Desperate times call for desperate measures. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat raised the spectre of Russian election meddling. And he said it with a straight face. It’s tragic. Hilarious were it not sad. Next: the Panama Papers were a scam; Konrad Mizzi opened a charity account in Panama; Keith Schembri had no say in the Muscat administration; the world is flat.
Seriously, when in a hole stop digging. With a few days left to June 3, the Prime Minister painted himself in a tight corner. He now resorts to spin in a futile attempt to wriggle his way out. Elected with a landslide in 2013, Muscat failed miserably to unite the country. No wonder many, and that’s an understatement, are disappointed with the Prime Minister. Now, he’s asking for a blank cheque. The cheek.
Yes, previous Nationalist administrations had their shortcomings. It would be foolish to deny those flaws. But it would be more foolish still to use them as a reason for granting Muscat, Mizzi and Schembri a mandate to destroy what remains of Malta’s democracy and its reputation.
June 3 is the emergency exit to a never-ending saga of grave allegations, financial wrongdoing and corruption which strangled the Muscat government and now threaten to strangle the country. Putting an end to this rot is imperative. Thanks to Muscat, Schembri and Mizzi we are in the international press for the wrong reasons. His refusal to sack Mizzi and Schembri reflects terribly on Muscat.
At a time when Malta should be leading the presidency of the EU Council with example, we are described by a leading magazine, The Economist as a “Shady island”. The PANA Committee of the EU Parliament has been asking Muscat and Schembri to appear before it. They refuse. Now, they’ve extended the invitation to a few days after the general election.
It is the emergency exit to a never-ending saga of grave allegations, financial wrongdoing and corruption which strangled the Muscat government and now threaten to strangle the country
A new Prime Minister’s first trip abroad gives an indication of its foreign and economic policy roadmap. If Muscat pulls it off on June 3, his first visit would be in front of an EU Committee tasked with investigating a major scandal which rocked the political world: the Panama Papers. Tragic. But if Muscat, Schembri and Mizzi are given the boot, Simon Busuttil will appear in front of the PANA Committee to reassure them that it’s a fresh start for Malta.
This is an election like no other. When the absolute majority of people tell pollsters that corruption is Malta’s primary problem and that the country’s institutions and the current Prime Minister are incapable of fighting it, then you realise that we’ve hit rock bottom.
For this election is not a matter of who has the best policies – although that is important, and the Nationalist Party has put forward sensible ones, mainly on health, education and the economy. June 3 is about the very essence of a functioning democracy: rule of law; accountability; transparency and meritocracy. These principles were at the forefront of the 2013 Labour party manifesto. In government, it failed miserably on all counts.
It is insane to think that because ‘the economy is doing well’ – not for the absolute majority of pensioners and hand-to-mouth employees – this country affords to keep Muscat, Mizzi and Schembri at its helm. For the three of them are a threat to Malta’s reputation.
At times, I meet people who are making a good buck in real estate, who admit that corruption is rampant but they ‘have never had it so good’. Unfortunately, they fail to understand that all it takes is a gaming or financial services company, to pull out due to Malta being, unfailingly, in the news for the wrong reasons, and that would leave us with hundreds of vacant apartments – a disaster for small investors in real estate and to our economy.
Of course many well-meaning, law-abiding citizens fear that Muscat could pull it off on June 3. But his track record, faced with a strong coalition of well-meaning citizens, hailing from different political backgrounds, determined to put a stop to Muscat’s further attempts at wreaking havoc on Malta’s reputation, emboldens us all to believe that, on June 3, we have a chance to boot him out.
‘I Choose Malta’, is not a political slogan; it is the key factor which will determine whether we can put an end to this rot and give Malta back to its people. If Muscat, Mizzi and Schembri are retained on June 3, Malta’s reputation would be dealt a fatal blow.
The choice today is between good and bad governance. I know which I favour. I will choose Malta on June 3. I urge you to do the same.
Alessia Psaila Zammit is a Nationalist Party candidate on the sixth district.