So when did the rot set in?

I am quite sure that innovators of the ilk of the late Steve Jobs, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and the folks who gave us Google – Larry Page and Sergey Brin – would have all squirmed with embarrassment if they had heard what Minister Austin Gatt had to say on the new public transport service. He attributed the dismal failure of the implementation of the reform under his guidance to its being far too innovative, creative and avant-garde for the Maltese public to digest or take on board.

… (Austin) Gatt must, in the long run, unwittingly prove to be the Labour Party’s not so secret weapon- Leo Brincat

Rather than being merely a public relations nightmare, the whole project morphed from day one into a changeover system that required major surgery. Comparing it to the relatively smooth transition that we experienced when switching over to the euro, merely adds more salt to a long festering wound. Dr Gatt would have definitely spared his party further embarrassment had he stepped down prior to the vote of no-confidence by rendering it unnecessary and avoidable. Yet, he not only made things worse for himself but also ended up further dampening the Prime Minister’s already faltering credibility in the process.

Dr Gatt made things worse for himself because during the parliamentary debate he made us ignore the fact that he and his minions had all submitted their resignation only for this newfound humility to be suddenly eclipsed by his characteristic brand of triumphalism. He even had the cheek to end his parliamentary address in the partisan manner that keynote speakers usually adopt when addressing party delegates from the podium during a strictly party event. He, thus, blurred the lines further between party interests and government matters.

As for the Prime Minister, he was compelled to play down the deep public dissatisfaction on the issue in order to save Dr Gatt’s face by trying to give the impression that this was “nothing” compared to the crisis other European countries are experiencing due to the euro meltdown. He was also forced to gift Dr Gatt with a vote of confidence. He then tried to take the heat off the minister by belatedly suggesting the setting up of a parliamentary committee on the reform, something he should have done in the initial phases. At a later stage, he surprisingly moved to set up an ad hoc task force chaired by himself and in which Dr Gatt will be only one of many players together with, among others, the Armed Forces of Malta.

Some time back, a parliamentarian had told me that Lawrence Gonzi has become the prisoner of his own parliamentary group. More so of his Cabinet ministers because they are all parliamentarians too. How very true!

Dr Gonzi must have definitely known that there is no quick solution to an abortive reform that has run badly out of hand since its inception. But in terms of priorities it was evident that the political ones ranked ahead of the concerns, pain and suffering of the commuters themselves. The Prime Minister’s apologies and the minister’s mea culpa jarred when contrasted with Dr Gatt’s gladiatorial pronouncements in the House that everything would fall into place within days with a couple of tweaks here and there.

It was evident that not even the Prime Minister bought such a hollow prediction. Otherwise, what point would there have been in also bringing the Commissioner of Police, the AFM commander and the Transport Malta chairman on board so late in the day to sit on the same committee?

If the reform merely needed to be touched up a bit why did the Prime Minister opt for a mass changeover in the system only two days after the debate?

All this reminded me of the pre- electoral run-up in 2008 when Dr Gonzi had tried to address the environmental deficit that George Pullicino had created in the Malta Environment and Planning Authority and the environmental sector. The Prime Minister had attempted to do so by promising to assume full and personal responsibility, thanks to his “safe pair of hands”, should the PN win, as it did, albeit with less than half an electoral quota, the 2008 election. The only snag is that, since then, the environmental deficit has continued to prevail, as confirmed by Environment Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco recently during a Net TV discussion programme in which we both took part. Other key ministers have been allowed to oversee the virtual environmental rape of Gozo while trying to dupe the people into believing that Eco-Gozo was alive and well and moving in the right direction too.

Dr Gonzi’s credibility suffered because, apart from leading a government that continues to teeter on the brink, last week’s confidence vote will not give the country the much-needed stability. Nor will it help Dr Gonzi live up to his former glory days when “a safe pair of hands” was more than a slogan but a perception embraced by a number of voters. Discerning voters included.

The Prime Minister’s dissatisfaction with Dr Gatt’s performance over the years can easily be gauged when one recalls that, in recent years, the minister saw such key portfolios as Enemalta, the Water Services Corporation and the Freeport, move out of his hands.

At the same time, no media spinning can make us forget that the Fairmount scandal, his Sea Malta demolition job, his false prophetic guess that Air Malta would turn profitable, the murky BWSC saga and the heavy fuel oil power station extension project can all be traced back to the time when he was politically responsible for all of them.

It is little consolation from a purely partisan point of view to conclude that Dr Gatt must, in the long run, unwittingly prove to be the Labour Party’s not so secret weapon. Particularly since this comes at a heavy cost for the government and the country.

brincat.leo@gmail.com

www.leobrincat.com

The author, a member of Parliament, is the Labour Party’s spokesman for the environment, sustainable development and climate change.