Politics can be a nasty affair. Cross-party accusations can get hot, close and personal. In Malta, this can get compounded by the fact that we are a small population. We are often bound to know the persons who are the subject of criticism, in circumstances that may take us outside the political arena. But we would be failing our political responsibilities if we had to allow familiarity to get in the way of our duties. People, politicians, holders of office need to be held to account for their actions, and inactions, under all circumstances.

The Manuel Mallia affair is not only a case of excessive use of force. That a minister’s handpicked security officer opens fire in a residential street is bad enough. What followed next is even worse. The ministry responsible for security on our streets, the ministry responsible for our protection, issued a press release that downplayed the incident and shifted the blame entirely onto the victim – a man who can consider himself lucky to be alive.

Whether this cover-up was made intentionally or not is, to a certain extent, irrelevant. The ministry should never have issued that press release before having all the facts in hand and verified. The fact that it did not points to either an inexcusable level of ignorance and insensitivity or, even worse, an attempt to twist facts and hide the truth. Either way, the actions of the ministry are unpardonable, making the minister’s position untenable.

As the case unfolded, information started to emerge to substantiate the cover-up theory. The scene of the crime was disturbed when somebody ordered the removal of the car shot at before the inquiring magistrate arrived on the scene. Times of Malta reported that witnesses were approached and asked not to give their account of what happened.

If issuing a press release riddled with inaccuracies and downright lies was not enough, the following morning, Mallia continued to defend his security officer. During a press conference, he defined the culprit as a “quiet man” and even went as far as recalling that the offender was a decorated officer. These are the actions of a man who cannot shed his defence-lawyer mentality. That mentality makes him unfit for purpose, especially if the purpose is to defend us all and keep our streets safe from the very kind of incidents that led to this mess.

Wrongdoing on the part of a minister is inexcusable

Mallia was unable to do the right thing on his own accord. It was then up to his superior, the Prime Minister, to remove him. This is what political accountability and responsibility are all about. This is what Prime Minister Joseph Muscat preached before the election. Unfortunately, he is not walking the talk.

The Prime Minister’s procrastination in this matter has brought into question his leadership qualities. He is trying to shove the decision to remove minister Mallia onto others. By doing so, the Prime Minister has positioned himself on the wrong side of this unsavoury affair.

The Prime Minister is probably framing this decision within the context of what is happening to his government members.

Minister Chris Cardona’s involvement in the tender for the award of a casino licence has been the subject of legal questioning in court proceedings contesting the award.

Minister Joe Mizzi is facing scrutiny over his involvement in the award of a public transport contract.

Luciano Busuttil, a government backbencher, is facing investigation before the Commission for the Administration of Justice over a case of conflict of interest raised by the Court of Appeal in his regard.

Minister Konrad Mizzi failed to deliver on time the most important electoral pledge and, as a result, is going to end up costing the country tens of millions of euros. The possibility of more calls for resignation is there. The Prime Minister knows that firing ministers will make him stronger in the eyes of those who expect him to deliver on his promises of accountability but will weaken him with the party faithful and, to some extent, impact upon his ability to govern.

From a political correctness point of view all this is irrelevant. Wrongdoing on the part of a minister is inexcusable. Holders of that office have to act within the boundaries of correctness, and anything that throws doubt on their actions cannot go unpunished. This is the harsh reality of political life. The Prime Minister should have considered this fact more carefully when selecting “the best Cabinet” in Malta’s history. He chose these people and must now carry the responsibility for their actions.

The Prime Minister must also shoulder the responsibility for creating the impression that anything goes as long as you are part of the inner circle. This, I believe, is the root of all problems this government is facing. Rather than using the impressive majority to strengthen the rule of law and political correctness, it has used its electoral backing to bend and even break rules.

The Prime Minister and his government thought that they could get away with murder. And they might have, were it not for the fact that they found in their path citizens who were prepared to stand for their rights, a media that was not ready to be bought and a strong Opposition.

Muscat might be cursing the police officer, the communications officer and perhaps even some minister for this disastrous situation. But he has only himself to blame for this mess.

Mario de Marco is deputy leader of the Nationalist Party.