Sometimes I wonder whether Joseph Muscat is Prime Minister of the same Mediterranean island of Malta where I live. Whenever I come across what he says, particularly when he, without embarrassment, boasts about keeping his word and the promises made to the electorate in 2013, I doubt whether the two of us live in the same country or whether we reside in different worlds.
A couple of weeks ago Muscat was interviewed on the Labour radio station. Among other things, he repeated his disappointment about the Panama Papers scandal and also indicated that the next election could be held around March next year. However, it was not his speculation about the date which made me doubt whether Muscat and myself live in the same country.
Muscat brazenly declared that the Maltese should again show their trust in his Labour Party and re-elect it because it kept its promises. What a false and misleading interpretation of reality! Does Muscat really believe that he (and Labour) kept all the promises made? If Muscat believes that, he must be living a lie and therefore he is not only deceiving the Maltese but is also deceiving himself. No man who is living a lie will ever be totally free. Only the truth can set one free.
The majority of the Maltese do not believe that Labour kept its promises. They have experienced promises made that Muscat and his government went against or ignored. The Maltese are used to hearing Muscat repeat that he always keeps his word and his promises. They know this is far from the truth.
As an example, the Maltese cannot and will not forget Muscat’s public declaration that, since as he maintained he always keeps his word, he would resign if the new power station would not be operational two years after the March 2013 election. After almost four years, the power station is not operational and Muscat has not resigned. This shows that Muscat’s words and promises are worthless. Muscat’s promises could be mighty but his performance in relation to them is almost negligible. Repeating ad nauseam that he keeps his word and his promises when he does not, makes everything Muscat say become questionable.
The next election
On the road to the next election, the Maltese will expect Muscat to boast about fake accomplishments, use honeyed words, distort the truth and make vague promises. Muscat will surely be doing his utmost to deceive the Maltese once again so that the clique (including some family members) keeps enriching itself greedily. He who deceives once finds it easier to do it a second time and more. It becomes habitual for him. The Maltese should keep their eyes open for false impressions Muscat might give.
However, once bitten, twice shy. A number of voters who said “hello” to Muscat in 2013 will be saying “goodbye” to him at the next election. The Maltese shall not be deceived again. Through experience over the last four years, they have learnt and realised that Muscat says one thing and then ignores it or does the opposite. Muscat does not even keep his word on minor issues such as when he promised Parliament to make public by the end of last year all agreements signed by his Government. Another Muscat promise not kept. The people are very well aware that he does not keep his word.
When Muscat declares that he keeps his promises and therefore Labour deserves to be re-elected he is being dishonest. Does Muscat think he can be believed? The Maltese are not stupid. However, Muscat refuses to listen to the truth that he does not keep his promises. Otherwise his illusions will be destroyed.
If Muscat wishes the Maltese to start considering taking him seriously, he should declare what happened to his promises of, among a multitude of others, “Malta belongs to us all” (Malta tagħna lkoll), meritocracy, transparency and accountability and that politicians will be answerable to their actions in a transparent manner. He should also say what happened to his battlecry to fight corruption. Muscat was all sweet talk and promises prior to the 2013 election which, after almost four years, have not been delivered. The result is the opposite of most promises made. Notwithstanding, unashamedly Muscat keeps repeating that he keeps his promises. As Plato said “Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something”.
The “fight against corruption” bubble
When one is living a lie – as in my opinion Muscat is doing – one never knows when the truth is about to surface. The truth will always find a way out. It cannot be hidden for a long time. Recently, luck was not on Muscat’s side. A few hours after he said that his Labour Party should be re-elected in the next election since the promises made were kept, the “fight against corruption” bubble which Muscat blew up prior to the March 2013 election exploded in his face.
Transparency International published its Corruption Perception Index for 2016. The Index shows that in a year, between 2015 and 2016, Malta nose-dived 10 places from the 37th position in 2015 to the 47th position in 2016. This is a confirmation, if confirmation is needed, how Muscat’s Labour government is drowning in corruption.
This position is the worst obtained by our country since this Index has been kept. In recent history, this is the first time that Malta is classified as so corrupt. What more proof is needed to show that Muscat and his government are not fighting corruption as promised and as they keep repeating they are doing? Muscat cannot say that he has been given the lie by some negative local organisation that wants to damage his government. The Index is issued by a group of international experts who publish such studies to show how corrupt or not countries are.
Notwithstanding, Muscat still maintains that he kept his promises, including the fight against corruption. Even his colleague Minister Owen Bonnici tried to give Muscat a helping hand. Bonnici asked the Maltese to judge Labour by what they are doing in their fight against corruption. Minister Bonnici, the writing is on the wall; corruption and scandals are seeping throughout.
Muscat should stop repeating that the Panama Papers scandal has disappointed him. If he wanted to prove, including to the international community, that he was really and genuinely disappointed, he would have immediately taken the only logical step and remove Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi from their senior positions within his government immediately, apart from investigating the mysterious ownership of the third secret company, Egrant Inc. Not only did Muscat not take this line, but he constantly keeps defending Schembri and Mizzi saying they did no wrong and, meanwhile, causing great damage to Malta’s reputation.
Without doubt the Panama Papers scandal, Muscat’s non-action in this respect and the various other reports of lack of transparency and accountability within Muscat’s administration have had their influence on the harmful position given to Malta by Transparency International.
PL of the 80s or PL of Muscat?
Joseph Muscat should give urgent and due consideration to Transparency International’s report. He should give weight to how our country is under the international spotlight for the wrong reasons, particularly how it is being looked upon by our European partners. He should also consider the various surveys published locally which show that the main worry of the majority of interviewees is corruption who also believe that the Government is corrupt.
After Muscat considers the above, it would be interesting to know whether he still believes in what he published in September 1998 that Labour of the 80s was the most morally, physically and ideologically corrupt party our country ever had. I am morally convinced that, in respect of corruption, Labour under Muscat has overtaken Labour of the 80s.