The government and its acolytes are, of course, right when they say that debates like those held at the European Parliament last week damage Malta’s reputation. Unfortunately, this was not the only occasion where our dirty linen was hanged in public and it is not likely to be the last either. It will keep on recurring until Joseph Muscat assumes his full responsibility as Prime Minister and stop the rot the country is in, courtesy of his government.
Dr Muscat may genuinely think a “silent majority” support the way his government approached difficult situations over the past weeks. He could have added that such difficult situations were self-inflicted. Refusing to do so and to acknowledge that what has now become a vociferous minority may, after all, be right on various fronts makes him increasingly look like Hans Christian Andersen’s emperor who was obsessed with new clothes.
The economy is doing well. The Labour Party in power has a strong mandate by the electorate and, judging by recent polls, its support keeps growing. The government has often demonstrated it does not mind making decisions it knows can be quite controversial.
Those are positive attributes if used for the common good, to promote and safeguard the rule of law and, ultimately, to ensure the country is a thriving democracy where transparency and accountability reign supreme.
Branding law-abiding citizens who stand up to be counted as traitors and subverters is much like the Danish author’s emperor who, blinded by his pomposity, thought he was wearing the finest clothes when, in fact, he was wearing nothing at all but his pride.
There is still time for Dr Muscat not to repeat the emperor’s mistake who, though suspecting that a little child and, eventually, the whole town were right when they realised his fascinating clothes were non-existent, could only tell himself: “This procession has got to go on.”
The Prime Minister should instead heed Khaled Hosseini’s wise advice that it is better to get hurt by the truth than be comforted with a lie. It evidently hurts hearing the European Parliament speak the way it did about Malta and adopt a strongly-worded resolution with 466 in favour, 49 against and 167 abstentions.
It hurts not just Dr Muscat, his government and Labour Party supporters but all well-meaning Maltese nationals when the European Parliament:
“Regrets that several serious allegations of corruption and breach of anti-money laundering and banking supervision obligations have not been investigated by the police in Malta, which represents a threat to the rule of law in this member state; acknowledges that there are several magisterial inquiries underway regarding some of these allegations; specifically regrets the fact that there has been no police investigation to date in Malta into the revelations regarding the Panama Papers and politically exposed persons in the leaked FIAU reports and notes that some of those named in the FIAU reports remain part of the government; calls on the Maltese Police Commissioner to open such an investigation.”
Had Dr Muscat opted to take the bull by the horns when names started to emerge from the Panama Papers he would have probably been hailed as a no-nonsense Prime Minister who truly puts the national good first.
This is a Times of Malta print editorial