The Nationalist MP, Professor Albert Fenech, is again in the news. This time, it was not regarding his job termination at Mater Dei but because he has been given a new appointment in the planned Cardiac Department at the new hospital at Gwardamangia. For this reason, I am in a quandary as to how I should interpret this news. I am not sure whether Fenech is in the news for the good or the wrong political reasons.

What is certain is that the Nationalist Party has been caught on the wrong foot. We are not dealing here with a simple Nationalist sympathizer but with one of the party’s MPs.  In the past week, the PN was accusing the Government of keeping its health reforms under wrap. Now, one of its MPs has, as the Italians would say, mano in pasta, in these reforms. No problem here. Why allow talent to go to waste? Labour used this story to gain political mileage. This is why Labour reacted as it did by mentioning the setting up of this new cardiac centre at the derelict St Luke’s Hospital, which is going to be headed by the Nationalist MP Albert Fenech. Definitely, such a piece of news cannot go unnoticed and without having its negative repercussions.

Albert Fenech was totally absent during the meeting that Dr Simon Busuttil had with the doctors' association i.e. MAM on 4 January. For the PN, besides Busuttil, this meeting was attended by Claudette Buttigieg and Therese Comodini Cachia. Ironically, no doctor was present for the PN side and this speaks volumes about the situation within the party. For sure, such a lack lessens the party’s credibility in the health sector. It would be interesting to know whether Fenech’s absence was in any way, even remotely, linked to this new job or to the fact that he is not the spokesperson of health.

A few weeks ago, the Labour government did its utmost to defend its decision not to renew Fenech’s appointment at Mater Dei. Now Labour has presented Fenech as their newest acquisition for the health sector in Malta and why this private venture is going to be successful one. More importantly, this piece of news came in handy for Labour since it diverted public attention from the big gaffe made by the Prime Minister in his New Year’s speech.

It has become part of Labour’s strategy that each time Government is caught with its back to wall, it brings out a story that involves some Nationalist MP, who either entered into transactions with some shady character or as in this case, is collaborating with the Government and its private partners in the setting up of a new hospital.

I do think that the Opposition should not blame the Government for all this but must assume a mea culpa as politically, it has been taking wrong political decisions. In this case, it would have been very serious omission for the NP not to have been aware of these dealings between one of their MPs and a private company which is going to set up a new hospital in Malta. If this is the case, this only shows that, internally, the NP is still very weak. Either the Nationalist Party is still suffering from bad decisions taken in the recent past or that its new administration has not yet come to grips with the situation. No doubt, such incidents imply political weakness from the party presently in Opposition.

Usually these stories happen in parties where corrupt cliques are still holding positions of trust. This can lead to two different situations. Either those who are honest will leave the party and search for new pastures or else corrupt individuals continue to use the party structures and political position to make alliances even if, in the process, such alliances will end up sabotaging the political workings of the party in question for the benefit of the rival organization.

This example goes to show that the PN is still living in political denial. It is a pity that the reply of the PN to PL’s attack leaves much to be desired. I do not believe that by stating that had Albert Fenech remained at Mater Dei, Government would have saved money, is the correct reply. This is not a political answer. Fenech could have quitted whenever he liked. The political question would be, whether Albert Fenech informed or not the Party about his transactions. Then, if he did not, one needs to explore why he took such a course of action. This would automatically bring to the fore his relationship with the Party and if, in Fenech’s course of action, there is the fact that he is disappointed at not having been appointed health spokesman by the present party leaders. 

At the same time, revamping St Luke’s Hospital is a good idea and I am happy that Fenech is part of it. I have already spoken in the past about the need for St Luke’s to be used by the Health sector when I criticised the Opposition’s proposal for this area to be used by the bogus American University. Using this space as a hospital should be recommended both from an urban and demographic point of view. This building was built to serve as a hospital. I am sure that structure-wise it will last far longer than Mater Dei.

Despite the serious mistakes that the Government is making and the dangerous shortcomings of this administration, the NP is still being caught unprepared. Perhaps, the Party should start questioning whether this situation is in part the result that it has reduced its political school to a nullity if not having transformed Azad as a refugium peccatorum, as, at least one board member, can push forward the interests of corrupt politicians.