There was indeed a time when people thought Alfred Sant, and the Labour Party during his tenure, were playing the role of hapless victims in the face of the rampant political manipulation, which they intimated occurred in what was then, and still is, considered to be – not necessarily deservedly – Malta’s most popular television programme, Xarabank. The belief became even stronger when, for a short but decisive period, both the ex-Labour leader and his spokespersons strictly followed an unwise party directive to boycott Peppi Azzopardi and his media circus.

The tactic failed miserably, as Xarabank continued to dish out its political agendas without even a Labour squeak present while the programme maestro seriously challenged for an Oscar nomination by claiming innocence and regret at not having “both” sides of the arena represented. There was still some hint of credibility then that Xarabank was not a political vehicle, with Peppi, unlike Oprah Winfrey, declaring once too often that he had no political allegiance whatsoever. Labour, however, soon regretted staying away.

The more Xarabank and the rest of the Where’s Everybody caravan dug deep ruts into the corridors of public broadcasting at Guardamangia, the more people started realising that there was, after all, something that jarred. As the ruling party’s nose eventually started diving, it became obvious that someone, somewhere, was trying to make it less painful.

Winning the last general election by the freak or fraud of a few hundred votes was the last straw for the covert manipulators. Suddenly, it seemed imperative that Xarabank did not need to take up every hot political topic that arose, so when government ministers and ruling party officials were caught with their pants down, rather than trying to pull those pants further down, as had so often happened previously when some ex-Labour yesterday’s man, an ex-Labour mayor or an ex-GWU secretary were the main guests, Xarabank was swiftly geared to treat its many viewers to a series of sweet little stories about nothing – such as ghosts, faith healers, topless bathing and holy apparitions.

It is all so ironic, really. When Peppi was still intimately known as Joe Azzopardi – it must have felt claustrophobic, though, with so many Joe Azzopardis around – he was genuinely admired and respected by many, yours truly not excluded, for his fortitude and determination as he publicly fought against the excesses and malpractices of national broadcasting and problems in various other social playing-fields. Few could or would have predicted the volte face of recent years, possibly brought about by too many contracts to chase, too many ministers to appease and too many burdens to carry. In the public eye, as far as Xarabank and the state were concerned, things no longer seemed platonic, but had gradually developed into obvious collusion.

Most people have seen and confirmed this ugly transformation from a simple, junk television programme in a love-hate relationship with its public into an institution that has the national broadcasters’ balls in its tight, relentless grip. Only last week it was the turn of Malta’s environmentalists, most of them genuine, apolitical individuals who honestly remind me of Joe before he became Peppi, to realise what it means to say no to an institution that has become part and parcel of the conservative, anti-everything-green Establishment.

Like Alfred Sant and Labour before them, the environmentalists fell victim to this well-rehearsed, perceived ploy. If they agree to participate, get them in a hot corner of the studio, politicise the issue and then let them roll on the ground. If they decline, exploit the vacuum, give the one-siders on your panel a free ride, make sure the clapping is there and hip hip hooray, PBS make sure you send in that cheque.

Though the Ramblers’ Association of Malta had every right to react the way they did to the personal insinuations made by Victor Scerri, the former Nationalist Party president, against their president, Lino Bugeja, going so far as to call them “as dishonest and deceitful as his infamous Bahrija application”, I really cannot blame him for grasping the opportunity provided so generously by Xarabank. He and his obliging sparring partner on the panel that night, Robert Musumeci, would have been fools not to, considering the trials and tribulations he, rightly or wrongly, has had to go through.

The buck, however, stops at Guardamangia where PBS and Where’s Everybody exist on parallel lines. How on earth did anyone from Xarabank expect the environmentalists to agree to participate when the programme was scheduled to discuss “political resignations”? I am sure they would have jumped at the chance, had it been entitled “the threat from politicians to what’s left of our environment” or “the Bahrija scandal”.

As if we were all re-running past editions of Xarabank and their aftermath, the Ramblers’ Association last week complained it had informed Peppi Azzopardi it is apolitical “and will not be led into political issues” and were of course disappointed that the presenter not only did not explain clearly to viewers the reasons why it had chosen not to participate, but he also failed to make any reference to its letter explaining its decision. Nor did he upload it on the Xarabank site as Peppi had announced, though it may be there today, when the boiling water has gone still, for all I know.

For Peppi, to face accusations of unprofessional journalism and downright dishonesty must be a worrying, albeit familiar, factor. Yes, we’ve heard them all before, but then they came from nonplussed and frustrated politicians and hawkeyed Media commentators and so easily contained and soon forgotten. This time it is far more telling. When a programme, a presenter/producer, a company, a station and what have you, are on the receiving end from other, no less important sectors of society, then the truth is a lot more visible for the average man in the street.

That a programme that could so effectively and wholesomely have discussed the environment to be turned into another Xarabank circus act was indeed a letdown for anyone who believes in good television chat shows. That it ended up with the audience taking the cue from well-placed animators and applauding such nonsensical claims as “with my land I do what I want” was as pathetic as when the same political protagonist replied to a journalist’s question with the sad argument that he does not ask him what his, the journalist’s, mother was up to.

Instead of focusing on the environmental outrage that was committed at Bahrija, with Mepa’s full espousal, Peppi Azzopardi’s Xarabank merely gave vent to some more political gripe.

I will always prefer Joe, the innovator of Xarabank, to Peppi, who has since driven the vehicle straight into a cul-de-sac.