From a picture carried on your back page (TMID 17 December), it appears that Malta’s permanent representative in Brussels, Mr Richard Cachia Caruana, attended a summit meeting of the European Popular Party (PPE) at Bouchout Castle, Meise, on Thursday. One wonders how many other member state permanent representatives attended this party meeting.

The incident is a measure of the confusion of roles and duties practised by the Nationalist Party in office. Only days ago, Dr Gonzi was an undignified cheerleader at his party’s Christmas fund-raising in aid of its mammoth headquarters, perpetrating a monumental devaluation of his status of Head of the Government of Malta.

On Thursday he attended an EU summit to discuss the accession of Turkey to the EU and on the same day switched back to party mode to attend the PPE summit with Malta’s permanent representative to the EU in tow.

The overlay of party and government roles in the case of the Prime Minister is his choice and at his cost. As a public servant, Mr Cachia Caruana is not free to follow the Prime Minister’s example. He is not Dr Gonzi’s personal assistant, not his mentor, nor his favourite backroom boy.

He is the permanent representative of the people of Malta, all of them. Any other public servant behaving in this manner would be subject to severe disciplinary proceedings. Indira Gandhi resigned after having used government vehicles in an election campaign.

Mr Cachia Caruana in unlikely to bat an eyelid over any of this.

Ralph Cassar

International Secretary

Alternattiva Demokratika