Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/216204
11 RCC Notes • Part 3 maltatoday, SUNDAY, 24 NOVEMBER 2013 CACHIA CARUANA Notes from Inside Castille SAVIOUR BALZAN AS a secretary to Eddie Fenech Adami, Richard Cachia Caruana positioned himself as a successor to personal assistant John Camilleri in the late 1980s to finally take over and become an 'eminence grise' of Maltese politics. By 1992, he would strike up his friendship with Sunday Times columnist Daphne Caruana Galizia, shortly after the latter – than a self-styled voter for Alternattiva Demokratika – had dubbed Fenech Adami a "village lawyer". A workaholic, Cachia Caruana was tireless in preparing Malta 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. FOURTH WEEK OF EACH MONTH is to be kept FREE for RCC. Schedule the routine meetings on Mondays/Thursdays and Saturdays. Do not schedule Tuesdays and Wednesdays appointments. Always confirm with RCC nearer to the date. MONTHLY MEETING: Mr Manuel Abela - Director DOI as from November 1999. SECRETARIAT STAFF are NOT to be given a meeting after 1700 hrs. EU CABINET MEETINGS: when this meeting is scheduled, RCC is to have a 2 hour break before the meeting. Do not schedule anything during the 2 hours. DURATION OF MEETINGS: Constituency related meetings are to be scheduled with a 20 minute interval. Nongovernment business meetings are to be given a 30 minute duration. Government business MONDAY 1000h Cabinet 1500h Mr Joe Saliba, Mr Gordon Pisani, Mr Michael Falzon (Manager Information Services) Mr Angelito Sciberras, Mr Pierre Portelli to schedule weekly at Auberge de Castille 1630h GOLF (only during Summer: Jun to Sept) 1630h Golf with Mr Victor Callus. If Mr Callus is not available, refer GOLF LIST to PA to PM. (During Winter – Oct to May – PA to PM plays once weekly on a Wednesday at 1330 hrs) Appointments to be scheduled after 1630 hrs only upon PA to PM's authorisation Fondazzjoni Kon Katedral ta San Gwann. Every 1st and 3rd Mon. Summer 1800 Winter 1700 TUESDAY AM PM's Appointments 1300-1400h ALTERNATE EUD at Minister Joe Borg. Attendees: Saviour Falzon, John Inguanez, Dr Josette Zerafa (to confirm one week before meeting with Mr Charles Mifsud) ALTERNATE every week PA to PM's meeting with Minister Joe Borg – one to one (confirm with Joanna) Meetings on 28 open chapters: 1515 hrs Negotiating Team and 1615 hrs Technical Team (Claudine to confirm) 6. 7. 8. for EU accession, visiting his grand order upon the disarray existing in the Maltese civil service at the time. His mark of success was his zero-tolerance for incompetence: everyone was willing to excuse his bad temper and hysteria, to worship his organisational skills and drive as some small mercy. As Fenech Adami's cardinal, 'RCC' pushed others into crucial positions. The replacement of deputy prime minister Guido de Marco with Joe Borg as foreign minister served to bolster Cachia Caruana's central position. There was no chemistry between de Marco and Cachia Caruana, as this would become most evident in Daphne Caruana Galizia's columns written at the behest of de meetings are to be scheduled every 45 minutes. CLASHES: always inform RCC when there is a clash with PM's appointments. VENUE OF MEETINGS: Government/Parastatal/Party Personnel appointments to be held in the boardroom namely: MALTACOM, AIR MALTA, MALTAPOST, GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES, PN PERSONNEL. Other appointments are to be held in the Ambassador's Room namely: visitors from abroad or outsiders. LUNCHES SCHEDULING: RCC's first preference is for WEDNESDAY, failing that slot on TUESDAY. When lunches are scheduled, the first afternoon meeting is to be scheduled at 1530 hrs. Always leave two hours for a lunch meeting. Lunches are to be scheduled at 1315/1330 hrs subject to 1845hrs Cabinet Committee on Public Service Change (Confirm with PS to PM) WEDNESDAY 0930h WEEKLY 1 hr with JR Grima (Perm Sec OPM) at Perm Sec's office. 1100h WEEKLY 1 hr CNG (Saviour Falzon, Patrick Tabone, Dr Simon Busuttil and Ambassador Camilleri by phone (PA to PM's office) GOLF Winter (Oct to Feb) 1330h Golf with Mr Victor Callus. If Mr Callus is not available, refer GOLF LIST to PA to PM. Spring (Mar to May) 1500h Golf with Mr Victor Callus. If Mr Callus is not available, refer GOLF LIST to PA to PM GOLF Summer (Jun to Sept) 1630h Golf with Mr Victor Callus. If Mr Callus is not available, refer GOLF LIST to PA to PM Appointments to be scheduled only upon PA to PM's authorisation THURSDAY 0900h Minister Joe Borg's office – Fortnightly meeting with journalists. (CONFIRM with Ms Joanna Darmanin who coordinates meeting) Lunch to be scheduled whenever PM has no lunch at Girgenti the time PM leaves office. RCC prefers lunch meetings to be held in Valletta. Inform RCC of choice of venue when, obviously, he is hosting namely: Giannini, Rubino, Malata, Ruperts, Pegasus - Le Meridien Phoenicia, The Blue Room, leave The Carriage as a last choice. Outside Valletta: Christophers, San Guliano, Galeone, Re del Pesce. LOW FAT DIET – NO FRIED FOOD, NO SEAFOOD, NO SAUCES – MAIN DIET: GRILLED FISH OR MEAT. 9. LUNCH/DINNER FOR RCC's SECURITY. Reserve one table for one person. Inform that the security is to see the entrance and RCC clearly and has to have his back to the wall. 10. GOLF BOOKING: phone Marsa Sports Club on 2XXXXX, 2XXXXX and book at the end of the week for the following week. Booking in RCC's name and inform the Golf Club the number of players Marco's detractors. In his schedule reproduced here, beyond the regular weekly meetings with government and party officials, Cachia Caruana attended Cabinet and also met journalists weekly: friendly reporters who could make the case for the PN government. The role of Simon Busuttil, as MIC head, together with party ideologue, the late Peter Serracino Inglott, were obvious in the light of preparations on the EU acquis. One particular reference point in these notes is his seating preference at restaurants: he always insisted on facing the wall, a fact that reveals the trauma of surviving his 1994 stabbing in Mdina. x2. Always re-confirm booking one day before actual date. 11. VILLA FRANCIA meetings. Attendees as follows: Mr Anthony Mifsud (DG OPM), Architect Claude Borg (Works tel: 22997308/9), Mr Anthony Attard (OPM), Ms Cecilia Attard (Office of the Permanent Secretary), Mr Anthony Savona (DCS,-OPM), Mr Publius Agius (DCS-OPM), Ms Audrey Callus Randich (OPM). Tony Attard to BU docs for meeting. 12. CASTILLE BASEMENT meetings. Attendees as follows: Architects Edward Cuschieri and Alberto Miceli Farrugia - Architecture Project, Architects Mario Bonello and Steve Bonello from Works (Tony Savona will contact these WORKS architects), Mr Anthony Savona (DCS OPM) and Mr Tony Attard (OPM). Tony Attard to BU docs for meeting. 13. CASTILLE SECRETARIAT 1530h ALTERNATE weeks at Dar Centrali, PN: EU Info Strategy. Attendees: Minister Joe Borg, Joe Saliba, Patrick Tabone, David Casa, Dr Simon Busuttil (confirm with David Casa) Appointments can be scheduled between 1630 hrs and 1800 hrs 1530h ALTERNATE 1 hr NEG SEC Charles, Graziella,Colin, Marcella, Claudine, Sharon, Daniel (venue: PA to PM's office) 1300h ALTERNATE 1 hr WEEKLY MEETING – Fr Peter Serracino Inglott and Head MIC (Dr Simon Busuttil) FRIDAY PM's Appointments RESTORATION and ADVISORS' ROOMS meetings. Attendees as follows: Mr Anthony Mifsud (DG OPM), Architects Edward Cuschieri and Alberto Miceli Farrugia - Architecture Project, Architects Steve Bonello and Mario Bonello - Works (Tony Savona to inform), Mr Tony Savona - DCS OPM, Mr Anthony Attard (OPm) and Ms Audrey Callus Randich (OPM). Tony Attard to BU docs for meeting. 14. INFORMATION/COMMUNICATION STRATEGY meetings are to be scheduled every fortnight at Minister Joe Borg's office. Confirm date/time with Patrick Tabone or Elvia Agius. 15. REMINDERS: phone up attendees to meeting one day before to remind them about their meeting especially the meetings requested by RCC. 16. BUs: Ask RCC if he wishes to BU any docs for meetings. Meetings on 28 open chapters: 1515h Negotiating eam and 1615 hrs Technical Team (Claudine to confirm) Appointments to be scheduled only upon PA to PM's authorisation