A few weeks ago, I wrote a very strong article against the choice of Simone Vella Lenicker, the daughter of the incumbent MEPA chairman, to lead the PN’s Environment Convention. I received all sorts of comments, some of which were downright rude but I refused to reply. Some commentators went so far to state that I was writing in that way because I was envious of Simone Vella Lenicker, implying that I may have wanted to be selected instead of her. It was also stated that I may have some personal issue with someone within the PN, which I do not.

All those who lambasted me for criticizing Vella Lenicker’s choice came from the Nationalist Party. It was the first time that I had Labourites, who are normally critical of my writings, agreeing with me. What struck me most was that the most vociferous critics did not have the courage to identify themselves. Therefore, one cannot assess whether their criticism was genuine or resulted from their own vested interests in perpetuating Malta’s network system of scratch my back and I scratch yours.

Now, Labour has decided to choose Anġlu Farrugia’s daughter to be a magistrate. I wish to ask whether all those who criticized me about Vella Lenicker will be applauding Joseph Muscat and Owen Bonnici for their choice. This is why political parties need to focus carefully when making such decisions, as these will come back to haunt them. 

And to show how much the arguments brought in support of Simone Vella Lenicker do not make sense, I wish now to re-propose them in support of Anġlu Farrugia’s daughter as magistrate within our judiciary system. Please do not accuse me of cronyism. As the English saying goes, what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

In the case of Simone Vella Lenicker, I was told that “it does not follow that being Vince Cassar's daughter makes her his disciple. She is clearly her own woman and not her father's daughter via a vis Malta's environment”. With the same argument, one cannot state that Dr Farrugia Frendo is a disciple of her father. I was also reminded to consider her mother's views. But do these statements apply to Anġlu Farrugia’s daughter? She is independent of her father and mother. Therefore, are those questioning her choice shooting the messenger because the message cannot be attacked?

Yet the jewel in the crown (pun intended) was the correspondence by someone using the nom-de-plume Keen Memory. I was told that “Who cares who her Dad is, unless Dr. Mercieca believes that that is what counts in life. With that reasoning we would have to exclude so many valid people, on both sides of the fence”. With that same logic one can add, who cares how old Farrugia’s daughter is or for how long she has been in the legal profession? No one has questioned her validity or unrighteousness. Once she reaches the established timeframe, which will happen in a few weeks’ time, she can be eligible for the post.

Bearing in mind what Keen Memory has told me that: “The future is in the hands of those who dare to dream and who have the guts to work towards that dream, not simply pontificate about it;” may I ask why are we seeking to stop such a young woman from fulfilling her dream? To return to Keen Memory’s words, those who stop our younger generation from fulfilling their dreams are the past! I prefer to be the past but consistent in my ideals rather than change my opinion according to political expediency.

If the present Government wants to avoid these embarrassing situations, it needs to return to the past where decisions and advice was taken from seasoned civil servants who had learned the job by working their way up.

The Government is suffering from bad decisions taken when individuals were roped in, not on the basis of their merit but because of their political colour or for having sabotaged Gonzi’s Government. Traitors remain traitors. The impression that is being given is that authorities are not just roping in individuals who are green but who are interested only in cash and exposure that goes with the key posts.

This is such a basic ineptness of governance that it is time a call is made to review how the actual administration is operating with inexperienced individuals who are not remotely attuned to what Civil employment actually implies. No wonder nothing is functioning or if it is, this is thanks to some miracle by St Paul!

If one does not agree with this interpretation, then there are three other reasons, which I will explore. The first one is that this government is in the same mode that the Nationalist Party was in between 2008 and 2013. The LP is not sure of winning the next election despite the wide margin of victory and therefore we are witnessing what the Italians define as ‘assalto alla diligenza”. This phrase was coined at the turn of the nineteenth century, when a famous Italian politician Antonio Giolitti sent a telegram to another politician to invite him to join his group to bring down the government of Prime Minister Sonnino. That famous message became a political catch phrase after it started to be associated with attacks by cowboys on bank carriages in America and now is used to signify the grabbing by politicians of important positions because of the fear that the government can lose its power.

Another explanation could be that these appointments were made deliberately and through such a choice the government hit two birds with one stone. First it diverted the attention from the Gaffarena scandal. Secondly, it inflicted another subtle humiliation on the Speaker as the rift between Anġlu Farrugia and Castile has not been healed.

If one needs proof for the latter hypothesis, then one need only to have a look at the letter written by the Prime Minister to the President, in support of the most controversial of these two choices. I cannot understand how the Prime Minister’s office failed to use the right Maltese fonts. It shows shoddiness and unprofessionalism from the part of Castile. I expect more respect to our language from the Office of the Prime Minister. More importantly, after reading the Prime Minister’s letter three or four times, I still could not understand the message that he tried to convey to our Head of State. It was so badly written in Maltese that instead of proving the point that Dr. Zammit Young was eligible, it reinforced her ineligibility. Moreover, there was no defence of Dr. Farrugia Frendo’s choice.

I don’t agree with the theory that Dr Zammit Young was Dr Farrugia Frendo’s companion in misfortune and her appointment was done to camouflage Dr Farrugia Frendo’s nomination. I wish to ask how a lawyer is so ignorant of the Constitution as to accept the nomination when he or she is constitutionally ineligible. She showed lack of judgement throughout.

While a section of the Nationalist media defended the choice of Ms Vella-Lenicker, a lot is now being written and said in the NP media about Zammit Young’s father. However, is this criticism fair and impartial?  Why is not there any word about her “Zammit” surname and how she is related by marriage to an ex-Nationalist minister?

In all this confusion, one needs to ask why Dr Farrugia Frendo was nominated together with Dr. Zammit Young? Why was Dr Farrugia Frendo’s appointment announced so earnestly?

Moreover, why was Dr Farrugia Frendo’s appointment announced so earnestly? Could it not wait for a few more days or months before being announced? Thus, all this controversy about her eligibility could have been avoided, unless the same government did not want to embarrass her father. Virgil’s words comes in handy to explain what had happened: Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes or "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts".