This editorial is a direct sequel to another editorial published last November.

In that editorial we had criticized the Office of the Prime Minister and the leadership of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra for coming up with the ridiculous idea of organizing a public concert based on the Prime Minister’s favourite songs. Muscat had sounded his approval for the event, which is due to be held at the MCC in Valletta, with tickets starting at €18 a pop.

The wording on the ticket-selling website goes: “What music does the Prime Minister listen to? In this unusual concert for the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, the audience will find out just that.”

They are 100% correct in saying that the concert is ‘unusual.’

Music critics had described the concert as another attempt to create a personality cult and described the event as an "odd" idea.

Many have jibed that Malta is starting to resemble dictatorships like North Korea.

But not all artists have seen the comparison. These include the executive chairman of the MPO, Sigmund Mifsud, who unsuccessfully contested the general election on the PL ticket, and artistic director Felix Busuttil, who addressed a Labour mass meeting in the run up to the 2017 general election.

But besides the fact that the concept is tacky and immature and the national orchestra is being used for partisan events, there are other considerations.

It was announced this week that all proceeds will be in aid of the National Alliance for Rare Diseases Support – Malta.

The NGO happens to have Michelle Muscat, the PM’s wife, as its president. And it was set up by the Marigold Foundation, which is chaired by Mrs Muscat.

For some reason, these two facts were not mentioned when the MPO concert was launched this week.

Some have said that this was done in bad taste, and that the concert, which is already controversial in nature, should not court further controversy by raising funds for charities linked with the prime minister’s wife. This situation should be avoided especially after the recent Volunteer of the Year award presented to Michelle Muscat by the Malta Council for Voluntary Work.

The award was considered as an ‘insult’ to real volunteers, with many arguing that the PM’s wife is not a volunteer but a fundraiser or a public figure who carries out charitable work.

People in the sector were amazed at how the PM’s wife won the award in a category that also included volunteers from the Malta Red Cross, St John Rescue Corps, Inspire and Mission Fund, among others.

Others pointed to the fact that, unlike many NGOs that struggle financially, the Marigold Foundation has a solid financial base.  In fact it started off with a €200,000 investment by Bank of Valletta and today has a bank balance of €700,000.

While many local NGOs, those chaired by Mrs Muscat included, are doing sterling work in the community, we feel that the MPO should have steered away from further controversy and chosen to donate the money to, say, the Malta Community Chest Fund Foundation, which then dispenses its funds among local NGOs.

But it seems that, once again, this is all about a personality cult.