In the weeks before the Joe Cassar story broke, I was following a similar saga unfolding in Rome. Ignazio Marino was a transplant surgeon elected as mayor of Rome on the Partito Democratico ticket barely two years ago. He seemed to represent a clean break from the former right-wing administration of the city.

Marino was also considered to be a political ‘outsider’ with no links to the establishment and entrenched power lobbies. Nicknamed ‘The Martian’ for his ineffectual communication style and many gaffes, he was considered to be honest, though politically naive. Marino was one of the few high-ranking city officials who survived the ‘Mafia-capitale’ crackdown – where key exponents of a horrific criminal network were arrested.

However, Marino was not able to weather an expenses scandal where he was shown to have wined and dined with family and friends and had the expenses paid for with public funds. The amount involved was not astoundingly high – some €20,000, which the Roman mayor offered to pay back at once. Still, this was not enough to quell the calls for his resignation and he had to step down.

Marino did not go with good grace. He insisted that he had been the victim of a smear campaign waged by the enemies he had made within the city administration with his attempts to clean up corruption. Even more ludicrously, he suggested that his enemies would engineer his downfall, one way or another.

“If the expenses issue had not arisen, sooner or later they (his enemies) would have planted cocaine in my pockets,” he told La Stampa in an interview hours after resigning. Rather than accepting the fact that he had been caught out, the outgoing Roman mayor preferred to play the victim card earning the derision of observers.

It was the same card played by Cassar. In his resignation letter he claimed to have been at the receiving end of a “ferocious attack on his character” and that unbearable pressure was being brought to bear upon his family. A dispassionate review of the facts will show that there was nothing of the sort.

What was revealed by the media – was that when Cassar was minister for health he accepted the installation of a CCTV system from Gaffarena, who allegedly also paid for some €8,000 worth of building works at the former minister’s property.

There was also some business about Cassar buying a second-hand car to tide over the tearful and poverty-stricken Mark Gaffarena. Only, the latter told Cassar to donate the money to the Nationalist Party – effectively leaving Gaffarena without the car, without payment and Cassar with egg on his face. Eventually, Cassar did the honourable thing in the circumstances and resigned. It is not a step which many others have taken.

Eventually, Joe Cassar did the honourable thing in the circumstances and resigned. It is not a step which many others have taken

Now the Labour Party is crowing over Cassar’s downfall, conveniently disregarding the fact that members of the Gaffarena family have close ties with Labour ministers and have been doing terrifically well under this administration.

The Nationalist Party is annoyed at Labour’s double standards (and that one of their own has lost them the moral high ground) and are demanding the resignation of Lands Minister Michael Falzon for the role he allegedly played in Gaffarena’s golden Old Mint Street deal.

The whole affair has degenerated into the usual ‘pot’ ‘kettle’ name-calling with both parties accusing each other of cosying up to the Gaffarena family and other developer and business lobbies. And they’re both right and both wrong. Because both parties have courted/are still courting developers and business interests to the detriment of the public.

With the Labour Party this is so in-your-face that the Malta Developers Association president Sandro Chetcuti has ruled out standing for election. There’s no need to go through all the voting hurdles and having to be accountable to the public – the developers’ lobby already has untrammelled power. The Nationalist Party may not have an identical Chetcuti-character on board, but their years of cosying up to Charles Polidano will not be forgotten. Neither will the building of a hotel on public land in breach of all planning laws. Or the retention of an illegal zoo. Or allowing building on ODZ land or the so-called “rationalisation” exercise. So really, this lot simply took over where the PN left off.

This leaves us in a situation where politicians will continue to disregard the ethical standards which should be adhered to in a transparent democracy. It should be self-evident that ministers should not accept gifts or favours from people who are clearly seeking something in return. By accepting such gifts they are placing themselves in a position where they are indebted to donors or can be perceived to be in such a position.

However, if politicians from both sides

of the political divide are in hock to the Gaffarenas and their ilk, they have concluded that there is no political advantage to be gained from abiding by ethical standards.

The big losers in this scenario are those citizens who aren’t currying favour with politicians by showering them with donations.

They can’t be blamed for being nauseated at the drearily recurring revelations of corruption and bleating about frame-ups.

cl.bon@nextgen.net.mt