The political scene in Malta has become increasingly similar to the football transfer market. Faces and players which have been associated with one party for yonks, now play for their former opponents. So you get John Dalli, Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, Lou Bondi and a couple of ex-PN players pulling on a red shirt and being fielded by the Labour side.

The divisions within the country aren’t going to run across red-blue lines, but between the totally disillusioned and the brown-nosers

If you had to keep the football market analogy further, you may remember that one of the earlier Labour signings was Marisa Micallef – once an ardent admirer of everything Lawrence Gonzi.

Back in the days when she was chairwoman of the Housing Authority (appointed by the object of her admiration at the time – Gonzi) she would write cringe-making gushing pieces about the former Nationalist Party leader. She described him as “modest”, “lovely”, “natural” in much the same way a schoolgirl would describe her first crush in a secret diary. Micallef had written at the time: “We could not have anyone better to represent this tribal nation.”

Things change. Micallef no longer found Gonzi to be quite so lovely. It seems to have been a case of ‘easy come, easy go’ as far as indispensable leaders go, for Micallef. Joseph Muscat held out the hand of friendship to her (together with a fat pay cheque for some undisclosed post within the Labour ranks), and Micallef swung over to the other side.

Of course, this was the side peopled by Labour supporters – the very same people who Micallef had described as including a good percentage of “people who believe one thing one day and another the next” (January 3, 2005), but if she has no issues about her credibility, why should we?

But back to what Micallef did next. Following a few blush-inducing contributions to the press that were as mushy as a mashed-up avocado, she withdrew from media circles, but is said to have been instrumental in introducing Muscat to movers and shakers disenchanted with the PN.

This brings us to the present day and reports that Micallef is set to be appointed Ambassador to the United States of America. If these reports are confirmed it would mean Muscat has preferred to appoint a person who writes appallingly moronic fairy stories/political parables (read an example of it here: www.timesof malta.com/articles/view/ 20090929/ letters/the-blurred-kingdom.275213), instead of someone – anyone – who is more eminently qualified.

More than any other decision, this makes the promise of advancement on the basis of meritocracy sound extremely hollow.

The objections to this appointment do not arise because of Micallef’s past or present political beliefs. She could be a card-carrying Nationalist, a Labour convert or a convinced Communist – it would make absolutely no difference if she was as qualified and competent as other diplomats who could have taken up the post. Somehow I doubt it. I find it hard to believe that no other suitable candidate could be found for the post.

I don’t know about you, but I expect diplomats to have excellent writing skills and a modicum of gravitas, and not to blether on about “The days of the Wonder Bra (and hopefully of horrible breast implants too!) are thankfully over”, as Micallef did in September 2005.

Muscat assures us that he knows what he is doing and that this is all by way of his Grand National Reconciliation Project, where voters of all stripes will co-exist peacefully.

If this is his aim, it’s backfiring. Micallef is not a Nationalist. She switched her allegiance to Labour when the party handed her a handsomely paid job. Naturally, she was entitled to do so.

However the rest of us are similarly entitled to reach our own conclusions as to paymasters, political opportunism and rewards for (networking) services rendered.

And there is no way we will be made to believe there isn’t one single other individual who is not eminently more qualified and experienced in international diplomatic affairs than Micallef is.

Muscat seems to be telling us that the qualifications for these posts are not really relevant – or that they can be filled interchangeably by people who possess any the sole, all-important qualification of having switched from the Nationalist to the Labour camp.

This makes Muscat looks magnanimous and forgiving – “Look, I’m taking Nationalist critics on board”, and is also in tune with the One Nation narrative he wants to convey. Except that we’re fine with the One Nation concept if it’s one based on merit and fairness, and not on payback.

You know, I thought it was only Silvio Berlusconi who appointed veline and show girls to important political posts.

I hope Muscat isn’t trying to emulate this ridiculous appointment method. If he does, the divisions within the country aren’t going to run across red-blue lines, but between the totally disillusioned and the brown-nosers.

cl.bon@nextgen.net.mt