The Prime Minister’s refusal to take questions from the media during his first official event since the election is, hopefully, an incident that will not happen again.

Last Wednesday, the media were invited to cover Dr Lawrence Gonzi’s visit to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority which, since the election, has fallen within the Prime Minister’s portfolio as he himself had promised before the country went to vote.

It was not a private visit, and if the Office of the Prime Minister thought it fit to inform the press about it, then some time should have been allotted for Dr Gonzi to take questions from the journalists present.

The Nationalist Party has often accused the Labour Party, and in particular its outgoing leader Alfred Sant, of being afraid to face journalists other than those who come from the pro-Labour media. Well, what Dr Gonzi did last Wednesday was the same kind of behaviour.

One cannot ask the media to be present and then not allow it to field questions, especially on a matter so controversial as Mepa has been over the past weeks, if not months. One cannot ask the media to be present and then say that any

questions should be put in writing via email. It was a mistake on behalf of the PM, or whoever instructed him to act the way he did, which should not be repeated.

By refusing to answer questions, Dr Gonzi showed a weakness that he is not known for. The Prime Minister comes across as a politician who is not afraid to face the press and is not afraid to answer their questions. By doing so, he has built a solid reputation and earned the respect of many.

But if he is to start shunning the media, or taking questions from journalists only when it is convenient for him to do so, then things will change rapidly. He will start to be considered as someone who has something to hide, and this will dent his reputation, and that of the government he leads.

The OPM chose a visit to Mepa as Dr Gonzi’s first official appointment because it wanted to show a commitment towards the regeneration of an entity that has not been in the good books. It was not a coincidence that, after a month had passed since the election, Mepa was the first place that Dr Gonzi visited. It has been repeatedly said that the PM will attempt to revamp Mepa in the same way that he, as Finance Minister in the past legislature, managed to turn things round in the financial sector.

And therefore it was to be expected that all the media would have turned up with a set of questions – both on Mepa’s operations in general as well as particular issues such as the one concerning Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando. It was to be expected that the media wants to know more about the reform that is being planned for Mepa.

All that had to be done was for the PM to face the journalists for 10-15 minutes. If the questions asked could not be replied to because of ongoing investigations, then the Prime Minister should have said so. If it is still too early to make an announcement about the planned reform, then Dr Gonzi should have said so.

It is much better to say that one cannot talk about matters that are still being investigated, or that the PM is still considering his options with regard to the Mepa restructuring, than not take any questions at all.

There is no justification whatsoever as to why Dr Gonzi chose not to face the media. It is hoped that it was just an unfortunate incident that will not be repeated.