The human mind has a strange way of coping with unusual situations. One of them is to try to bring out a smile from even the worst of events. Psychiatrists will tell you that this is a coping mechanism that comes from the will to survive.
And so it follows that in the past weeks we have had tens of memes appearing on the social media, trying to make light moments of the serious events that have shocked us all. In the past, they used to be jokes shared between friends in a bar or club; the advent of the social media means that they now have a much wider audience.
Many creative minds have come up with memes that will be remembered for their creativity. But we are sure that even their creators will understand that their inventiveness will not take away the gravity of the developments that have given Malta so much negative publicity around the world and, most of all, led Maltese people of goodwill to raise so much concern on what future beholds this country of ours unless we change course.
This is because it is not funny that the Office of the Prime Minister is mixed up in the assassination of a journalist who was vocal in her criticism of the government (and others).
It is not funny that the OPM chief of staff, Keith Schembri, resigns after being named in an investigation into the murder of the journalist, Daphne Caruana Galizia.
It is not funny that minister Konrad Mizzi, who like the chief of staff had opened a company in Panama, resigns on the same day, saying he was doing so “out of a sense of political duty”; this was the same minister who was already forced off the job in the previous legislature but was then – unbelievably – re-elected in the election that followed.
It is not funny that the Prime Minister resigns but puts it off for six weeks in spite of being repeatedly told by constituted bodies, independent media and civil society that prolonging his departure causes even more turmoil in a country already in distress.
It is not funny that Parliament chooses to first change its daily schedule and then rise for a seven-week break over the Christmas period in a bid to stop public protests, a blatant attempt to stifle freedom of expression.
It is not funny to have a Prime Minister going on a farewell tour as if he’s leaving office in glory, and neither is it funny that hundreds turn up to cheer him – meaning that they’re too politically blinded to admit how shameful Muscat’s behaviour has been.
It is not funny that the Prime Minister does not realise the extent of the damage he has caused to Malta’s image in the international sphere and goes to see the Pope, who humiliates him further by relegating the visit from official to private.
It is not funny that Italian PM Giuseppe Conte cancels a planned business lunch in Rome with the caretaker PM, saying “other events” were more important.
It is not funny that the Prime Minister is snubbed by his peers when he represents us at the European Council summit, and is hidden at the back when the official photo is taken.
It is not funny that Joseph Muscat then flies to Bethlehem for Christmas Eve festivities there. We may not be as religious a people as we were a few decades ago, but the birth of Christ is still a festivity we cherish, and having Muscat present at Jesus’ birthplace is an insult to both believers and non-believers.
It is not funny that, while Malta burns, Muscat takes his family on holiday to Dubai.
It is not funny when the President, whose duties impose that he remains impartial and above politics at all times, feels the need to address the country on national TV and then uses his Republic Day speech and Christmas message to highlight the political and constitutional crisis the country is facing.
It is not funny that in court we hear a police inspector saying that Keith Schembri claims that he lost his mobile phone.
It is not funny to hear, also in court, that Schembri did not want to provide passwords for the police to continue their investigations.
It is not funny to get to know that the police searched Schembri’s office in Castille a full 10 days after he had been arrested, leaving everyone with suspicions as to what could have happened in between.
It is not funny that, in spite of still being under investigation, Schembri is allowed to fly out on holiday.
It is not funny that, each time there is a nationwide power cut – and we’ve had two in recent weeks – the blame always lies with the interconnector to Sicily. Neither is it funny to find out that, with a damaged interconnector, there are serious risks of frequent power cuts. So why did we go through the whole saga of having an LNG tanker in Marsaxlokk Bay if this cannot guarantee regular supply?
It is not funny to learn about an expensive gift that the Prime Minister received from the man who is now accused of murdering Daphne Caruana Galizia. Neither is it funny that the PM says that he is leaving the €20,000 watch to the State only after the media exposed he had received it.
It is not funny that the Prime Minister of our country is named “2019 man of the year in organised crime and corruption”.
It is not funny that in his end-of-year speech to the nation, Muscat plays the victim and says that he paid “the highest price” when we all know that the one to have paid the highest price – with her life – was Daphne Caruana Galizia.
No, it is not funny at all.