This was yet another eventful week. In Hollywood, the Oscars were given for the best films of 2014, and in Malta we had the National Audit Office (NAO) publishing a damning report on the Café Premier scandal, Mepa turning down an application for illegal work carried out on a property of Minister Helena Dalli, and we also had Joseph Muscat taking a very strange position with regard to former Nationalist ministers’ admission that in the past they had money deposited in a Swiss bank.
The Café Premier scandal perhaps should be labelled as the scandal of the year. Months ago, the Nationalist Party, through then shadow minister for home affairs Jason Azzopardi, had flagged a scandal in which the present government had paid €4.2 million to acquire the premises, effectively bailing out the owners from debt related to this property. Worse still, it transpires that Prime Minister Joseph Muscat personally intervened in the negotiations with the owner of Café Premier. A number of days have now passed since NAO issued the report, yet Prime Minister Muscat has remained mum on the issue. This is another example of how low this government can go. And this includes its head. This is also another example of how generous this government is with people’s money. The biggest disservice is being done to so many other businesses, big or small, who would love to have such a generous act performed in their regard, as has been done by Premier Muscat to the Café Premier owners. However, they know that unless they belong to the Taghna Lkoll clan they will remain empty handed. Meanwhile, this property, for which we paid more than €4 million from our taxes, has remained abandoned a year after it was purchased by Muscat’s government.
Equality Minister’s illegal work unsanctioned
MEPA’s decision to turn down an application to sanction illegal work done in a residential property belonging to Helena Dalli and her husband showed how right we were when months ago we insisted that the work carried out was illegal and should not be sanctioned. It was thanks to the media that this scandal was revealed and that goes a long way to show what a role the independent media have in ensuring that no citizen on this blessed island believes he or she are somehow above the law. That this was done by a politician responsible for ensuring equality between citizens is extremely ironic.
This was another story which showed that the members of this government have somehow made it their mission to make as much hay as possible while the sun shines. They have given themselves second and third jobs, showered their family members, friends and allies with highly paid jobs, rented out their own cars to the government, and so on and so forth. Labour’s thirst for favours does not seem to abate; on the contrary scandals are hatching every day.
Joseph’s shameful tweet
Two former Nationalist ministers publicly confessed that in the past they had accounts in a Swiss bank. These revelations came out of the blue even though the Swiss Leaks affair was reported in the international media some weeks ago. On learning from one former minister, Michael Falzon, that he had held a bank account in Switzerland years ago, the Opposition leader’s response was quick and firm. He stated that any member of the Nationalist Party who had held such undeclared accounts should consider themselves suspended from the party at least until the issue is clarified. Dr Busuttil reacted in the same manner when it was revealed that another former minister, Ninu Zammit, had held such an account.
On the other hand, Dr Muscat came out in support of the former ministers through a tweet, chiding the Opposition for not taking the same position with regard to others. He did this instead of giving the necessary assurances that he will take the same position taken by Dr Busuttil and declaring that he will not give any cover to anyone who breaks the law one way or the other. Up to the time of writing, we have heard nothing from Dr Muscat. We do not know what his intentions are? What will he do if it is revealed that there are Labour politicians who had such accounts? Will he take the same position he took when it emerged in this legislature that one of his ministers had ‘forgot’ to declare an investment when he filled his declaration of assets, or when another minister admitted that he had half a million euro stashed under his bed. Will he do what he had done then and stay silent once again?
Good luck Mgr Scicluna
The long wait is over. Mgr Charles Scicluna, who headed the local church following the premature resignation of Archbishop Cremona, will be the island’s next pastoral leader. I am sure he will go for this new mission with a lot of enthusiasm and determination to lead the Church and its believers to the best of his abilities. I am confident that his excellent communication skills as well as his good standing in Malta and abroad will help in giving him a head start in this difficult mission. Good luck Mgr Scicluna.
Charlò Bonnici is a Nationalist Member of Parliament.