When questioned by this newspaper about the Gozo Channel ferry controversy, Joseph Muscat glibly dismissed the matter as “case closed,” adding without a hint of irony that “the issue stops here”.
He may be the Prime Minister; he may have the authority to retain ministers who in opposition he had said he would sack in line with his pre-electoral mantra of accountability that has sunk without trace since March 9. However, he does not have the authority to determine where an issue stops or starts. Not when so many questions remain unanswered or have been swept under the carpet in an effort to make this controversy go away.
Nor is he factually correct.
One, it is not true, as Dr Muscat has alleged, that a policy was broken when the MV Gaudos was directed to return to Mġarr empty and berth for the night because the two other ferries operating on a shuttle service were, by that time, in a position to cope on their own. This has been standard practice for years. When we asked Gozo Channel to produce evidence to the contrary, it failed to do so.
Secondly, the case is certainly not yet closed for the duty manager, Teddy Pace, who has been suspended by Gozo Channel after following what anyone connected with the ferry company will tell you was standard practice. The only difference in this case is that a minister was involved.
Nor has there been an explanation to date, either from the Prime Minister or from Gozo Channel, over why the company issued a statement that turned out to be incorrect when it said that “the duty manager received a call from a passenger, who identified himself as the Gozo Minister, complaining the ferry left passengers stranded”.
Who provided the company with this information? Who gave the order for this statement to be issued? Why has it not been corrected? Why has an investigation not been launched into how a government-owned entity is able to issue a statement that runs at odds with the true state of affairs?
We know today that the minister called one of his aides, who is a Gozo Channel employee, who, in turn, called the captain of the Gaudos as well as the duty manager. The vessel subsequently turned back to Ċirkewwa to pick up the minister and a few other passengers who were there.
The plot thickened yesterday when we questioned the minister as he emerged from a Cabinet meeting at Castille. Mystifyingly, he told us that he does not know who he spoke to. Anton Refalo went on to claim he was a sacrificial lamb. With the lack of accountability being employed by the Prime Minister, sacred cow might be closer to the truth.
The only sacrificial lamb in this case, to date is Mr Pace, who has been unfairly and unjustifiably singled out for doing his job. This after Dr Refalo told our journalist at least three times on the night of the incident that he (the emphasis is ours) would suspend him. Does Dr Muscat also approve of this?
The Prime Minister can repeat till he is blue in the face that this case is over. It is not. Far from it. The only thing that risks being over is this Government’s credibility when it comes to acceptable standards of governance. Does Dr Muscat really want to be a party to this?