Will Cardona now be investigated? That’s one of the real tests of whether we have a truly new normal or not. It is hardly the only test, however.
It didn’t take long. All it needed was the resumption of the compilation of evidence in the cases concerned with the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia. And we swiftly changed gear. The new normal, alas, is very much the old normal.
The semi-lockdown suspended normal life. Court proceedings stopped. So did public protests and commemorations. Our country went from a constitutional crisis, with large crowds protesting in the streets, to a global pandemic almost overnight. Streets were bare, social distancing made it impossible to meet, let alone hold large rallies or vigils.
No government was prepared for what came our way. Of course, the success (or otherwise) depended entirely on our health authorities, the Superintendent of Health (and all her team), the front liners and the general public.
People were prepared to give some slack to the new Prime Minister, Robert Abela, who had barely taken office when the crisis struck. People feel genuinely sorry for leaders who face a crisis they did not cause, especially so early in their term. However, there were moments when Abela’s impulse to react and act populist could have backfired with serious consequences. The mixed messages during the pandemic did not go down well. People believed Prof Charmaine Gauci and Chris Fearne more than the prime minister.
The peak of the pandemic in Malta seems to have passed – and Abela has already found himself in some really sticky situations. In his leadership campaign, Abela promised us continuity and sure enough, that is exactly what we are getting. The complicated mess, full of intrigues, corruption, hidden truths and lies, has resurfaced in no time.
As court proceedings became regular again, we found ourselves confirming that the last Police Commissioner was not just capable of looking the other way to eat rabbit stew, while the owner of Pilatus Bank escaped from Malta; he was possibly wallowing deeper in intrigue than we even imagined. The inquiring magistrate, Rachel Montebello, this week ordered a formal investigation into the former police chief after it was alleged that Cutajar passed on information to assassination middleman Melvin Theuma over ongoing money laundering investigations.
Cutajar was recently appointed consultant to the Minister of Internal Affairs. The minister and the prime minister both deny any wrongdoing because they didn’t know of these latest developments. But anybody with grey matter between their ears knows that Cutajar’s actions and inaction put him in very bad light, raising doubts not just about his fitness for such an important office, but also about his integrity.
Another very sticky situation for Robert Abela is the position held by Chris Cardona. The former Minister for Economy, refused a Cabinet post, then resigned as MP, but continued to refuse to resign from the post of Labour Deputy Leader. For some time, Abela had been giving strong public hints that he would like Cardona to resign in the interest of the party. Cardona remained steadfastly in place.
On Tuesday, Abela informed the media that he had asked for Cardona’s resignation. About time, too. Abela could hardly risk having a repeat of the situations he found himself in during the height of the pandemic, when he would say things and then claim the press had misunderstood him.
Will Cardona now be investigated? That’s one of the real tests of whether we have a truly new normal or not. It is hardly the only test, however.
Now public anger is rising again. After the assassination we were promised no stone would be left unturned. We were promised the police would find who ordered the murder of Daphne
Caruana Galizia. We were promised they would find out who was informing Melvin Theuma, Yorgen Fenech and company about what the police themselves were up to... We now have strong indications that the most senior police officers were doing the exact opposite.
On Tuesday afternoon, Joseph Muscat appeared in parliament, joined in the opening prayer and quietly sneaked out before things got hot during question time, just a few minutes later. The journalists questioned him about Keith Schembri’s alleged involvement in the Daphne Caruana Galizia assassination. Muscat squeezed his face to produce a smile... and (back to normal once more) escaped the scene, leaving Abela to clean up the mess.
It is significant how swiftly we are catching up with our socalled new normal, which is not new and far from normal. Some may have thought, if not hoped, that the COVID-19 would make this big mess go away. They were wrong.
Demands for justice for Daphne Caruana Galizia and for Malta will only stop once justice is served. And if a global pandemic did not change this, nothing will.