To fly or not to fly

So Minister Tonio Fenech went to watch Arsenal with two of the most respected businessmen on the island. He went to watch a football match with two persons who are rightfully considered by many as pillars of our society, persons that have not only contributed and still continue to contribute immensely to the economic development of our country but also employ hundreds of persons in their respective businesses. Minister Fenech is being lambasted for doing so, just like former secretary general Joe Saliba was unjustly criticised when he went for a boat ride with another businessman.

I ask a few simple questions. Where has our trust gone? Why do we have to cry wolf all the time? What if it is those same people who are crying wolf who have an interest to throw mud and to plant suspicions in people's minds?

Malta is not a very big country, but there are plenty of places where people can meet to discuss business and make deals, both licit and illicit, away from curious eyes. I wonder whether the businessmen in question and the minister would have found it so difficult to find such a place had they wanted to plot something. I'm sure that Minister Fenech would have had no problem in paying his way to watch the football match.

Minister Fenech was invited as a courtesy and he accepted the invitation. That's all there is to it. Any further speculation is unfounded and only helps to diminish the credibility of the three persons in question. Labour media and some of the other (independent) media are all out to seek sensationalism in their stories, the first to try and give the impression that there is a rift in the Nationalist Party and the latter to increase their sales.

I wonder what would happen if the holiday destinations of the media editors were to be scrutinised! What would their reactions be if we were to question who they associate with to obtain certain classified information? But thanks to the party and the government that Mr Fenech forms part of, this is a free country and liberty of expression comes as part and parcel of that. Rewind 30 or so years. Do you imagine someone asking Dom Mintoff or his comrades where they went on holiday or who they went with? That would be absolutely out of the question and undoubtedly would have carried some repercussions too.

Instead of wasting time and paper on speculation, we should take a good look around us and appreciate the giant leaps our nation has made, the investment that our businessmen undertake and the opportunity that our government gives to all those who want to make a difference in our country. Let us give our politicians some breathing space and not brand them guilty because it tickles our fantasy to do so.

It is true that as public figures politicians are subject to scrutiny, but now we are reaching a situation where they need to have eyes at the back of their heads before having a coffee or a chat with someone. If anything, ministers should be criticised on their performance as ministers not on how they spend their free time.

Let us all move forward and see what good we can do to our country instead of wasting time on unnecessary squabbles that do no one any good.

Malta is facing many challenges and our Cabinet is working overtime to meet these challenges, and it would be a grave mistake to alienate the public with matters that try to shed doubts and dark clouds in order for the opposition to seek political gain.

I'm pretty sure that Minister Fenech knows right from wrong and that his conscience is clear. He will hopefully be talked about again soon when he delivers the budget, a budget that will surely be an answer to many critics and sceptics.

Until then I'm convinced he will do his job with utmost diligence and continue delivering like he always does.

Mr Casa is a Nationalist member of the European Parliament.

To fly or not to fly

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