The fact that Economy Minister Chris Cardona has taken draconian measures and Parliamentary Secretary Deborah Schembri has taken umbrage at a journalist’s reporting of the former’s alleged visit to a brothel while on government work abroad is in itself evidence that they too think their sexual behaviour while in public office and on government trips has an effect on their voters.

And it is this effect that they want to annihilate. It’s as if Cardona’s story has all of a sudden clearly showed them that there are voters who do take into consideration the personality of the politician seeking their vote. Cardona and Schembri want us to feel bad for holding politicians to account.

Let me be clear, it is devious of politicians to expect that when their behaviour crosses the lines acceptable to some of their voters then those voters should not know about it. Yes politicians do have a private life, but a restricted one.

Let me ask Schembri, would you vote comfortably for a politician who is the aggressor in domestic violence? Will you simply vote for him because he is with the party of your choice and say it’s his and his partner’s business? I think not or maybe I’d better say, I expect you not to.

Even mundane behaviour can be necessary for consideration in public debate. For example, if a young teenage neighbour changes his girlfriend every week, would fellow citizens be interested? Not at all. It’s just hormones. But what if that gigolo was a grown up adult minister in charge of public funds and running a social or economic national sector? Then, yes we would all be interested that he cannot even control his hormones.

And Schembri, do you know why? Because some of us do not vote for any face but vote for people whom we can trust with the exercise of discretion in the spending of public funds. And if one cannot even take control of his personal (not necessarily private) life, then are we ready to trust him with the responsibility of public life?

Chris Cardona and Deborah Schembri seem to implicate in their actions and words that people owe them respect simply because they are in public life

A politician’s personal life can matter when it overshadows or threatens to tarnish the office that he holds and the respect that he owes citizens. Cardona and Schembri seem to implicate in their actions and words that people owe them respect simply because they are in public life.

Sorry, it doesn’t work that way.

It is often the choices that politicians make in their personal life that show how worthy of our trust and respect they are.

I am not interested in whether a minister is enjoying a fine dinner with friends. But I am interested in knowing that he is enjoying that fine dinner with people who could give rise to a conflict of interest, or if he is seen drinking too much alcohol or behaving in such manner that could expose my country’s minister to mockery or blackmail.

If a minister cannot control such small urges in his own personal life, how can he control bigger urges of money, corruption and abusive power?

To be honest, there is probably something else that I should say just for honesty’s sake. I have had enough of this government’s attitude towards women and by government I mean the attitude of those who are part of it and let me be straight about it: this government festers prejudices on women. And that is unacceptable to me.

This government was elected on the promise that it will be the most feminist government. If by feminist Joseph Muscat meant that most of those around him will be accompanied or in the presence of pretty made-up women, then he has succeeded.

But he has done nothing to promote gender equality in its true sense, where males and females can succeed irrespective of their gender or whose company they are seen in.

So even only on the basis of Muscat’s promise to provide us with the most feminist government, Cardona’s alleged visit to a brothel is newsworthy. If that allegation is true, I for one will know exactly how Muscat defines respect for women.

If Muscat does not want a blogger’s page to increase its hits, does not want politicians to be followed and sought out, then he should expect much higher standards in public life from those he has chosen.

Therese Comodini Cachia is shadow minister for education and employment.