Jeffrey Curmi, the former Armed Forces of Malta Commander who was sacked last March from his post as Transport Malta CEO, will be moving abroad on a new political appointment as Malta’s new Ambassador to the Netherlands.
The appointment, which is to still be formally endorsed by Parliament, is a compromise the Office of the Prime Minister found to appease the former Brigadier.
While he has no diplomatic experience, except for sporadic interaction with his EU counterparts in his former capacity as AFM Commander, Curmi and his family will be moving to the Netherlands later this year.
His ambassadorial benefits will include his residence in a posh residential area in The Hague, transport and private schooling for his children, among several other perks.
The post of Malta’s Ambassador to The Hague is considered a very comfortable posting in diplomatic circles as the island’s mission there is not considered busy or of any significant importance except for the handling of day-to-day relations with the small EU member state.
Curmi’s new overseas posting comes weeks after an acrimonious fall-out with Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia.
Appointed in June 2022 on Prime Minister Robert Abela’s instruction, the outgoing AFM commander was placed on a €115,000 a year contract for three years at Transport Malta with a mission to “clear the mess” left behind at the regulator by the former minister responsible for transport, Ian Borg.
His relations with Minister Farrugia soured when the latter began blaming Curmi for increasing traffic chaos.
During his short stint at Transport Malta, Curmi was also faced with new scandals including driving licences corruption allegations, which also date back to the time when Borg was responsible.
The Shift has reported that following information leaked by the government that Curmi was asked to tender his resignation last March, he refused, and sought the Prime Minister’s intervention.
Transport Malta sources had told The Shift that Curmi was insisting he had no intention of moving out if the government did not pay him for the remaining two years of his contract or be given a new government post.
Abela’s solution was to name Curmi as Ambassador to the Netherlands but to make this possible, Foreign Minister Ian Borg transferred the current ambassador in The Hague, career diplomat Mark Pace, to Canada.
Curmi made headlines as soon as Labour was returned to power in 2013 when he received four consecutive accelerated promotions within just six months to become Brigadier.
On the eve of the 2017 elections, along with now Identity Malta CEO Mark Mallia, Curmi was responsible for 885 Army promotions, some of which were handed out on ballot day.
Is it possible that the University of Malta does not have a course for Diplomatic Studies?
How can Parliament accept a person with no knowledge of diplomatic relations, ever be considered.
No wonder our youth are looking overseas for their future.
Considering how difficult it is to get into the diplomatic corps in other countries, let alone in the role of Ambassador, even for Malta this appointment is pretty ridiculous. All you need is the merrit of an ambigious few month ascend through various army ranks (typically seen in dictatorships and third world countries…) and some friends in the governing party. Not WHAT you know but WHO you know once more.
I seem to recall there is one.
But why does it matter?
UoM also has a degree programme in Architecture and Built Environment.
And another one in Electrical Engineering.
Now just take a look around you.
Brilliant, unfortunately they are written in Braille or so it would seem.
The landslide victory in last year’s GE made the PL to go even further and acting in ways not comprehended before. On was used to their ‘style’ of ruling, but with Abela (the in fact ‘substitude’ for Muscat) everything is out of bounds and everything is going more ‘freaky’ ever since.
A governing party such as the PL performs, who always shows disregard or even utter contempt towards the instutions of the Republic of Malta, isn’t bound to pay respect to Parliament and even less so to the UM.
Old Mintoffian legacy, the institutions have to work for the interests of the PL, not for the people of Malta as they should.
This appointment is already beyond the grotesque but it also just proves my point, as stated above.
Total incompetence reigns.
No experience for the job? Normal course of events with the MLP.
Does this look like the pearls of Malta’s diplomatic relations being cast …… well let’s say ‘in the wrong direction’?
It probably won’t be the first occasion, will it!
Ha Ha Just another day in Mafialand.
What a career! One can only notice that in disbelief. What qualifies a former AFM Commander who even failed as CEO of TM to become an Ambassador of Malta?
Oh yes, I nearly forgot, being close with the PL is always enough qualification for all and everything.
This appointment is making a mockery of all trained and experienced professional diplomatic personnel of Malta. But well, one might as well take it that with the international reputation of Malta in tatters, due to the PL regime since 2013, it doesn’t matter anymore who is going to represent Malta abroad.
He’s the creme de la creme of Gahanism, to everyone else he’s just a shitty little turd.
The Dutch will be pleased, I am sure.
visualising the Dutch royals’ squirming disdain when going through this post appointee’s ‘s credentials
The more corrupt you are – THE
HIGHER THE GRADE. Maf
Capcap Gahan and repeat after me: Prosit Prim!
U Gahan capcap u hallas ghal dawn il-hniezrijiet minghajr ma jinduna li hu stess hallas ghas-salarju tal Brigadier.
A government of incompetents. Without experience in diplomatic corps he would run the Embassy in NL the same way as the Commissioner of Revenue, who doesn’t know anything about tax, is running the Tax Department…to the ruins.
Muscat’s promised meritocracy at work. Just look at Curmi’s stellar career at AFM. Four promotions within six months. I mean, the man must be brilliant and richly deserving of a Hague ambassadorship, right? Then again, it’s all relative. Maybe he really is the most accomplished toady PL can field.
Let us try to understand the logic behind this. Bobby appoints Curmi to iron out the mess Iron man Borg did at TM. A few months later man of steel Farrugia decides that someone needs to bite the bullet for even worse performance then before, and so, out goes Curmi. A couple of weeks later however, the same person who was in inverts, the primary cause of all evils, Iron man Borg, awards Curmi with the post of Ambassador – and pigs really do fly!
Citizens with good sense, if there’s any left, should come together and march towards Castille , ministries and other Govt departments and get these clowns out, by hook or by crook , and as once someone said make these entities Labour-proof … Labour ‘same same’ …..
Now that’s what I call Meritocracy at its highest level. Does anyone remember the pre 2013 election propaganda by Ramona Frendo boasting about how she supports labour party because she firmly believes in meritocracy !!!! What a bunch of liars they are !
What are his diplomatic qualifications? Might as well send Żaren ta l-ajkla. He’s Labour too!