The Partit Demokratiku deputy leader raised an issue which was not a surprise to many.

There was already so much fuss in the weeks before the last election – and following Labour’s victory – about the massive exercise of clientelism that the party in government embarked upon.

Jobs were given out, promotions were bestowed, permits were granted, problems were solved – all with the intention to win votes. Labour would have still won the election, but all that happened in those weeks made the victory even bigger. It was, as Alfred Sant used to call it when he was Opposition Leader, a perfect example of how the government used its “power of incumbency”. Labour perfected it last time round.

The fact that the election has passed and the next one is still so far away has not stopped Labour from sticking to the same formula. What PD’s deputy leader Timothy Alden revealed – that his family received a phone call from the Home Affairs Ministry offering favours – only served to confirm what was already known.

There are various issues that have emerged since. First of all, the police replied that it cannot investigate the claims because no official report was filed, with Alden replying that there are clear rules which, according to the Attorney General, impose on the police to investigate any crime that comes to their knowledge.

Well, if the police did not investigate more serious issues such as the people involved in the Panama Papers scandal, it comes as no shock that they will not look into an email sent to them by a politician complaining about Labour’s clientelism.

Alden has taken the matter further by writing to the Permanent Commission Against Corruption. What he should do now is call the police’s bluff by filing an official police report. Then we’ll see what the police will do about it. But don’t hold your breath.

Secondly, there has been no official statement from the government or the Home Affairs Ministry about the incident. Usually, the government is very quick to react to any situation that could put it in bad light, often spinning the story in its favour.

On this occasion, it has remained silent. There was no statement denying what Alden said, not even one to try to play it down or say that his family had misinterpreted the call. This in a way is a tacit acknowledgment that the Alden family did receive a call from someone offering favours.

It is no secret that politicians have people who help them. What is less acceptable is that ministers and parliamentary secretaries – whichever party is in government – use people who are paid by the taxpayers to offer favours which are intended for partisan purposes or, worse, to entice the receiver to give the number one vote to the politician whose ministry/secretariat is offering that favour.

Sadly, this is a practice that has been with us for decades and it will not go away, simply because there are many people who still seek these favours and are ready to sell themselves to the highest bidder.