It is more than obvious that the Nationalist Party has little to offer to the electorate at the next general election. PN leader Simon Busuttil’s main battle cry has consistently been that the present Labour government, led by Joseph Muscat, is the most corrupt government in Maltese political history.

Of course, one need not be a history expert to realise that this is a risible statement by the leader of the Opposition. Apparently, he has forgotten that one can go as far back as 1927 to find instances of highly questionable practices in the days of PN governments. I am referring to the infamous “Terinu” case of those days and the false affidavit of Ettore Bono to the detriment of Gerald Strickland.

We can, however, leave those distant days alone and mention more recent instances of negative practices under PN governments. One need only remind people that the recent oil scandal occurred under a PN government as did the “works for votes” case in Gozo. I hope I have made my case that the Nationalist Party does not have a record to be proud of in this area of good governance and its leader should remember the famous proverb which states that “people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones”.

Let me now deal with the case of the present Labour government. The crux of the matter boils down to one simple question: ‘Is the Labour government really corrupt or is this just a perception created by the Nationalist Opposition?’ Here we have to make a distinction between proven facts and allegations. One of the most important points is the fact that the PN has failed to provide one shred of evidence that Muscat is corrupt. Yes, it has made innumerable allegations but that is what they are: allegations, not proven facts. There is a world of difference between alleging that somebody is corrupt and actually proving that this is the case.

The only worry I have regarding the outcome of the general election is a stab in the back by many disgruntled Labourites

Readers will retort by asking: “What about the Panama Papers case or the Gaffarena case?” Yes, there have been several cases of questionable practices but, again, the political responsibility has been carried, action has been taken and, most importantly, at the end of the day it cannot be proved that the government is corrupt. Errors of judgment? Yes.  Unethical practices? Yes. Lack of good governance? Yes.  Corruption? No, because there is no tangible proof of this.  Are we going to start condemning people on the basis of simple allegations? Is this how things will be under a future PN government? Is this Simon Busuttil’s idea of democracy?

I am not trying to whitewash what is wrong. I will be the first to admit that Labour has made mistakes and I have consistently said it has to substantially improve its record in the area of good governance. However, let us not make the cardinal mistake of believing the fiction being spouted by the Nationalist Party media on a daily basis and which tries to paint a picture of a totally corrupt Labour government made up of totally immoral politicians. If that were true, I would be the first to resign from the Labour Party!

Some critics harp on the theme of meritocracy and criticise Labour for reneging on its pre-electoral promise that meritocracy would be the yardstick in all public appointments. People who criticise the Labour government about abandoning meritocracy simply do not know what they are talking about.

It is true that a good number of people who are known Labourites have been appointed to top posts but this is because they are very capable and extremely competent in the work demanded by such a top post. Or are we going to push forward the nonsensical concept that under a Labour government, the best brains should be excluded from consideration for top posts if they are Labourites? Would this be fair? Would it be democratic? Would it be in the national interest?

Do you know how many Labourites there are who have vowed never to vote Labour again because they have been denied requests which go against the principle of meritocracy? A very large number. Indeed, given Labour’s terrific record of achievement in government, the only worry I have regarding the outcome of the general election is a stab in the back by many disgruntled Labourites. Labourites who expected to advance their careers simply because of their political affiliation and not because of their competence and who were rebuffed by the Labour government because of its principle of meritocracy.

No, my friends, the Labour government is not corrupt. It is an extremely competent government which has positively changed the face of Malta. It is, however, made up of human beings and errors of judgment are part of the human condition. This is the truth. The rest is a mistaken perception.

Desmond Zammit Marmarà is a Balzan Labour councillor.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.