The news that the collective agreement signed by the former Minister of Health, Louis Deguara, with the medical doctors’ union, just four months prior to the 2008 general election had been signed due to “orders from the very top”, once again proves who is ready to promise – in this case, not just promise – everything to everybody in order to gain votes.

After the present Minister of Health, Joe Cassar, had publicly stated that the said collective agreement was defective because it was “a one-way” agreement, also hinting that the responsibility for signing that agreement lay with the former minister, Dr Deguara immediately reacted. He said that both he and his ministry officials were against the signing of that collective agreement but, due to orders from above, that agreement was signed. It seems that the only option left for Dr Deguara to emphasise his disagreement was to send someone else for the signing – then Parliamentary Secretary Helen D’Amato!

It certainly is no coincidence that not a word has been uttered by Lawrence Gonzi on this matter. After all, it can only be he who gave the green light for the signing.

Remember, not so long ago Dr Gonzi, while pointing at himself, had publicly stated: “The buck stops here”. So now one expects Dr Gonzi to answer the accusations coming, this time not from his backbenchers, but from a former minister and a present member of his Cabinet.