The Gaffarena scandal, for it is nothing short of a full-blown scandal, has been manna from heaven for the media, and particularly for the Opposition.
Every facet of the deal stinks to high heaven, so much so that even the staunchest of this government's supporters are burying their collective head in shame.
There is little need to go into the details of the case, there can hardly be anyone in the country with a television set, internet or newspaper access that is not by now well-versed in what has become the government's nightmare on Old Mint Street.
Those responsible for these dubious wheeling and dealing must be brought to justice. Not only do heads of the public servants responsible for this mess need to roll, but they and those who they colluded with need to face the full brunt of the law.
The Prime Minister has informed this newspaper, as reported in today's front page, that he will reverse the ill-gotten property deal once it is proved to have been a 'dishonest deal'. It is reassuring that the Prime Minister is ready to make such a move but, then again, he will have no other viable course of action left open to him if the inquiry reports, once concluded, deem the deal to have been shady.
We have no doubt that those inquiries will do just that but these are internal inquiries. Once they are concluded, the entire file needs to be handed over to the Auditor General, who is answerable to Parliament, for a full investigation.
That is because whatever the findings of the internal inquiries, the public baying for blood will not be placated with the result of any internal government inquiry, irrespective of how damning the findings are.
Having said that, we also welcome the thorough investigation the government has launched into the Gaffarenas' dozens of development applications over the last 20 years, as well as a parallel investigation into his and his family's dealings with the Government Property Division, aka the Lands Department.
The government, this newspaper is informed, will not stop at the family in the spotlight now, but it will also delve into the past dealings of other notorious speculators and developers.
Of course, with the government going as far back as 1995 in its efforts, many will automatically leap to the conclusion that it is attempting to embarrass the Opposition, which has been so critical of the Old Mint Street deal.
As a politically independent newspaper, we welcome the move whatever the motive. The misdeeds of the past need to be exposed just as much as the current misdeeds. And all those who have effectively stolen from the state, and by default from the people themselves, need to be made to face the music.
Going back to the government's trials and tribulations on Old Mint Street, we are almost certain that it was not the hand of the Prime Minister himself that guided the deal, but we stand to be corrected. The parliamentary secretary responsible for lands, who only admitted under duress that he had signed the Old Mint Street deal, and one particular employee at the secretariat, who was very obviously Gaffarena's fixer for this deal, and perhaps others, have a lot to answer for.
The brazenness with which the deal was clinched almost defies belief. We say 'almost' because there are so many new government employees and people in the so-called positions of trust who feel they are truly untouchable under a Labour government.
The Prime Minister himself must act quickly and effectively by sending out a clear and unequivocal message to everyone in the civil service that any such meddling with public assets will not, will absolutely not, be tolerated under any circumstances.
The attitude that anyone on the state payroll can get away with anything is quite symptomatic of the ills affecting the country. When they see the government scrape through controversy after controversy, an act this government is rather skilled at performing, they feel they can do the same with impunity.
And unfortunately, the new code of ethics and the strange way that it was dragged kicking and screaming into the public domain, as well as the merits of the new and greatly diluted code, does not yield much in terms of this government's top brass leading the civil service by example.
This is also what happens when a government comes to power and replaces the civil service practically root and branch with its chosen people and political appointees. This has happened across the civil service board - from the Armed Forces to ministries and from the Police Corps to government departments and from parastatal corporations to the Civil Protection Department.
It is only when the government stops turning a blind eye to the deeds of those who feel they are suddenly untouchable and gives no quarter whatsoever to any corrupt practice at any level; that those committing such offences will clean up their act and do their job with the honesty and integrity required of the civil service.
That was, after all, what this government had pledged it would do on taking office, so perhaps the nightmare on Old Mint Street will give it the gumption to crack down hard on those who feel they can get away with anything.
Anything short of that will simply give the government several more recurring nightmares.