The main story on the front page of the April 10 Times of Malta was earth shattering. Reporting the inaugural ceremony of the interconnector between Malta and Sicily, under the heading ‘Gonzi got it right on interconnector’, the newspaper reported that during his speech for the occasion, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat thanked his predecessor, Lawrence Gonzi, for having the vision to start and commit to the ‘ambitious’ Malta-Sicily interconnector project.

“He had a choice to make. He made the right call. Credit goes to him,” said the Prime Minister.

I had to rely on the report carried by Times of Malta as not even the leader of the Opposition was invited to attend this ceremony, which was also addressed by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.

The ceremony, coincidentally, took place in the dying hours of the last day of the local council electoral campaign, and was intended – not so coincidentally – to have the maximum effect on the electorate particularly those who saw the TV coverage and the papers published the following day, being the day of silence on the eve of the elections.

What Muscat had to say on that occasion confirms once more that he is a Machiavellian through and through, which, basically, translates into the classical formula that ‘the end justifies the means’ by acting in a cunning and unscrupulous manner.

It is pertinent to point out that Italian statesman and writer Niccolò Machiavelli, in his notorious work, The Prince (published in 1532), advises that the acquisition and use of power may necessitate unethical methods.

Muscat, who throughout his five year-year term as leader of the Opposition never found a single benevolent adjective to attribute to Gonzi, is now showering him with praise as if he wants, in one fell swoop, to renege on his past utterances. However, as in many other instances, this is a veritable u-turn, something in which the Prime Minister specialises.

You cannot fool all the people all the time... not even if you are a direct descendent of Niccolò Machiavelli

The minute I read that impressive heading, ‘Gonzi got it right on interconnector’, my mind performed a two-year rewind because I was sure that before becoming Prime Minister, Muscat had more than once denounced the former Nationalist government, under Gonzi, for having no plan for the energy sector.

So I consulted various speeches that were made by Muscat on the subject and I found quite a handful.

Due to lack of space I shall refer to just one, a One Radio interview as reported in l-Orizzont on July 12, 2012.

Under the heading ‘Nuqqas ta’ viżjoni minn GonziPN fil-qasam tal-enerġija’ (Lack of vision by GonziPN in the energy sector), the report emphasises the point raised by Muscat who added that, had such a situation existed in the private sector, those responsible for it would have been fired.

On that occasion, only a few months before the 2013 general election, Muscat not only failed to see any vision from Gonzi – as against what he stated during the inauguration of the interconnector – but intimated that Gonzi should have been sacked for his omissions.

That is his Machiavellian style of doing things!

In July of three years ago, it suited him terribly to chastise Gonzi but now, in an attempt to drive a wedge between the former prime minister and the present Nationalist Opposition – which he will never succeed to do – he is glorifying Gonzi’s vision in the energy sector.

I should add that in the same interview on One Radio, as reported in l-Orizzont, Muscat said that “Gonzi embarked on an ego trip by building a new parliament”.

We will very soon see the Parliament inaugurated and up and running. Still, notwithstanding this attack (and so many others) on Gonzi with regard to the building of the new Parliament, it is safe to expect Muscat to hail his predecessor for taking a bold decision in the face of criticism of and opposition to the project and perhaps say that “Gonzi got it right even on the new Parliament”.

That is the main trait of the leader of the Labour Party: a perennial dichotomy which, however, is fast wearing thin with the public as was amply shown in the last round of local elections.

You can fool some of the people for sometime but you cannot fool all the people all of the time… not even if you are a direct descendent of Machiavelli.

Kristy Debono is the PN spokeswoman for financial services, gambling and IT.