did not think for one instant that this would be his last jump. There would have been no time to think that anyway for his thoughts were selfless and his mind was focused on saving the life of another person. Which is why we should be all the more thankful and respectful to the memory of Ashih.
A life in jeopardy
Another life that is in the news this week is that of Emmanuel Cini. The man whose latest label in life is that of “disabled man” has chosen to go on a hunger strike until Austin Gatt resigns his position as minister and Arriva mends its ways. Cini’s plight hit national headlines on his second day of starving and soon became the darling and hero of those who had been making a living out of complaining about the transport system. The nation’s gossip circles got so carried away by the apparent “guts”, “balls” and more demonstrated by the poor moribund that it seemed that nobody asked themselves the simple question: “Is a faulty transport system worth dying for?”
Sure, Cini did colour his protest with the idea that he is a “prisoner in his own home” but somehow the whole shebang did have a ring of “false prima donna” about it. It definitely does not matter to the cause of protesting faulty public transport whether Cini is a bona fide sick person or an ex-gay porn star or an ex-drama teacher or an ex-claimant for other state benefits or an ex-classical radio host, but slowly there is a jigsaw puzzle of clues that point to the conclusion that the kind of help someone like Cini needs goes beyond a direct bus to St Thomas Bay from his doorstep.
His “cause” is in no way aided by those who glorify his actions and equate him to some modern day Mahatma Gandhi without pointing out the absurd disproportionality in his “ends and means” calculations. I’d hate to think that there are idiots out there who would secretly hope for to him pass away simply to be able to lump his death on Austin Gatt’s conscience.
By day five of his hunger strike Emmanuel Cini mysteriously disappeared from the mainstream press reporting. Although some people had begun to unearth his very colourful (and interesting) past, the general reaction in the press was one of silence. It may be all the better for him − his cause can never be successful because it is one that is based on a faulty premise: that the teething problems of Arriva are worth dying for. It is a premise that makes a mockery of the value of life and needs to be changed before it is too late. Cini may be in too fragile a state to notice that at most he can be a temporary tool for yet another bandwagon of opportunist jerks. It is hopefully not too late for him to change his ill-advised choice.
Life is beautiful
It is stories like these that can help us appreciate the beauty of life notwithstanding all moments of adversity. “La vita é bella” said the poet who could see it in the smallest and most insignificant of moments. At times all it takes is learning to appreciate the world around you − minus the prejudice, minus the intolerance and minus the grudges we build over time. And smile. Enjoy life… you (probably) only get one chance to do it and it would be such a shame to live to regret it.
www.akkuza.com still thinks life is beautiful notwithstanding the greyest and coldest summer in our seven years of Luxembourg life. Log on to the site for further fun tips on how to carpe diem.
You can change all the bus systems that you like. One fact remains. No matter what the new system there is always one factor that is a constant. The Maltese. Apologies for the blogging lull. Summer. Wedding. Work. That’s what’s keeping us away. Now go explain this to Joseph Muscat and Manwel Delia.
Our commenting on recent events have catapulted J’accuse into the fence of “nationalist apologist” in the eyes of many a partisan reader. There is a very simple reason for that – whenever w analyse the ills of our political society we always seem to conclude that this is a result of PLPN politics. Readers who have the tendency to (even subconsciously) want Labour in power and PN out at all costs tend to not like this conclusion because they would love to believe the alternation of government to be the solution to this kind of ills. Our most poignant observation – that alternation will only bring in same, same but different – is anathema to anyone who is itching to have their best linked power circles in power. Plus ca change… (Note: This is a long post – read it in snippets for better enjoyment).
Cyrusgate – They thought it was all over
It isn’t now. The police swoops on pater et filius Engerer shortly after the famous/infamous “switch” to Labour by Engerer Jr reminded a few of us of the haranguing of Dr Harry Vassallo (then AD Chairperson) right before the election in 2008 (see the end result here). It was not, in other words, the first time that the long arm of the law moved with curious timing and with apparent synch with the needs of the party in government. The public reaction this time round was louder because it was not insignificant AD who is “never in the news” (never did so much bullshit uttered by so many make so little sense) but newly baptised Labourite Cyrus. The young upstart who had been enjoying his meteoric rise to the political limelight was suddenly the subject of investigations relating to that conservative anathema that has the bad habit of popping up recently: porn and the dealing thereof.
We sat back and watched events unfold: from the morning indignation at the news of the police investigations to the afternoon defences by the police commissioner and the head of the Pm’s private secretariat, to the calls for people’s heads by Joseph Muscat (ever the flamboyant populist, blissfully unaware of the wider picture). Having heard the story from the press and press conferences we can draw a few conclusions from this latest track in the Cyrus LP.
“The Tangled Web”
I will start from the end. 1984 has often been cited on the social networks but 1984 and similar Kafkesque novels imply a hidden Big Brother that is centrally organised and operates intelligently. I would like to offer a different hypothesis. What if what we are talking about is a multiplicity of power structures that have been nurtured over time and thrive in the stale, unproductive environment of PLPN generated politics? Forget the metaphor of a gene-pool of PL or PN DNA and think in terms of stagnating mentalities in a cesspit of power-sharing. It is a world that most people know about but that we have become numbed by: failing to react with indignation when we see things happen.
The cesspit has generated Malta’s version of backhanders, nepotism, favours and a rota of privileged elite. It is the machine behind the skipping of the queue (thanks to recommendations and connections) and behind our race to the bottom (because of the absence of a meritocracy). The reason most people cannot bring themselves to criticise it is because at least in one point in their lives they have made use of it with a wink, wink, nudge, nudge attitude: and comfortable in the idea that “cosi fan tutti“.
What has this got to do with people like Edgar Galea Curmi and Police Commissioner Rizzo?
On a personal level, I am Cyrus’s Confirmation Godfather and care a lot for Cyrus and his family. I am deeply upset by the way certain elements in the media are manipulating two unfortunate incidents of people I deeply care for with the sole aim of defaming the Prime Minister and the people around him. As a result of these malicious stories, I have instructed my lawyer to institute libel proceedings against MaltaToday.
Let’s leave the “manipulation” bit for a little later. Let’s get into Edgar Galea Curmi’s head for a second. A Nationalist Secretary to the PM has just told the press that he picked up a phone – upon instigation of New Labour Cyrus – to call the Commissioner of Police. Somehow Edgar seems to be comforted by the idea that Cyrus (by then a representative of the opposition party) was present when he chose to phone Commissioner Rizzo.
That in itself is a big fail. When Edgar Galea Curmi calls Commissioner Rizzo there can be only two ways to interpret it. Either he is calling him in a private capacity and speaking to Mr Rizzo in a private capacity OR it is the Prime Minister’s Head of Secretariat calling the Commissioner of Police. Now given that EGC did not call Commissioner Rizzo for a convivial chat but was actually asking about events falling under the official capacity of Mr Rizzo we can safely rule the first option out. This is worse than a Minister taking a private jet plane for a private trip for example. We have an “admission” as to the content of the phone call – and it was not a private matter.
The point though is that EGC seems to be somehow comforted by his “private” link with Cyrus thanks to having been his Confirmation Godfather. The unfortunate connotations of the word “Godfather” will not help EGC’s cause much. It is also interesting to note how a relationship deeply steeped in Catholic tradition can still create such bonds in a Malta that is still shedding it’s conservative bonds. EGC’s manner of thinking is not unique. Our PLPN society is built on webs and connections and networks. You publicly move up the ladder and before you know it you are wheel in the power machine: sometimes using that wheel’s power in complicated rituals involving the exchanging of favours. Within that power system lies an unwritten rule that family and close friends might be given an added consideration: it’s private you know. Think of the last time you saw someone getting his friend through on the VIP list in some nightclub and then think wider, bigger.
“The Indignation”
The phone call between Galea Curmi and Rizzo is dangerous not because a PM Secretary has enquired about the operations of a part of the executive branch. This might, in other circumstances be entirely justified. If we were to accept that the PM’s office is worried about police action being shackled by political considerations a phone call might be the start of a wider enquiry: a public, official enquiry. The nature of the phone call and the justification makes the whole thing collapse on its face though. That kind of phone call can never be justified with private links. It is a public phone call with public repercussions (which is also why EGC should be less worried about “malicious interpretations” at this point).
Joseph Muscat would have been entirely justified for his indignation at the phone call and calls for resignation. But – and here comes the but – what Joseph failed to factor (unless he has already cynically factored this) was Cyrus Engerer’s role behind the infamous phone call. If, as Edgar Galea Curmi says, the phone call was made upon instigation and in the presence of Cyrus then we have the ultimate example of PLPN twisted thinking. Some people would say “the Lord is my witness” but in our convoluted way of thinking in the cesspit of our politics what better and stronger an argument than “a man from the opposition is my witness”?
What many people will not see is that behind that kind of justification lies the very existence and spinal column of PLPN networking. They can and will work together if necessary. In most other instances EGC’s phone call would have been ok by their standards. It could, after all, very well be Joseph’s head of secretariat in a few years time who is returning the favour. The only problem here is that Cyrus is a hot potato at the moment and Joseph can rarely resist a foray into quick vote grabbing fields. By pointing his finger at EGC though, Muscat has also inadvertently (or full-knowingly) pointed his finger at Cyrus. Muscat probably knows that right now (as we said earlier) he can get away with murder… and is probably banking on the fact that voters will be too preoccupied with the hubbub to be able to see the side of the equation that implicates his own party’s latest prodigal son.
“The Police”
A few words on the police. I have discussed this case with card-carrying Labourites and card-carrying Nationalists and moderates. Three hypotheses stood out. “The Nationalist Revenge” – a policeman in the Sliema District out on a payback mission for Cyrus’ defection. “The Big Brother Revenge” – this elaborates further with various power circles from the PN fold implicated as instigators for the police action (imagine the pressure from a district heavyweight who has been royally pissed off at Cyrus for example). Thirdly “the Sacrificial Lamb” – with a labourite push (either labour-leaning police alone or with the connivance of some Labourite politician) to use Cyrus in order to damage the government’s credibility even further. Nobody seemed to subscribe to “the Harry Vassallo Option” – in August 2008 the police report into Harry’s case showed that the timing was simply due to incompetence and slow working of the police force.
Even without proof to confirm any of the three theories what impresses me most is the fact that strongly convincing theories can be advanced that involve power-circles topped in each case by members, sympathisers and well-wishers of the two political parties. To me it matters little at that point whether one or the other turns out to be the hero/villain in this particular case.
What matters to me is that I would like to see both wiped out of their concentric circles of influence. What turns me into the cynical armchair critic that I am is the realisation after so many years that the system is so inbuilt into our thinking that it is near impossible to get it to budge one inch.
Se vogliamo che tutto cambi, bisogna che tutto rimanga lo stesso – what a motto for the PLPN mentality.
Quis custodiet ipsos custodies? asked the wittier on social networks. Who will guard us from our guardians? Maybe we should stop worrying about our guardians and ask a more important question:
“Who will protect us from ourselves?“
Some folks are born silver spoon in hand,
Lord, don’t they help themselves, oh.
But when the taxman comes to the door,
Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale, yes,
If last night’s reports turn out to be true it seems that the PM got over any qualms that he might have had of meeting hunger striker Emmanuel Cini. The reports also mention a fruity break to the hunger strike when Cini ate a kiwi. It was Emmanuel’s 10th day of striking and the hype around the man had all but subsided. While the positive side might still be that Cini did not meet a useless death for the sake of a transport reform, the whole story has given us loads to reflect about the way our press reacts in the face of such stories – not to mentiothe lack of ethics demonstrated by political opportunists.
