Actually, now, it has been a whole volley of own goals by the Labour Party. Like those automatic machines that pump out tennis balls or plates for shooting. This is an inevitable outcome for a party that lies and is made up of 3rd division players, none of whom have a mind of their own and only run around to defend their goalpost only to lob in an own goal.
For those fortunate enough to have grown up under a Nationalist government, seeing opportunity and democracy flourish around them, they may not have felt what others who lived through the turbulent and unrecognisable times of the 1970s and 1980’s sensed in their bones when Labour swept into power at the last election – that is - Labour never change and expect nothing but corruption, threats to democracy and a great loss of a good reputation for our country, a newly joined member of the European Union.
When Dr Gonzi secured the €1.2 billion in EU funds, at the difficult time around the last election campaign, few really had a mind to realise what he had done for Malta by achieving that revenue from the EU. Maybe they thought he had gone to Brussels to buy a new player for a team that was being relegated and wouldn’t be around to coach it anymore.
That money found its way into the Labour purse and is now being squandered on a team in disarray. Not unlike poor Leicester who have gone from Champions to risk of relegation, who are at least honest losers at this point and never had the billions to back them.
As the Labour players scramble across the pitch, they know that they must do something to get some points up quickly. We can already guess what sort of tactics will be used to do that. More lies, more false accusations, further harassment and fixing. Their supporters sit and wonder how it has come to this.
The clear contradictions displayed recently are evidence of the fear and confusion running high amongst them. The power station contract presented with its guts removed, the vote by Minister Cardona on the law banishing garnishee orders on journalists, the “leave a message” reply by Mizzi and Schembri to the PANA committee, the wheeling out of Owen Bonnici and Evarist Bartolo for bible lessons, the mad-hatter libels flying all over the place with resurrected garnishee orders, it’s all just too much of a bad trip for them right now.
They are now over their heads in trouble from every quarter. Even the tolerant and usually money-sniffing public is now getting an overwhelming whiff of crash and burn. Foreign institutions that watch democracy and defend it have all, one by one, remarked and taken action on a number of issues that we have witnessed recently, such as the garnishee order by a sitting minister against a journalist.
The Minister for Finance, has, as always, kept silent about the negative impact that each and every case from Panama to Passports to Libels to insults towards the Opposition leader to blackened contracts, on the economy and reputation of Malta. It is the quiet business man and woman, the young lawyers and the financial services and gaming industries that can feel the significance of these liabilities around them as they interact with the outside world.
Malta is unrecognisable today. It has gone from being the exception of a successful economy and excellent reputation in the European Union during the 2008 depression to one that receives letters and motions about its bad conduct and disgraceful behaviour. Instead of applying for citizenship people are going to start running from this island before the law catches up on them due to all the reflectors on Malta at this time. Only those who need certain cover and facilitation will be left to prop up this shady government. There are certainly other ways for Malta to do business and flourish economically. We have talented young people who are innovators and entrepreneurs, born under the PN government but who today are left scratching their head as to what went wrong.
The time is now to take a closer look at the result of a Labour government in power and judge for yourself if it will provide the right environment and business climate, the strong economy, the social justice and order that is needed for now and for the future. Democracy is essential to life as we know it and feel it. Without it, it is just personal ambition.
Right now democracy is a friend in need. Be there in its time of crisis and terror. Be there for yourself. The environmentalists were the first to take a stand. Now it is the turn of the those who value their freedom and democracy.