People look at the current state of the Joseph Muscat government and realise it has been hijacked by a clique whose reputation is in tatters. People realise that if on June 3 they return Muscat to government, the country will have to pay the bill.
They know that if they give Muscat a second term, they will, eventually, have to tell their kids that in 2017 they gave a blank cheque to shady men who wreaked havoc to the hands that feed us all: Malta’s reputation.
People know that June 3 is no ordinary election. In normal circumstances, they would give a one-term government another five years in office. But these are no ordinary circumstances.
The past four years have been riddled with grave allegations of corruption. All fingers point to Castille. When The Economist runs a story describing Malta as a ‘shady island’ you know we’ve hit rock bottom.
June 3 is a pivotal moment in modern Maltese democracy
The notion that you can forgive Muscat “because the economy is doing well” is, of course, ridiculous. If you ask people if they want a better future for their children, in a free democratic society, the answer is yes. None of that is possible when those in power are tainted with grave allegations of corruption.
True, it’s been only four years since the Nationalists were sent back in Opposition, after more than two decades in power. The Nationalists laid the foundations for today’s leading industries which employ thousands and pay handsomely. But they had grown arrogant, took their most loyal supporters for granted and bureaucracy became the order of the day. 2013 was a reality for the Nationalist Party. But that was four years ago, and in the meantime, Simon Busuttil did his best to regenerate the party.
If Muscat were to get a second term, he would be invincible and unstoppable. So would Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi. Make no mistake, it would be a calamity for Malta, but also for the Labour Party. Should Muscat get a second term, it would not be long before the situation implodes and both Malta and Labour would be casualties.
For the past four years, the instinct of many in the Labour Party, and its supporters, was to stay put, stay loyal, stay Labour. Now is the time to stand up and put an end to this.
Staying put in the hope that Muscat will go away half way in his second term means that in the meantime they are helping Muscat, Mizzi and Schembri to tighten their hold around the party’s, and the country’s, neck. And it’s wishful thinking too. If Muscat were to pull it off again, he won’t go. There’s too much at stake for Muscat, Mizzi and Schembri to let go. June 3 is the pivotal moment in modern Maltese democracy. It is mad that anyone might need to point this out. But that’s the sad truth.
Imagine a prime minister who, a few weeks after taking oath of office, is faced with a damming magisterial inquiry; imagine Keith Schembri is re-appointed as his chief of staff; imagine Konrad Mizzi is again a minister – this time with a larger portfolio; imagine that leading gaming and financial services companies pull out following another damming report by The Economist and Transparency International; imagine the current Police Commissioner’s term is extended. Then think that all this shall happen if on June 3 Muscat gets a second term. And tremble.
Staying put on June 3? I’m just saying it has terrible consequences.
A lawyer by profession, Frank Psaila anchors Iswed fuq l-Abjad on Net TV.