As expected, Finance Minister Tonio Fenech has blamed Dr Joseph Muscat and the PL for Standard & Poor’s downgrade of Malta to BBB. I should have added “Incredible!”. I didn’t because I – and certainly many, many others – have become used to GonziPN ministers, including the Prime Minister for a few more weeks Dr Gonzi, blame anything which goes wrong on Dr Muscat and the PL!

This time, Tonio Fenech blamed the fact that the budget failed to obtain parliament’s approval as being the real reason for S&P’s downgrade! Not one word was said by caretaker minister Tonio Fenech about the fact that the budget was not approved because one of the government’s own deputies, Franco Debono, had voted against the budget!

Dr Gonzi knew months before the budget was defeated that if he carried on and presented the budget while Dr Austin Gatt was still in the cabinet, Dr Debono would vote against it. And yet he ignored Dr Debono’s grave warning and presented his budget, while Dr Gatt continued to defy Dr Debono and remained in the Cabinet.

It is now obvious why Dr Gonzi did not call an early election, say last September if not earlier, as had been recommended by so many independent sources. The weekly cutting of ribbons during the election campaign illustrates why he wanted to remain in office at all costs, even at the cost of starting the new year without an approved budget!

So Tonio Fenech should ask Dr Gonzi to shoulder the blame for the budget’s defeat. And he should also blame himself for the pitiful state of Enemalta at present, which is also one of a number of the reasons that led to the downgrade!

Eddy Privitera

MOSTA