Prime Minister Joseph Muscat yesterday boasted, and rightly so, about the successes registered by this government over the past four years. He was speaking by telephone during a One TV special programme about the first four years of the Labour government.

Joseph Muscat highlighted some of his administration’s main achievements, including the closing down for good of the Marsa power station, the introduction of civil liberties and a strong economy. “All of the main electoral pledges have been fulfilled or are in the process of being fulfilled,” he said, proudly.

There was no word, however, of his biggest promise of them all - ‘Malta Taghna Lkoll’ - the promise of meritocracy and transparency.

Let us deal with the two forgotten buzzwords separately, in relation to recent events.

Opposition Leader Simon Busuttil, currently embattled over the db Group donation claims, launched a counter attack yesterday by listing several PL officials, presenters and journalists who, he claims, are being paid from taxpayer money. These include a senior PL official who reportedly receives €67,000 a year for her consultancy work with ARMS Ltd, and another €17,000 for consultancy to Gozo Cruise Liner Terminal.

While there is so far no indication that these individuals are being paid by the government to carry out services for the PL, it can be seen as yet another case of ‘jobs for the boys,’ or girls, in the abovementioned case.

It is also true that a good number of PL TV presenters also hold government jobs. Some host current affairs programmes after finishing their day jobs as communications officers or consultants to government ministers, tearing to shreds any semblance of impartiality. To add insult to injury, a former One TV reporter who is also a consultant to the economy minister was yesterday simply introduced (during the special One TV programme) as an “opinionist.”

Many will remember how Joseph Muscat promised, before the last general election, that people would be able to nominate and vote for some members on government boards. Many also know that this promise was seemingly forgotten, never to be heard of again. It has become an automatic process for the media nowadays to look into the background of newly-elected board members, just to identify the connection they have with the ruling party.

Let us now focus on the second forgotten buzzword: transparency. Funnily enough it was Joseph Muscat himself who delved into the subject of transparency yesterday, when he boasted about how the government had “published all major contracts.”

Yes, the contracts were published, but all the important information was redacted, blacked out. “We did this to protect the public,” he said, “for these are public entities.”

But it seems that the public does not want this form of “protection.” While the government is expected to retain some form of confidentiality – after all, commercial sensitivity does really exist – it cannot keep secret important agreements that span over decades. How can the government enter into an 18-year power purchase agreement – which means that the contract determines the price at which we, the people, will be buying energy from Electrogas for the next 18 years – without telling us what this will cost us?

The Prime Minister justified this recently by saying that the previous administration refused to publish important contracts, including those on Maltco and Malta International Airport. While that criticism is justified, the fact remains that Dr Muscat promised us change, told people that things would be different under his leadership. So why are the failings of a previous PN administration being used as this government’s benchmark?

So, once again, what about your greatest promise, Mr Prime Minister?                  

 

 

Right of Reply

The Malta Independent’s bias is evident from the editorial of the 28th February, which is nothing short of vicious personal attack against Minister Mizzi, in clear retaliation to a video clip exposing partial reporting by the newspaper. The clip rejects the baseless speculation of a connection, as concocted by the The Malta Independent, between the New Zealand family trust and the Gasol/Electrogas transaction. Yet, the editor, who rightfully champions the cause of a free press, wants to deny Minister Mizzi’s right to defend himself freely, by misrepresenting his actions and by a blatant attempt at silencing him through an overt threat of further malicious speculation.

Referring to unspecified gossip and speculation, the editor states that he “will not stoop as low by reproducing them unless pushed any further.” This is a blatant attempt at intimidation, calculated to silence any criticism of The Malta Independent’s unethical behaviour.