No, we won’t be having our own version of Simon Cowell’s popular series. Not that we don’t have that kind of talent. Indeed, we have. I am talking about the “talent” referred to by our Prime Minister in the debate on the cash for citizenship scheme.

For a moment I will not go into this scheme, about which I wrote in detail in my last column. Actually, since then the government has shown signs of retreat following a string of damaging reports in the international media. First, it announced that it would be dropping the scheme’s secrecy clause and then it indicated that it is ready for fresh discussions with the Opposition.

Here I would like to discuss Dr Muscat’s concept of “talent” in the context of various appointments to public boards and important posts since last March. These appointments indicate a way of thinking that contrasts with the pre-election talk of the need for meritocracy and the value of having a Malta for All.

I do understand that a new administration would want to appoint people of trust to certain positions. Honestly, I don’t have a problem with that. However, such appointments should always be talent-driven rather than made out of political convenience. I am quite sure that there are many labour-leaning people out there who also have the talent and experience that would have made them suitable contenders for posts that have been filled by less-qualified people. Many such individuals were overlooked because they would not have fitted in with Labour’s concept of ‘talent’.

The merit of most individuals selected by Labour lies in them having afforded the party in government explicit support in the run-up to the election. Those who had their faces displayed on billboards are now sitting on boards and earning good money. So did many others who openly worked for, or supported, Labour’s efforts to win power. This shows that – as far as Labour is concerned – talent can be bought rather than properly sought.

This explains why, rather than seeking investment opportunities as the previous administration had done, the Labour government opted for a short cut in the form of a cash-for-citizenship scheme. They really believe you should buy talent rather than look for it and work for it.

True, a number of talented individuals may have been overlooked even by the previous Nationalist administrations. There were many people I met, particularly during home visits, who questioned why their contribution was never sought. Maybe it is time that a better scouting system is found so that real talent is utilised. However, it must be said that during the preceding administrations there were many leaning-persons whose careers flourished irrespective of their political beliefs. Nationalist supporters may have not liked it. It may even have contributed to the election defeat. But at least it showed that we had a government that really believed in meritocracy.

I feel that Labour has taken the whole system down a very dangerous path. Let me mention just one category of appointees: ambassadorial posts. Rather than using career diplomats and maybe adding a few political appointments, this government reversed the whole system by appointing to important diplomatic positions people with no experience but who are very, very close to it. On a personal basis, I have a good rapport with a number of these people but I still question their suitability for such important posts. As it did with the ‘sale of passports’ scheme, the Labour government did not seem to have considered how such appointments would be seen by foreign governments. Would Malta be more respected for appointing such people to these positions? How will they handle situations that require keen diplomatic skills and in which experience, qualifications and training come into play? Why has this government decided to waste the real talent to accommodate only those who belong to a very close circle of people?

I am sure that by doing what it has done, Labour has scored well with a segment of its supporters but the country has lost. It has lost because, for reasons of convenience, this government has introduced a very dangerous concept: in life you really can buy anything, including people. This is amorality at its best. It also smells of institutional corruption and it is certainly not democratic either.

Unless this mentality is properly challenged and reversed, our country will be doomed.

Charlo’ Bonnici is Opposition Spokes man for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change