The prime spokesman of the government which has institutionalised corruption yesterday unleashed a hugely partisan and personal attack on the Opposition leader, Simon Busuttil.

His duty as the “head of government communications” funded by our taxes is to impart proper information to the public and to transmit an image of decency on behalf of the government.

Yet he believes that his duty is to launch a personal and scathing attack on the Opposition leader and to turn the truth right over on its head.

Kurt Farrugia.Kurt Farrugia.

His duty, for instance, was also to tell us the truth about the infamous shooting by the minister’s driver at a passing car.

Instead, the official statement signed off by him incredibly told the public it was just warning shots fired in the air.

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His duty was also to inform the public about his visit to Baku in December 2014 along with his boss, Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi, instead of hiding this visit from the public. The result of this visit, by the way, was the loss of a staggering €14 million incurred by Enemalta.

Kurt Farrugia uses public funds – taxes paid by you and me – to not explain why Castille has allowed an unacceptable state of corruption within its ranks, how it proposes to deal with it or how it will clean up the illegitimate setting up of foreign companies and bank accounts and alleged illegal receipt of kickbacks and money laundering by prominent government persons,  as suspected by an institution of the State – the anti-money-laundering unit, FIAU.

Nor does he explain why the Pana Committee spoke of a “textbook case of money laundering”.

He instead uses public funds to unleash a vitriolic attack on the very person who, together with international and local independent media and the institutions that have not yet been taken over by his boss, have unearthed this diabolical modus operandi.

While all of this may be fine for Farrugia, it is certainly not fine at all for us, the law-abiding, proud citizens of this country.

Farrugia and his boss are in for a big surprise: Busuttil needs no title or status to keep up his crusade against corruption

In truly Azerbaijani style, Farrugia describes highlighting the suspected illegalities and money laundering as “divisive, negative, hatred, anger and bitterness”.

What adjectives fit, then, his own extreme personal attack on the leader of the Opposition?

Farrugia terms the myriad investigations by the anti-money-laundering unit into the companies, banks and accounts of his bosses in Castille as “frame-ups, sanctimonious, spiteful”.

He then appeals to the “rational, moderate” to airbrush the biggest mark his bosses have left on the Castille that he supposedly speaks for: accusations of bribery and money laundering at the highest level of government of Malta.

Farrugia speaks as though the Maltese public is an ignorant species.

He takes us to be fools, and that is hugely insulting. Should he not be telling us why we have had five police commissioners in four years, why it is that if any normal citizen in this country commits a crime, he is prosecuted, whereas people within government are not, why two senior officials at the FIAU had their contract terminated unceremoniously or why the Castille he is singing the praises of has thrown the reputation of this country out the window?

He will not, because he believes that the Castille gang is invincible, encouraged by the feeling that in Malta, they have become immune from prosecution.

Farrugia yearns for “a stable and strong Opposition, which is needed in a strong and stable functioning democracy”. Do we laugh or do we cry?

Is plundering €10 million in the form of Australia Hall, controlling PBS, buying off critics, promoting half the army and employing thousands of  disgruntled supporters in government and allowing an undisciplined climate to prevail the new definition of a “functioning democracy”?

He attempts to humiliate Busuttil. Now that’s the biggest laugh of all.

Busuttil fought against the institutionalised corruption that is the hallmark this government has left on Castille.

Busuttil stood and stands for honesty and integrity.

He stood and stands for good governance and the absolute rule of law.

He stood and stands for equality before the law and living in a civilised society where a government leads by example.

I, for one, was and am very proud indeed to stand with Busuttil in this quest for justice.

Farrugia may well rejoice at Busuttil’s departure from the helm of the Nationalist Party and the Opposition because the government has now been relieved of a big thorn in its side.

But Farrugia and his boss are in for a big surprise: I believe Busuttil needs no title or status to keep up his crusade against corruption. And he will fight Castille’s corruption relentlessly until justice prevails.

And there is no doubt that he will not be alone.

Ann Fenech is president of the Nationalist Party’s executive committee.

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