It's not because you're gay
Maybe it's because I'm orientation-blind, along with being colour-blind and oblivious (I hope) to any other cause of discrimination, that I can't understand what Josianne Cassar was going on about when she wrote on Sunday that Cyrus Engerer's defection has resulted in a spasm of gay-bashing and lifted the veil of hypocrisy that surrounds gay rights.
It goes without saying that Ms Cassar was getting at the PN here, mainly because it seems that nothing good can ever emanate from the PN side of the political equation for her.
Ms Cassar cites insults directed towards Engerer (she mentions rubbish, in both the versions adopted by the vernacular, racanc and imbarazz) as evidence of the tolerance breakdown that has become manifest within the PN's ranks, shock horror.
I beg to differ.
If you watch Engerer's last speech to the PN General Council (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UXOURd4Zg0) you can see and hear him praising the PN as the party of inclusion, diversity and what have you and lauding the PM quite fulsomely.
This speech was delivered on 27th June last, not even three weeks before Engerer seems to have undergone a Damascene experience of epic proportions, prompting him to scuttle off down the mooring lines into Joseph Muscat's "Progressive, Moderate, Liberal Movement" (or whatever they're calling themselves just at the moment)
Not to put too fine a point on it, it was Engerer's resignation and immediate defection to the Labour Party, while at the same time saying he was going to be an Independent in the Sliema Council, where he had been elected as a Nationalist, that prompted people to call him names, not his sexual orientation, which is his business and no-one else's.
I was going to call this blog "No, it's not because you is black" but I didn't think everyone would get it, and "It's not because you're gay, it's because you betrayed your own words" was a bit too long.
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Mr Max Xuereb
Jul 21st 2011, 09:09
Love the Ali G reference at the end
Mr Antoine Vella
Jul 20th 2011, 20:14
Josanne Cassar used to write delightful little pieces about her lunches with celebrities. it's such a pity that she gave that up and decided to try and imitate Daphne Caruana Galizia by writing about social and political issues. Ms Cassar is totally out of her depth when it comes to such subjects.
MaryJo Camenzuli
Jul 20th 2011, 08:23
CYRUS ENGERER, Kunsill Ġenerali Partit Nazzjonalista, 17th June 2011:
“ Kemm jien kburi li qiegħed nindirizza l-Kunsill Ġenerali, għax matul dawn it-30 sena, il-Partit Nazzjonalista kien il-forza politika li spirat bidla u progress, immodernizzajna l-ekonomija u tajna tama ta’ futur aħjar lill-ġenerazzjonijiet il-ġodda.
“ Ksibna d-demokrazija, u ma waqafniex għax ridna l-aqwa u l-aħjar u ħdimna biex Malta saret membru tal-Unjoni Ewropea, fejn saħħaħna l-valuri tas-solidarjetà, tolleranza u ugwaljanza…
“Ksibna dan kollu flimkien, u dan is-suċċess ħadd ma jista’ joħodhulna. Qiegħed nirrappreżenta dan is-suċċess anke f’Tas-Sliema. Hemmhekk, bi kburija, kuljum, f’isem il-Partit Nazzjonalista, niddefendi l-valuri tagħna…
“ Bħalma esperjenza l-Partit bosta drabi, kull sfida tista’ tintrebaħ u Malta għandha bżonn lill-Partit Nazzjonalista…
“ Jgħidu x’jgħidu tal-Partit Laburista, u jpinġuna kif jippruvaw ipinġuna, aħna għandna l-aqwa tim li għandu jkompli jiggverna lil dan il-pajjiż. ”
.
Mr Mario P. Sciberras
Jul 19th 2011, 19:01
ABC refers to Joseph Muscat's "Progressive, Moderate, Liberal Movement".
ABC claims to be "Progressive, moderate and Liberal"
Maybe ABC will contemplate doing a "Cyrus"
Imagine if he had to "hop the fence"
Andrew Borg-Cardona
Jul 19th 2011, 21:50
I do not "claim" to be anything, I simply am.
Mr Mario P. Sciberras
Jul 20th 2011, 14:06
@ABC
You state " I simply am". Am WHAT??
The human race is a race of cowards; and I am not only marching in that procession but carrying a banner.
Mark Twain
Mr Joseph Carmel Chetcuti
Nov 23rd 2011, 06:06
Please let him stay where he is. If he did hop over, the Labour Party would be emptied in less than a day. Labour is doing fine without him.
Mr Zachary Stewart
Jul 19th 2011, 17:59
Andrew Borg Cardona is orientation-blind. In fact, he's so blind that he can't even see that LGBT folk in Malta are second-class citizens, not afforded the rights and responsibilities of other free adult citizens.
Andrew Borg-Cardona
Jul 19th 2011, 21:48
of course I see the treatment but it is not meted out by me
Charlie Borg
Jul 19th 2011, 22:47
I don't think that ABC is entering into that merit. He is just saying that this guy from the Sliema local council left the PN for the PL not due to anything that he suffered from being gay. That's his point.
Mario Scicluna
Jul 19th 2011, 12:09
Bocc, I do respect you a lot, and admire your talents, but in the lines below, zgarrajt bl-ikrah!
'' it seems that nothing good can ever emanate from the PN side of the political equation for her.''
Following your blogs, opinions etc, it's obviously clear to me that nothing good can ever emanate from the PL's side of the political equation for YOU!
Charlie Borg
Jul 19th 2011, 12:29
But that's 'independent' commenters/columnists/bloggers for you! That's why we are in these dire straits!
Andy Farrugia
Jul 19th 2011, 13:47
For once, Mr Charlie Borg, i would like to ask you a question, in all honesty:
"WHO are the " 'independent' commenters/columnists/bloggers" on this newspaper or any other one?"
"NONE": thanks for your answer; i knew you would say that, in all honesty.
Kenneth Cassar
Jul 20th 2011, 12:29
@ Andy Farrugia:
Any commenter, columnist or blogger who does not receive a pay cheque from any political party, is independent. Of course, being independent does not mean to have no political opinion or bias. If that were the case, it would be impossible for anyone to be independent, and therefore the word would be meaningless.
Andy Farrugia
Jul 20th 2011, 15:06
@ Charlie Borg et al
"Any commenter, columnist or blogger who does not receive a pay cheque from any political party, is independent." (Kenneth Cassar)
What do you think folks? Do people live by bread alone? No aspersions meant!
Charlie Borg
Jul 19th 2011, 11:16
Actually, for once, dammit, I have to agree with ABC. Cyrus Engerer is pulling this 'gay' hat-trick for his own ends. I would say he is over-abusing this thing of being gay. He just loves these gimmicks. Cameras and all. Pity it's all coming out now, isn't it?
Andrew Borg-Cardona
Jul 19th 2011, 10:19
A thousand pardons to Ms Cassar - I added an "i"....
Mr Joe Micallef
Jul 19th 2011, 08:50
"Progressive, Moderate, Liberal Movement" (or whatever they're calling themselves just at the moment).
Never mind. "Unpredictable" says it all!
Charlie Borg
Jul 19th 2011, 11:18
Well, being Nationalist has become so 'predictable' that they will be voted out and with relish, won't they? Now that's a fine way of wishing the best for this country, but what I am saying is FACT, with the help of apologists, or not.
Mr Joe Micallef
Jul 19th 2011, 15:19
Kuntent int kuntent kulhadd!
Interesting times ahead on this blog to which I am really looking forward.
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