Summer is the ideal time to take a breather and go on vacation away from these shores. For plenty of Maltese going abroad, aeroplane do suit best, while others, conceivably to avoid paying the airport charges, opt for a lovely private cruise in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea.

Following a tough year of hard work, toil and sacrifice, a brief and surely well-deserved holiday is almost a compulsory marker on everybody’s calendar. After all it does not matter “how” or “where” you go, but “with who you are” which makes a trip become that singular holiday; and a trip along the Italian coast on board a deluxe yacht seems definitely an offer one cannot refuse; especially when in special company. I bet none of us can claim differently, and I’m convinced that Joe Saliba is no exception to the rule.

Many will argue that he does not require anyone’s approval to spend his personal sailing holidays with whom he deems best. True indeed. However, Mr Saliba must bear in mind that he is the secretary general of the party currently in government and, as he occupies such a prominent position at the very heart of the Nationalist government’s administration, one expects impeccable conduct. No honest taxpayer or any citizen who truly believes in fairness and meritocracy as measures of ruling in this country can accept, or even tolerate, such behaviour.

It is already intolerable to have a leading contractor awarded several prime public tenders, who is one of the major activists of the PN, as well as being a close colleague of Dr Gonzi and forever lingering around inside the corridors of the party’s headquarters on a regular basis. No need to remind anyone then that Mr Vassallo has enjoyed a close relationship with the PN government from the very first, and being a former PN mayor of Mosta confirms this.

Undoubtedly such an incident raises serious questions that Mr Saliba cannot ignore. Assuming his responsibilities and providing a proper answer to such happenings is a must. Was it only a leisure activity that went no further than enjoying a relaxing and peaceful cruise away from indiscreet eyes? Moreover, if purely by chance any business issues were inadvertently mentioned in a peripheral way during the entire 10-day trip, does that consist of preferential treatment in favour of an “inner-circle” friend? Thus, can we really believe that this is no conflict of interest, when it is crystal clear that the secretary general of the party in power is supporting a particular businessman?

If the intentions were not that of giving the impression of the abovementioned situation, then, I regret to say all the details of the story do indeed lead people in that direction.

Of course Mr Saliba cannot defend his position by claiming that he is emulating Mr Sarkozy’s post-election strategy or by stating that his trip was undertaken to attract new investments in favour of better national interests. It is purely a vicious circle of benefits’ exchange between and exclusively in favour of members of the “friend of friends” network promulgated over the last years by the PN.

For the umpteenth time we are seeing the clear signs of weakness, lack of coherence and transparency of the Nationalist Party, which keeps on portraying itself as the popular party, open to change, granting same opportunities to all when in reality it is the same old party, preserved in the deep-rooted politics in favour of the very privileged few. It is nothing more than the reaffirmation, if any was required, of the PN’s untrustworthiness, power corruption and arrogance.