It had to happen in the same week of the death of Roger Moore, who is arguably the most popular actor to have played the James Bond character (Sean Connery fans will not agree with this).
Yes, it had to happen in the same week of Moore’s death that Joseph Muscat revealed to the world at large that the Egrant saga is, according to information received, nothing more than a Russian attempt to destabilise the country because, hear hear, the government refused to allow a Russian vessel to refuel in Malta.
Pity that this refusal came months after a Russian whistleblower allegedly copied documents which show that the Prime Minister’s wife is the owner of a company opened in Panama, called Egrant. That already uncovers an inconsistent timeline, and makes it hard to believe.
Maybe the James Bond producers will take up this idea for their next instalment. And they could get several ideas for their production from the way the story went viral on the social media yesterday.
But, aside from the jokes, it is a very serious matter on many counts.
First of all, it is very uncommon for a Prime Minister of any country to reveal what two international secret services agencies told him in private. If this was really the case – and I really doubt that it is – this public announcement could jeopardise future relationships with these two allied countries. Will Joseph Muscat be trusted again? If, God forbid, in future there will be a serious terrorist threat against Malta, will Joseph Muscat be trusted enough to be told?
Secondly, what he said could spark a serious diplomatic incident with Russia. To claim that there is some Russian involvement in an attempt to bring his government down is a preposterous statement that could have its repercussions. It is highly irresponsible for a prime minister to be drawn into alleging that another country is working against him. He tried to take a leaf out of American politics, but it has backfired badly.
Thirdly, it shows how desperate Muscat has become. He is resorting to every trick of the trade to try to win back support other than that of those who are too blind to see through his desperation.
Fourthly, if the matter was so serious and he really wanted to expose what he knew irrespective of the consequences mentioned in the previous paragraphs, he should not have waited for a question from a journalist to say it, during a party activity. He should have summoned the media to Castille where, as Prime Minister and not as PL leader, he would have addressed the issue. He did so last Saturday when the Malta Files were published.
The worst part of it all is that many people have believed this story, worthy of a Robert Ludlum novel. And they will be voting too.
The Prime Minister committed another mistake yesterday. His absence from a Broadcasting Authority press conference is unprecedented. Instead, he sent one of his closest friends, Edward Zammit Lewis. No other prime minister refused the opportunity to appear before the whole of Malta before the election to reply to questions put by journalists. It has become characteristic of him to turn his back to the media. He’s used emergency exits at times, and has refused invitations to take part in programmes where he knows that no soft-balls will be thrown at him. He has also failed to reply to another request for a debate with Simon Busuttil which was planned by the three independent newspapers.
The rest of what happened yesterday was overshadowed by the Russian spy story.
The Nationalist Party unveiled an electoral manifesto including more than 500 proposals while the Prime Minister took another shot at the media about the Malta Files.
He had earlier avoided saying whether he would resign if either one of two magisterial inquiries establish that his right hand man Keith Schembri committed a wrongdoing while the PN pledged to find another site for the American University of Malta instead of Zonqor Point.