Nation shocked by hit-and-run

Liam Debono, 17, was charged with trying to kill a police officer in Luqa on Tuesday morning in a hit-and run incident that shocked the country. He pleaded not guilty to a series of charges and was remanded in custody. Police Constable Simon Schembri, 48, of Paola is in critical but stable condition, having suffered multiple injuries, among them a collapsed lung, broken ribs and a fractured pelvis. His right forearm was amputated. The Malta Police Association seized the opportunity to repeat its call for officers to be insured.

What made the headlines

The PN will not be silenced in corruption battle: Opposition leader Adrian Delia vowed he would not give up the Nationalist Party’s vocal battle against corruption. Addressing the closing session of the PN’s general council, Dr Delia thanked former leader Simon Busuttil for all he had done to fight corruption. Dr Delia accused the government of forgetting about the people who were not benefiting from economic growth and pledged to help all those in society who were vulnerable.

Safety measures wanting in council offices: All but six of Malta’s 68 local councils have been fined or are facing judicial action after it was found their offices were “in breach” of occupational health and safety legislation. The non-compliance was flagged during a series of inspections carried out by the safety watchdog last year as part of an awareness campaign. Details of this crackdown were divulged in the 2017 Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA) annual report. Of the 62 councils found to be “in breach” of legislation, just 20 councils had paid their fines, while judicial action would be imposed against those councils which had failed to do so. However, the names of the latter were not divulged.

Final withholding tax changes ‘by stealth’: Taxpayers who have resorted to special final withholding provisions in the past two decades will now have details of investments known to the authorities due to recent changes, the Times of Malta reported. The changes, which some investors and stockbrokers said were introduced by stealth without prior notice, resulted in numerous objections and complaints to the Finance Ministry. According to stockbrokers, the changes will have a “devastating” effect on the credibility of Malta’s tax systems, since those who repatriated their investments had been assured there was no need to inform the tax authorities if they paid the final withholding tax.

‘Kickbacks’ company struck off after Panama Papers leak: An offshore company allegedly used to forward €100,000 in kickbacks to the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, Keith Schembri, was struck off the registry some months after it emerged Brian Tonna was its owner. In a leaked e-mail acquired by German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, Nexia BT’s Karl Cini asked in October 2016 that Willerby Trade be struck off the British Virgin Islands’ company registry. Mr Tonna’s ownership was hidden behind nominees. The Panama Papers, published in April 2016, revealed that Mr Tonna, Nexia BT’s managing partner, owned both Willerby Trade and another BVI company, called SPX Services, which Mr Cini also asked to be removed from the company register.

‘Malta risks being taken over by the Mafia’: A report by an Italian anti-Mafia foundation has warned that Malta might be “taken over by Mafia interests” if nothing is done and if the EU keeps “closing its eyes” to what is happening on the island. In its conclusions after establishing “facts” on the infiltration of Italian Mafia business to the island, particularly through online gambling, the Florence-based Fondazione Caponnetto said that “if no immediate action is taken, Malta risks being controlled by local and international criminal groups” connected to the Mafia.

Request for VRT cost to increase by 50 per cent: Owners of VRT stations want to increase the price of the biennial vehicle test by around 50 per cent, as it has remained the same since it was introduced two decades ago. The stations commissioned a study to establish a new price and asked for an increase to almost €30 from the current €20.27. Abigail Mamo of the Chamber of Small and Medium Businesses said the stations’ demands were “reasonable” and would at least cover the cost of living increases of the past 20 years.

Social media rife with offensive comments: Social media in Malta is packed with offensive content and public opinion on migrants is generally negative, according to the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance. Its report, published every five years, notes that refugees remain the most vulnerable and marginalised group in the country, experiencing isolation and a relatively low level of interaction with Maltese people.

What trended

Lack of values

The news about Simon Schembri, the traffic policeman who was grievously injured in Tuesday’s hit-and-run incident in Luqa allegedly involving a 17-year-old boy, who has since been arraigned in court, unsurprisingly led to a chorus of online comments about parental duties and Malta’s lack of values.

“No values left in Malta especially amongst the young, they are a selfish undisciplined lot. I fear for the future of this country,” one reader said.

Another remarked: “I would put the blame on who raised him.” To which someone replied:  “I have personally seen parents reduced to tears, tearing their hair out because of their children. It is not always the parents’ fault that some children stray from the right path. Sometimes youngsters keep the wrong company.”

“This is the society which has been built. It’s a pity that guys like this one are not collected and given military training to get disciplined,” another reader added.

One person maintained that the judicial system needed to set an example, saying: “It’s up to our judicial system, which needs to give these dregs of society a lesson which they won’t forget, and protect civil society from them.”

Another insisted on a return to strict discipline for all from an early age: “Nowadays a parent or guardian or teacher cannot chastise the youngster, as they are afraid of the youngster phoning to report abuse. Strict discipline must return, starting from when the person is just a tiny child.”

One woman demanded that “whoever allowed this guy to drive the car should also be held responsible”.

And one reader said this latest incident should make people appreciate the work of the police:  “This is a tragic incident and illustrates the risks that all police officers take on a daily basis in an effort to keep others safe. It takes an incident like this to show how valuable and dedicated some police officers are.”

Another person of trust

The revelation by the Times of Malta that former Labour Cabinet minister Manuel Mallia had been put on the government’s payroll as a person of trust in the Prime Minister’s Office – with a financial package of €56,000 as a part-time legal adviser – led to angry online comments.

“Greed, greed and more greed at the expense of the taxpayer,” one reader remarked.

Another wrote: “We are but a village by a normal country’s standards and yet we have 69 MPs and God knows how many useless government consultants. And the average Maltese taxpayer is forced to pay these massive fees”.

Another reader commented: “Seems like just another case of rewarding someone who Muscat had upset in the past, with a view to keeping them ‘on side’.”

What they said

“We will keep fighting cor-ruption until our last breath, until the government stops being corrupt.”

Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia addressing the PN General Council.

“What will people be given in return for the public land that they gave up? The answer is shadows… You will be burying people alive in order to pocket millions.”

Moviment Graffiti activist Andre Callus addressing the developers of the St George’s Bay project at a meeting for Pembroke residents organised by the locality’s council.

“We always had an uphill battle. The steeper it is, the faster we climb.”

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat addressing the party faithful at the Sliema Labour club, insisting that Labour is always the underdog.

“We will continue our non-violent struggle for freedom.”

Palestinian chargé d’affaires Fadi Hanania speaking to a gathering commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Nakba (catastrophe) in which 700,000 Palestinian Arabs fled or were expelled from their homes in the 1948 Palestine war.

“Goebbels [the  Propaganda Minister in Nazi Germany] would have been proud.”

Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi reacting to the report posted on the online portal The Shift News about the alleged existence of closed Facebook Labour groups which target people critical of the Labour government.

“Those responsible for planning tourism must be careful to ensure that tourists or locals do not destroy what tourists have come to see.”

MHRA president Tony Zahra speaking during the presentation on the hotel industry’s performance in the first three months of 2018.