Education Minister Evarist Bartolo knows how to make the right noises, sometimes, like when the Panama Papers scandal erupted and he distanced himself from his Cabinet colleague, Konrad Mizzi.
It was around the same time that he began to get soundings that something was terribly amiss at the Foundation for Tomorrow’s Schools for which he is responsible. But that did not stop him from putting on the rebel hat and claiming “there are laws for gods and laws for animals”.
Unfortunately, his words did not mean much because when it came to a parliamentary vote, he went along with all his colleagues on the government benches and supported Dr Mizzi.
It may be that his strong words back in April were more intended to placate the angry and deluded Labour Party supporters than to actually see something done about the secret accounts of Dr Mizzi, the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, Keith Schembri, and of a third, as yet unidentified owner of Egrant Ltd. Mr Bartolo was simply speaking up for Labour rank and file.
Finding himself in a hotspot now, Mr Bartolo’s behaviour is not much different from Dr Mizzi’s during the height of the Panama scandal. Admittedly, Mr Bartolo has been far more forthcoming with information than the former energy minister. Cynics may say he wants to be over and done with the controversy in the hope it would fade away fast.
But it is just incomprehensible that he originally claimed to have learnt about the corruption allegations involving his long-time canvasser Edward Caruana in August only to later admit it was April. That grave ‘error’, the Nationalist Party calls it a “lie’” undermines all else he may have to say.
All that Mr Bartolo now says on the subject is suspect, as is dubious much of what his colleague, Dr Mizzi, does or says. Secrecy and misleading statements undermine public trust in any politician and it is immensely difficult to win it back.
But the minister has made it even worse. He refuses to accept responsibility for the actions of the man facing serious accusations of abuse, a man he appointed in a ‘position of trust’ in the same way as numerous other persons of trust have been hoisted on the civil service, public corporations and authorities.
His canvasser moved in at the Foundation for Tomorrow’s Schools thanks to Mr Bartolo. He was so involved in the building tenders to the point that he insisted on personally delivering payment cheques to contractors. Everything a person of trust does is taken at face value as having the blessing of the minister who put him there.
Mr Bartolo said he wanted a smoking gun before he moved against a man he trusted. He never needed to do that because it was not up to him to establish if the accusations were founded. That is not his job. When he eventually did withdraw his trust and moved against Mr Caruana, it was far too late. The foundation’s CEO, Philip Rizzo resigned.
When Mr Bartolo refuses to take political responsibility for his canvasser’s actions, he conveniently forgets that the only reason people are employed on a trust basis is because a minister wants them there. People in positions of trust are imposed on the public service and not recruited competitively like everyone else. Their status is different, their position temporary and someone has to answer for their actions and, maybe, even share their fate.
That Mr Bartolo is refusing to do so is his second grave mistake.