One hallmark of this Labour administration over the past year has been the blurring of the distinction between the State, the government and the ruling party. Taxpayers’ money, furthermore, has sometimes been used to fund events which in reality can only be described as party political.

A case in point is the recent televised 16-minute long ‘Message from the Prime Minister’ on the occasion of the first anniversary of the Labour government. The message began and ended with the singing of the national anthem by a children’s choir at the Manoel Theatre and included a recorded message by Joseph Muscat from a factory floor as well as a number of news clips.

This message must have cost taxpayers quite a large sum and it is certainly not right for it to be publicly funded. If the government wants to highlight its achievements it can hold a press conference.

‘Messages’ from the Prime Minister are meant to be delivered once a year at Christmas or New Year, unless there is an urgent need to address the nation. In most countries, in fact, it is only the head of State who gives such a message to the nation.

The fact that the Prime Minister’s ‘message’ started and ended with the national anthem also jars. Dr Muscat is not the head of state, he is the head of government. The two are distinct offices which should not be confused. True, the national anthem has always been played before the Prime Minister’s end of year televised address to the nation, but this too is wrong; the honour should be reserved for the President.

Another case of taxpayers’ money being wasted on what is essentially a party political event was Dr Muscat’s so-called ‘press conference’ late in the evening after the presentation of his government’s Budget last November. The Prime Minister ‘addressed the press’ under a marquee specially assembled in St George’s Square, Valletta, with Labour MPs and a number of Labour supporters sitting behind him, who constantly applauded his comments. Was this show really necessary? Why not call a normal press conference at Castille?

Another worrying example of mixing government and party is the fact that government officials employed with the Home Affairs Ministry’s customer care unit are to attend meetings with the public organised at Labour Party clubs within Manuel Mallia’s constituency.

Press adverts have stated that Dr Mallia will be holding a series of meetings with the public in seven different localities he represents and two days before each meeting “people from the ministry’s customer care will be present at the respective locality’s Labour Party club to meet the public”.

Ministry officials have no place at political party clubs, even if they are political appointees, and meetings between them and the public should be held at a neutral venue; are we to assume that only Labour supporters have the right to meet a ministry’s customer care personnel?

It is not yet clear whether the actual meetings between Dr Mallia and the public are to take place at the Labour Party clubs. If Dr Mallia wants to meet the public to discuss matters falling within his ministerial portfolio he can do so in a public place; if he wants to discuss constituency matters he should do so in his constituency office.

Last Sunday’s editorial

In this newspaper’s editorial of last Sunday, it was stated that “Joseph Muscat and Labour-appointed Speaker (Anġlu Farrugia) went out of their way to ensure he (Mr Justice Lino Farrugia Sacco) would not be impeached before he reaches retirement age in the summer”.

The Speaker of the House of the Representatives took umbrage because, according to him, the editorial implied he was in cahoots with Dr Muscat to ensure that Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco is not impeached before the judge’s due retirement in summer.

While The Sunday Times of Malta asserts its right to imply or even state as a matter of opinion that the Prime Minister and the Speaker were in cahoots on the matter, in this case neither did the editorial contain such comment, nor did it want to imply it.

Notwithstanding the above, the newspaper stands by its editorial of last Sunday.