You will recall, given that you use your brain (why else would you read this?) that Dr Konrad Mizzi, then still a callow youth without experience of high office, during some telly programme or other had intoned the mantra "shame on you, Minister" in the general direction of then Minister of Finance, Tonio Fenech.
It was reported that on Wednesday evening in the House, Mizzi put on a performance that would make his own mantra a perfect fit. He declined to answer questions put to him on the hoof, while he was doing what Ministers are supposed to do, giving information to the House. He wanted the questions in writing, to be able to prepare his crib sheet.
I suppose he can still use his relative youth as an excuse, but the man has been a Minister now for over a year. Indeed, he has been elevated to Super Minister status, having to haul around a porfolio that now includes health, as if his former brief was not wide enough.
If Mizzi is such a super-star, why wasn't he prepared (able?) to answer the questions being put to him? Was he worried that he might fall into the same vice as his Glorious Leader, who a few days ago managed to contradict himself in less than fifteen seconds, leading to the Nast Nationalists calling him a liar? Or was Mizzi not in possession of the facts, rendering him incapable of being sure of himself?
If so, why?
Let us recall that Konrad Mizzi's political future rests on his achieving that which has been promised: the coming on-stream of a new power-station within not that many months, now. Of course, I'm not about to start holding my breath waiting for Mizzi and Muscat to resign if they don't pull it off, because I have no doubt that they will find a way to weasel out of their solemn undertaking.
Mizzi is not the only Super Minister who feels no shame in refusing to answer questions. He's in good, if you'll forgive the use of the word, company.
His comrade in Cabinet, Dr Manwel Mallia, whose portfolio is tailor-made for any itinerant conspiracy theorist to create a fine thriller (when you want to take over a country, you grab the Army, the Police and Broadcasting - the PM handed them to Mallia in a job lot, throwing in the Catering Corps as seasoning) refused to answer press questions about a rash of recent transfers within the Police.
One hears that many sous chefs became pastry chefs and others were elevated from dishwasher to commis waiter.
Mallia's reasoning, apparently, was that "he is not obliged to answer to the Press".
He would, of course, be pefectly correct, were it not for this pesky little thing called democracy. In a democracy, where Malta lies (last time I looked, anyway) it is a given that the Fourth Estate is an essential bulwark against the sort of attitude that Mallia has let slip he has.
Shame on you, Ministers, shame on you.