Joseph Muscat six months on from the election is a very different persona, in terms of his public actions and pronouncements at least, to the Joseph Muscat who managed to convince voters in droves to place their trust in him as head of Malta’s government.
The electoral mantra of Malta Tagħna Ilkoll sank without trace the minute he navigated the first of Castille’s steps. He did not send out a search party to look for it and rumours are it left town on March 9 with no intention of returning for at least five years. But perhaps it will not be welcome by then.
The Muscat of six months ago talked about inclusiveness, and working with people of all political persuasions. The Muscat of today has allowed one questionable appointment after another, and some utterly obscene ones too.
The list has become too long to mention, though one of the worst in recent days has been the former Gozo Channel chairman Joseph Grech.
After being sacked by the Nationalist government for calling back a ferry to pick him up after he arrived late at the terminal, and being held up at the time by Labour as an example of PN arrogance, he has been given a job which effectively gives him charge of the company.
The Muscat of six months ago would have called this a disgrace, a symptom of a tired and morally bankrupt government. The Muscat of today simply shrugged his shoulders, grinned and, worst of all, came up with an explanation that would shame a schoolboy caught playing truant: saying the company had fared well when Dr Grech was at the helm and had gone downhill after his departure.
Not only was this irrelevant – bad conduct is bad conduct, full stop – but, as documents seen by The Sunday Times of Malta showed, it was incorrect. What did Dr Muscat do when faced with this? Absolutely nothing.
It appears that the sole criterion for receiving an appointment is not merit (another forgotten term), but allegiance, irrespective of anything else. The conduct of the police board and shenanigans surrounding Silvio Scerri have only served to add fuel to this developing fire.
Two deeper questions emerge: one, given Dr Muscat’s insistence on brushing off matters he would have described as resignation issues six months ago, are we to face the next five years with no accountability in government simply because the Labour Party has nine-seat majority?
Two, is the Prime Minister in control of his administration? He certainly ran a tight ship before March 9, but there are indications that a wave of pressure from within has been overpowering him ever since. If so, is he going to do anything about it?
Never mind Labour’s future electoral prospects – many in the party are prematurely taking it for granted that they are in power for 10 years – but what effect is this approach going to have on the economy, which was a cornerstone of the last government even at its troubled worst?
There are already statistics showing a rise in unemployment and a dip in exports. Also, the environment may be a victim of a Government which promised too much to contractors and hunters at the expense of the law-abiding citizens.
Is this ‘anything goes’ attitude likely to attract investment, not just from abroad, and encourage spending, or put it off? We are likely to have a clearer answer to that question in the next six months. But the indications so far are anything but positive.