This Panamagate affair with the involvement of a senior government minister and the prime minister’s Chief of Staff has thoroughly shocked the country leading the Opposition to call a national protest for next Sunday.
The way the story unfolded, with a story on Daphne’s blog on 22 February attracting at first little interest, then a half-confirmation by the minister himself in an interview with Malta Today and on and on with revelations falling into place like a giant jigsaw puzzle has only succeeded in whetting the country’s appetite for more and more details.
The government, caught unawares, has at first reacted with bluster and the usual counter-attack reminding of scandals under PN but has been forced to surrender ground leading the prime minister yesterday to concede Dr Mizzi could have made a better choice and will face a fine.
Very reductive, Mr Prime Minister. This is like slapping Dr Mizzi’s wrist with a feather.
It is indecorous for the prime minister of any country to treat people who invest out of the country with such levity. The fine that may be imposed, and paid, is no justification for what has been done.
But then, why are people so suddenly shocked? We have been dancing on the edge of illegality for quite some time under this administration.
Think of the passport sale and the secrecy surrounding new and faceless citizens of Malta: is that not appealing to people who may have their own reason for abandoning their own national passport and obtaining one from Malta?
Think of the other case, now under investigation, of fraud connected to the residence visas given to many Libyan persons? That scandal has never been thoroughly exposed.
The government machine has gone into overdrive reminding the country over and over again of scandals that happened or were alleged to have happened, under PN.
There is simply no comparison; not just regarding the gravity but also because it is especially clear that at no point was there any hint of any collusion between any perpetrators and the top authorities of the country whereas in these cases we may not be so sure.
We may be sitting on a dunghill consisting of different levels of illegalities all or mostly condoned and protected by those who should be enforcing the laws of the land.
They may be small, puny, illegalities, but together and collectively they give the impression of a country where corruption is rife. The person who disregards Mepa rules, or who tries to bribe his way through, the policeman or warden who is induced to close an eye on an infraction, the professional person who shops his client – all these and more are based on bending the rules and protecting the person who breaks the rules.
It is against this whole climate that Sunday’s protest aims. The organisers, the Nationalist Party, must be clear that far from condoning any illegality on their watch, they want to have no truck with any perpetrators be they members or even high members of the party.