The Panama Papers have created a whirlwind effect, exposing those who created these financial structures with devious intent and actions. They have also highlighted how tax havens not only help facilitate tax evasion but, worse still, foster illicit, illegal and corrupt practices. And when you are a politically exposed person (PEP, under the law) involved in such dealings, this makes it so much dirtier.

Over the past three years, this administration, including the Prime Minister, has said in response to public outcry about abuse that things “could have been done better”. Three years later, any such attempt at justification is totally unacceptable.

Any political debate now seems to include a blanket statement that we could have handled it better or, “the others” (the Nationalists in government) also did wrong. This is a petty and childish approach, especially when the Labour Party was literally catapulted into the Auberge de Castille on such a strong mandate, one which specifically centred on taking politics to another level and doing away with the shortcomings of the Nationalist administration.

The ongoing crisis is now steering us into the politics of denial. This is a vast subject to explore, but the symptoms can be deciphered across a number of areas. It is in human nature to enter a phase of denial when faced with various issues or a crisis. But effective leaders do not fall into this trap. They face reality and the facts with timely and tough decisions, as unpleasant as they may be. Less effective leaders instead argue the data, delay decisions, twist facts or remove themselves from the situation, thinking that prolonging the decision will help.

That is how the Prime Minister is handling the latest crisis. The facts in the Panama Papers are what they are: they are indisputable. Trying to fight reality by trying to leak other stories in retaliation, twist facts and manipulate data, while leaving the country on trips abroad on other ‘business’, is actually damaging the government and the Labour Party even more. Political spin and denial are a lethal combination which is probably also causing tension to mount in the government and the party itself. A large percentage of Muscat’s hardcore supporters will be immune to this sentiment, but there are others who can decipher the issue and decide for themselves.

And now this last minute charade of musical chairs or rather ‘Cabinet reshuffle’ fits into this trait, trying to distort reality by further clouding perceptions. We now have the Honour to have a Minister shot back into action and a Minister with No portfolio. Excuse the puns but this is much ado about nothing!

The obvious question here is why, with so much at stake for his party, the government, the country and his own personal legacy, does the Prime Minister spiral downwards into denial? His action – or rather, inaction – has caused people to draw the inevitable conclusions and expound on them. The politics of denial have created a dark cloud over the political scene, over the mood and reputation of Malta as a whole. For a country to move forward, the government and Opposition both play an important role. And while the Opposition has become stronger, it is evident that the government has become weaker. It is pointless just focusing on a check-list of achievements and quoting statistics if it is failing on an even more important matter, which is the bigger picture.

Over the last five decades, Malta’s political agenda has been dictated by clear objectives and party visions. Political missions such as Independence, Liberty and EU accession where emotionally charged and this made it easier for the electorate to be passionate about them, whether for or against. Nowadays, it’s primarily about good governance.

This is the challenge now: to create that shift in the minds of electors that the politics of today and the politics of the future are not about being right or left, but about being right or wrong.