Take it from William Shakespeare: “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts …”

What were Joseph Muscat’s many parts? While the various inquiries and court cases are still ongoing, we can only guess. We cannot even be sure of the parts he intends to keep on playing. But we can ask ourselves how he managed to play an entire country and its people for his own benefit and a handful of those around him.

Muscat could have been remembered as a true leader, a conqueror of sorts. But contrast his theatrical entrances into Castille when he was winning elections, to the sudden way he unwillingly stepped down from power. Contrast his long farewell tour before his actual resignation, with his ninety-second farewell speech in Parliament, almost in an embarrassed hurry.

We were all expecting him to leave any day, but not like this.

The dramatic events which put unprecedented pressure on Muscat’s government, his resignation as Prime Minister, the resignations of his close allies Konrad Mizzi and Chris Cardona, and the recent arrest of his bosom buddy Keith Schembri, were all indicative of how Muscat is no Invictus but more of an Evictus. The speed of events shows a world that suddenly escaped his grasp.

Muscat’s fate was written as soon as those around him decided ‘governing’ was another word for heist. The events of recent years and those still to come can fill volumes of juicy stories and intricate plans on how to sell a dream to a nation, while scheming to carry out the biggest heist our country has ever seen.

Thanks to Muscat, Malta has not only been robbed of millions of euros on almost a daily basis. Even worse, Malta has been robbed of its international good name, while our faith in institutions has been shattered.

For an idea how much standards slipped during his six short years as prime minister, remember what a fuss was made about the Café Premier scandal when it first broke. Now it seems to have been about peanuts compared with the scandals that came later.

At the time, he told us the ‘mistakes’ were due to inexperience. In a way, yes. You have to suspect it was only practice for what came later.

We still cannot be sure of everything that was actually done. New scandals are still surfacing. But we know enough to know what lies behind the Electrogas power station, the outrageous three-hospital give-away with Vitals Global Healthcare, and close ties with Pilatus Bank, all which have not been properly investigated yet.

Muscat established his own trademark that would see him crowned, by an international corruption watchdog, as 2019’s most corrupt politician in the world.

He did little to prove this title wrong. Luxurious family holidays became the norm, this summer was no exception. It is like he does not even care how this lavish life puts into question his declaration of assets. However, to date, it has not been questioned seriously enough. It should.

During four years of Muscat’s tenure there was one constant: Daphne Caruana Galizia’s watchful eye and inimitable pen. She exposed many of the sordid details and told us to expect worse. Her horrendous assassination three years ago left us wondering what she would have said as the events she had predicted unfolded in front of our eyes.

Sadly, we will never know. We do know, however, that Muscat’s glitter and shiny image lost its lustre when thousands of protesters took to the streets of Valletta in the last weeks of last year. The public anger was overwhelming and could not be ignored any further by Muscat’s own ministers.

Muscat could not hang on any longer. Invictus became Evictus, despite the efforts to make it seem like self-sacrifice on his part.

Now, the tone is different. A short press release from the Labour Party, a news item on One TV that remained tight-lipped about the scandals, and that was it.

Well, almost. Muscat has followed up with a soft interview on ONE. Evictus is trying to change his image into Convictus — a man with convictions of principle, a preacher of love, not hate, even though we know his government and its ‘persons of trust’ did to critics.

The public has its convictions too. So do some of the men who served under him as ministers, who have been hanging him out to dry when testifying at the Daphne inquiry.

And, who knows, as the various investigations and court cases ripen, the law courts might have a few convictions of their own.

The coming weeks and months will be interesting. Events will continue to unfold. We will all be waiting to see how each scandal will unfold, and if justice will be truly served.