To err is human, but to persist in repeating the same errors time and time again is absolute madness. During the last couple of months, the corruption crisis which has transformed the administration of Joseph Muscat has seriously deepened. It is eroding the high level of trust which a fantastic majority of the Maltese citizens gave to Dr Muscat early in 2013.

A wide variety of people voted overwhelmingly for Joseph Muscat in 2013. The Maltese citizen craved change and the promises of Joseph Muscat hit the nail on the head. But Mr Muscat’s rise to power was immediately followed by hundreds of ‘persons of trust’ securing positions of great authority in various ministries. Unfortunately, few of these ambitious figures of trust have now left the Labour government looking red-faced and rapidly sinking – leading it, eventually, to its downfall, come March next year.

The Panama affair was and still is a classic example of corruption. It is not an isolated episode. There are other incidents involving certain Ministries. But perhaps the Panama episode was the worst incident to hit Joseph Muscat’s government as it underscored the lingering uncertainty about the very friendly relationship between himself, Mr Konrad Mizzi and Mr Keith Schembri.

The evolving and eroding level of trust in this government as a result of this situation, plus a series of other questionable instances in some ministries, is leading Joseph Muscat to his sudden downfall. The Panama affair has attracted the attention of the news media for quite some time now, (except, of course, those run by the PBS), and the great majority of Maltese citizens are up in arms against such a terrible situation.

Although the people of these islands are bitterly divided, and often see events through their partisan lenses, there is an absolute need for all of us to unite against the aggressive scourge of corruption.

Jos Edmond Zarb

Birkirkara