We are all human beings, with our human defects. That is why checks and balances are needed in life.  And even more in political life. When in power, politicians tend to forget we are there to administer in the name of others and not to plunder the State’s coffers or to take advantage of our privileged position.

Power corrupts, and that is why it needs to be kept in check.

Corruption and money plundering by irresponsible politicians is not something new. In Malta it goes back to at least 2,000 years ago. 

The Roman governor of Sicily, Gaius Verres was notorious for his misgovernment. He used to abuse of farmers and their products and plunder the temples that came under his grip. His avidity for money led him to resort to other appalling tactics.

Wikipedia states that Verres “during the time of the Third Servile War (73-71BC) against Spartacus had used the emergency to raise cash. He would, allegedly, pick key slaves of wealthy landowners and charge them with plotting to join Spartacus’s revolt or otherwise causing sedition in the province. Having done so, he would sentence the slave to death by crucifixion, and then lay a broad hint that a sizeable bribe from the slave’s owner could expunge the charge and sentence”. 

Quite an abominable man, I would say, and Malta certainly did not escape Verres’s insatiable greed. Cicero accuses Verres of having depleted Malta of many jars of honey and, in order to portray his arrogance, the famous Roman orator depicts “the garland-adorned Verres as being borne around the city of Syracuse like an oriental monarch on a litter containing a cushion of Maltese linen stuffed with roses”. 

Getting back to our days in Malta, the plundering of Maltese resources has become less sophisticated but certainly much more expensive. The Gonzi administration gave away for peanuts the whole area today denoted as Smart City to a Dubai consortium on condition that the area would become a world hub in the information technology area.

Reality has shown us that the whole project in effect was nothing but a scam, an excuse to hand precious Maltese land at giveaway prices to preferred developers. As the developers themselves describe it, “an area of 360,000 square metres along the picturesque coast between Ricasoli Point and Valletta’s Grand Harbour”, taken away from the Maltese taxpayer.

Our Prime Minister is free to give away his own private land to whoever he wants to.  But he is absolutely not authorised to do so with our public land

In fact, if one goes to Kalkara today there is absolutely no information technology hub there. Instead, one finds the usual land speculation exercise, with apartments selling from a minimum of €200,000 (studio flat) to €750,000.

Joseph Muscat seems to have sworn to himself that he does not want to be outdone by the Nationalists. There are select persons for whom he is ready to sacrifice anything. Let us forget Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri for the moment.  Muscat has been covering up for them for the past 785 days and he has sacrificed the possibility of him taking over from Donald Tusk as EU Council president. All for Konrad and Keith. Who knows why? 

But what about Sadeen?  The man from Jordan who mysteriously landed in our country and in five minutes, to quote the Prime Minister, persuaded our Joseph to give him precious ODZ land in Żonqor at very cheap rates and a historic building in the heart of Cottonera for a song.  Of course, our Prime Minister is free to give away his own private land to whoever he wants to. But he is absolutely not authorised to do so with our public land. So, why has he done so with Sadeen?

Then we have Silvio Debono, of the by now famous DB Group. This is the man who, starting from humble origins, has now become a multimillionaire in the hotel industry. In 2008, he unashamedly declared his personal interest in supporting former minister Austin Gatt’s proposal for a new road in Mellieħa which would have liberated a sizeable stretch of sandy beach in front of his own hotel, the Seabank. Luckily, this project was not seen through.

But now, Muscat wants to go one better. For some reason or another he has given Silvio our public ITS land in Pembroke/St Julian’s at the ridiculous price of €50 a square metre. 

Thousands of residents from Pembroke, Swieqi, St Julian’s and Paceville are up in arms against this shameful giveaway of public land.

Yet, despite this strong opposition by so many Maltese, Joseph is adamant.  He has publicly said he is totally committed to the DB project and will do anything to see it through. Why?

A little cherry on the cake of public money squandering goes to Chris Cardona. Our guy spent €10,951 on business trips to Monaco on May 24, 2015, €5,597 on a trip to Dubai on November 27, 2016, and €2,396 on a trip to Milan on September 3, 2017.

Strange how these ‘business’ trips coincided with the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Monaco, Dubai and Monza.

Be careful with our money, please, Chris. 

Arnold Cassola is former Alternattiva Demokratika chairman and former secretary general of the European Green Party.

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