There seems to be no end to the fast-tracking and highly dubious expropriation deals that have minted Mark Gaffarena and left the rest of us pondering what sort of links this Gaffarena fellow must have to the government to have hit the jackpot with only half a property to his name.

This is the latest in a series of scandals to have rocked what now is fast looking like a scandal saturated island. Every day brings with it a new twist and a sizeable plot of land which seems to have been carefully and strategically handpicked and parcelled out to Gaffarena by someone inside the government – ostensibly worth much more than what it was originally valued and estimated.

What’s more, this unacceptable largesse must be seen in its proper context and magnitude. I refer of course to those law-abiding citizens who will still be waiting till kingdom come to be under-compensated for expropriated property which they, or their forebears, had no choice but to relinquish.

The fortunate Gaffarenas of this world are few and far between – more often than not, expropriation is a cruel and imperious matter which rarely has such a lucrative happy ending.

My initial reaction to the news was one of profound disappointment with the Prime Minister and his government who had made political integrity and transparency their battle-cry. And sadly, I have to say, disappointment swiftly turned to disgust, which then became a steady political disillusionment that wouldn’t let up.

I even found myself wondering whether the Labour government possibly considered itself immunised against public scrutiny, possibly on account of the large number of scandals racked up by the previous administration.

Did they perhaps believe that the Nationalist Party had erred so grossly and repeatedly in previous years that it afforded them immunity from scandal? And did they think it would keep them comfortably below the radar of public scrutiny for years to come?

But the longer I thought about it, the more I realised that my disappointment was misplaced and that perhaps I had confused and confounded issues. You see, transparency in government is not tantamount to the total absence of any scandal whatsoever. To believe otherwise is pure fantasy. The reality is that institutional transparency is rather a place where scandals are brought to light immediately, sooner rather than later, and where sleaze is not left either to fester or to grow roots.

Joseph Muscat knows, I reckon, that time could be running out for the current PL government

On a talk show a couple of weeks ago, when asked to explain how the Labour government could possibly justify its claim to transparency in the light of recent developments, Toni Abela very calmly and matter of factly said that the fundamental difference between the PN and PL governments very probably lay in the fact that under the Labour government scandals came to light far quicker and were revealed in real time, not 20 years after the fact. He was of course referring to both the Gaffarena and the Mater Dei scandal, and yet he didn’t try to whitewash the government or paint an unrealistic picture of a whiter than white administration un­touch­ed by human hand.

And it suddenly dawned on me. You can’t have effective transparency without first having a scandal. A scandal-free government is a government which can never hope to be tried and tested for transparency, and while this Labour government certainly won’t go down in the annals of history as scandal-free, I do believe that this time round we have a Prime Minister who is painfully aware of the long-lasting negative effects that such short term gains have on any government.

Also that the excessive and disproportionate gain enjoyed by the select few, cuts straight to the heart of good governance and integrity in public office, and ultimately renders an administration unelectable, destined to remain in opposition for years to come.

The Opposition has every right to be furious and demand answers and inquiries, but if my feeling is right and anything to go by, I think that they will find that the Prime Minister is even more furious and will come through and do the right thing once the investigation comes to a close.

I believe Joseph Muscat when he says that he knew nothing of this moonlighting with Gaffarena, and I also happen to think that it would be political suicide and sheer lunacy for Muscat to let himself become mired in this sort of sleaze.

There is no doubt in my mind that Muscat will not shy away from doing whatever needs to be done and that he will show his mettle in much the same way he has done on other occasions.

He wasted no time getting rid of one of his ministers when he identified a principle beyond pragmatic compromise and I am convinced that heads will likewise roll this time round, without fear or favour. If the parliamentary secretary has to go, then so be it.

That is the fundamental difference between this government and the previous one. Muscat knows a thing or two about lessons in statecraft and he is not about to compromise his government because of a few depraved lackeys.

The buck will have to stop with someone, whoever it may be – the director-general, the Commissioner of Lands, the parliamentary secretary, the architect. And of course with Gaffarena himself who is going to have to give back to the electorate whatever was not his for the taking.

Muscat knows, I reckon, that time could be running out for the current PL government, just as it did for the PN and that the old pattern of ‘good years’ in office and ‘lean years’ in Opposition has got to stop. He knows that if his party doesn’t clean up its act, there is a new electorate that will.

Joseph Muscat. . . I know you’re listening.

michelaspiteri@gmail.com

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