A story published by The Shift this week showed how – despite every denial that members of the government have issued – political clientelism remains very much alive and well.

The fact that political parties – particularly the one in government – offer an array of promises and favours to constituents in the run-up to general elections, with the implication being that this is in exchange for “thinking about them” when they vote is a well-known one.

No amount of denial will shake anyone from the fact that this is, by and large, how the political wheel turns.

But even then, this latest story is perhaps amongst the most flagrant we’ve seen – at least in recent years. 

The story in question showed how the partner of Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo, Amanda Muscat, took to social media to publicly remind a critic that she had actively helped his wife get a job with the government – even going as far as reproducing a screenshot showing her telling this person the details about the job.

The comment was posted after an individual criticised Bartolo for wearing a Manchester United tracksuit and football kit and posing for a photo when Manchester United’s women’s team played a friendly match against local champions Birkirkara FC last week.

Bartolo was roundly criticised for the gaffe, and this particular commenter found himself in the target of Bartolo’s partner Amanda Muscat.

Indeed Muscat replied to the comment reminding the person that his wife had come to her to look for a job, and even went as far as reproducing a screenshot of her reply to the request.

Addressing the constituent as “qalbi” (dear), Muscat wrote in the message that the jobs she was looking at did not provide the same basic pay as the person’s current employment but that the salary would “increase with overtime and shift allowances.”

The message is dated 18 October 2021 – six months prior to when Malta went to the polls in a general election.

It is important to note that Muscat has no official role within the Tourism Ministry, and in fact for a while was on the books of the Gozo Ministry – although she was seen more around Bartolo’s ministry or Mellieha district office than at work on the sister island.

This is an incident which is so utterly flagrant that one can only accept and recognise the notion that if you are closely connected to a member of the government, you really can do as you please.

The fact that a minister’s partner who has no authority whatsoever within the government can just arrange for somebody to get a government job – and then have the confidence to boast about it and use it as a bargaining chip to avoid criticism in public where everyone can see it truly is the definition of impunity.

We would say that we hope that the Office of the Standards Commissioner investigates this matter and applies the necessary sanctions, but the unfortunate matter is that there is no Standards Commissioner to hold power to account at the moment.

And even then, if and when the government’s proposed anti-deadlock bill makes it past Parliament and is enshrined in law, can we trust whoever the government selects to fill this post to investigate this?

That remains to be seen.