All the wives of Presidents and Prime Ministers who served the country played their role without being obtrusive and intrusive. They were silent partners, understanding that the focus must be on the head of state or head of government, and never sought to be in the limelight just because their husband occupied one of the top two positions in Malta.

Then came Michelle Muscat.

It was immediately clear that she was not going to accept playing second fiddle. She wanted, and sought, attention. She believed that, having worked side by side with Joseph until he reached the pinnacle of his career, she deserved the accolades too. She craved having the spotlight on her, and it was no surprise that very quickly she earned the label of “Evita” by her detractors.

And so she carved her own niche, not least by creating her own opportunities to be heard and seen, which included the yearly swim in aid of charity.

But, if you are in the public eye, there will come a time when the focus will be on you for the wrong reasons. The story regarding female prisoners who had not been paid for carrying out work on behalf of the Marigold Foundation, which Michelle Muscat presides, is one of her low points. Her “if you follow the media, my dear, you would know I was abroad on holiday” comment she made during a press conference will remain anchored in the memory of many, henna tattoo and all.

She had a love-hate relationship with the media. Naturally, she was comfortable in front of the friendly One TV cameras, less so when facing independent media. It was therefore not a surprise that in her last public appearance, on the Labour Party station last week, she could not stop herself from saying that “the media was against us”.

She was, of course, referring to the decision to resign taken by her husband, quite dishonourably too, after his office was linked to the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Never before had a Maltese prime minister been forced to move out because of a murder people working close to him were connected with, and yet Michelle Muscat blames the media for his ousting. From now onwards, this situation could be used as an example to explain what being “in denial” means.

The Muscats may have escaped unscathed from the Egrant saga, but they could not remain untouched after the shocking developments in the police investigation into an assassination that rocked the foundations of our democracy.

So you see, dear Michelle, you cannot blame the media for doing its job. If you do so, you are bound to be accused of trying to stifle it, of going against the fundamental right to freedom of expression, and of trying to hide situations which may be inconvenient for you.

The media, dear Michelle, was not “against you” for the fun of it. It is our duty to keep people like your husband in check. Just in case they mess up, like your husband did, when he closed his eyes to a scandal that did not go away, and instead of kicking out the people who he’s now saying betrayed him, continued to the defend them blindly.

It’s not the media’s fault. It’s all yours.