It started off with a minister’s driver shooting at a car and ended, 20 days later, with the dismissal of one of the most powerful Cabinet ministers.

Everyone was hooked. People called it a soap opera, a whodunit, an unfolding drama series and wherever we went, from bars to supermarkets, from village square to offices, the story was being debated and analysed, as fresh snippets of news were released every day.

Online news websites established record page views: the shooting incident involving Manuel Mallia’s police driver – Paul Sheehan – on November 19 was the story which captured everyone’s imagination this year.

Ex-manager Chris Gatt.Ex-manager Chris Gatt.

“Fundamentally people like a good story and everybody likes a good mystery. And then when you have big characters – in more ways than one – like Manuel Mallia, it’s going to get even more interesting,” said Chris Gatt, former St James Cavalier general manager.

“It’s such a bizarre story, with so many ramifications, that whether you’re interested in politics or not, you’re going to be gripped because the human interest is too strong,” said Mr Gatt, one of the most established theatre directors.

All the elements were there: “the underworld, the shady characters, a child, shooting, guns... everything.”

Dr Mallia was sacked by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat last week, and Acting Police Commission Ray Zammit demoted, amid mounting claims of a cover-up.

When you have something that looks like CSI Gżira it’s going to perk up everyone

“We all lead boring lives and let’s face it, most people are bored with politics. But when you have something that looks like CSI Gżira [Crime Scene Investigation – a television series] obviously it’s going to perk up everyone,” he said.

At face value, the story is “simple somebody lost his temper, he took the law in his own hands and decided to fire the gun. But then it gets complicated.

There are the shots, the minister’s car, the Department of Information sending the wrong message, and the media showing a different story, Mr Gatt said.

“Plot-wise, that is really when it gets exciting: when people are caught out lying,” he said, pointing out he is directing this year’s pantomime Pinocchio.

Anthropologist David Zammit.Anthropologist David Zammit.

Anthropologist David Zammit said our interest in politics stems from the fact we live in a small and tight-knit society, and therefore, networks and alliances.

“It’s easy to stigmatise the Maltese and present them as obsessively interested in politics because it’s a replacement for work or because we are more passionate than other people. But I think the reason is that, given our proximity to the centres of political power, people correctly understand that politicians and their actions can affect our lives profoundly,” said Dr Zammit.

Dr Zammit explained that the Manuel Mallia saga unfolded in a way which conformed to what the anthropologist Victor Turner describes as ‘social drama’.

This arises when an event acquires a certain dramatic aspect to it so that the characters involved and the sequence of actions come to symbolise something about society as a whole.

“This was not an ordinary scandal. We witnessed the dismissal of the most important minister: the Home Affairs minister. People were correct to pay a lot of attention to it,” he said.

“The whole episode was loaded with symbolic meanings that people were right to pay attention to, because it had implications for all of us. The whole legitimacy of the government was at stake.”

Publisher Chris Gruppetta.Publisher Chris Gruppetta.

Director of publishing at Merlin Publishers, Chris Gruppetta, believed people simply found the story fascinating.

“I guess politics is so tightly choreographed, with staged public events and every move scripted, that when something clearly slips out of the spin master’s control it’s fascinating to watch. The usual comparison is to watching a car crash, although here the pun would be unbearable.” Was it, perhaps, like watching a television series?

“Well, to a certain extent, some of the key elements were there: the central cast, the baddies, the episodic unfolding and of course the cliffhanger: will he, won’t!”

Why were people hooked?

Throwback to political violence

Anthropologist David Zammit said the incident triggered the memory of political violence in the 1970s and 1980s.

“And people were watching to see if this really was the case.”

The crude and gung-ho tone of the recorded conversations between Mr Sheehan and the police depot made them particularly appropriate to revive these memories, he said.

Battle for power

The story got people hooked because it was a battle for power: between Labour and PN.

“On one hand it was a challenge to Joseph Muscat to prove his power and leadership. On the other it was an opportunity for Simon Busuttil,” Dr Zammit said.

“I think people were following this to see which particular network and set of alliances was going to emerge with the upper hand,” he said.

Media vs politicians

The relationship between the government and the media was being nego-tiated, according to Dr Zammit.

“I think the PL government was perceived by many as having come to power in the context of some sort of alliance, intentional, or not, with certain sectors of the media.

“This scandal made people question what happens if the media as a whole do not support the government.”

People kept watching to see if the government could still have its way.

The role of social media

Social media played an important part in the story which spanned three weeks.

“On the other hand we’re finding out that social media can make a party and can elect people: we saw this with Barack Obama, we saw this with the Labour Party in Malta. But the social media can also destroy. This is a two-edge sword.”

Record page views

Websites which reported the incident clocked record hits and social media was on fire with discussing minute details of the accident. The most popular stories these last three weeks on timesofmalta.com were all related to the shooting and Manuel Mallia.

The story of the dismissal of Dr Mallia and the appointment of Carmelo Abela attracted nearly 122,000 page views, making it the third most popular story this year.

The story of the shooting accident on November 20, with all its updates, attracted more than 104,000 page views – the sixth most popular story this year.

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