We are living in truly surreal times.

A few weeks back, a senior Minister of the Italian government, one Gennaro Sangiuliano, tendered his resignation to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, as Minister for Culture, when he was caught out appointing a close associate of his, with whom he was romantically involved, to the position of unpaid adviser. At first, Minister Sangiuliano denied the appointment of Maria Rosaria Boccia, the pluri-graduated businesswoman, but then admitted everything on RAI UNO's TG1, as he asked for forgiveness - complete with a bit of a weep on national TV.

If you're getting the slightest hint of déjà vu, there's good reason for it because this story is terribly similar to our local version featuring our own Minister for Tourism, his wife, and the Minister for Gozo - though, spoiler alert, the two stories end very differently!

In fact, notwithstanding the similarities, some contrasts are rather stark. First of all, in the Italian version, the adviser was appointed to an unpaid position, while in Malta, Minister Bartolo gave his wife a salary of close to €70,000 per annum. Let's let that sink in for a second. The Italian Minister resigned for giving his lover a job, for which she did not get paid. Minister Bartolo remunerated his wife, for a job that she did not do, with €70,000. Of course, he wouldn't have managed without the help of his trusty Gozitan Minister friend Clint Camilleri, so well done to him too.

However, the climax of this sordid story, and the major difference between these two tales, is that the blunder was enough for the Italian Minister to tender his resignation, but on sunny Malta, everything flows as per normal!

Surreal times. When two ministers are found to be guilty of unethical conduct, one kind of, sort of apologises, while the other one doesn't even go that far. To add insult to injury, the Prime Minister takes them under his generous wing, and defends them completely, reassuring he will not be asking them to resign. Truly the case of normalising the unacceptable.

How can we ever teach discipline to our children, or the value of consequences for one's own actions, when we have ministers getting away with the unthinkable and not having to face the music? No use complaining we are seeing respect in our authorities dwindling, when our authorities do not act respectfully.

Furthermore, when asked what he thought about his wife's qualifications, Minister Bartolo said that certificates were not everything in life. Stop digging Minister Bartolo. Of course, certificates aren't everything in life but go tell that to the thousands of students who are currently celebrating the culmination of years of study, reading for their undergrad, postgrad and doctoral degrees, pouring their hearts and souls in years of sacrifice and dedication!

Have they just wasted the past four years of their lives Mr Minister, since certificates aren't important now? You surely are sending that message, sadly.

Finally, how can a government represent its people when it allows such despicable behaviour? In a country where poverty is menacingly raising its ugly head, and more families are finding it hard to make ends meet. Where parents are scratching their heads to figure out how they're going to pay for their children's school expenses, private lessons, and why not, a much-deserved pizza on the weekend?

It is simply unfair. It is unfair that this government is only interested in fattening the pockets of the very few, while the rest can lump it. Kulhadd jithanzer (everyone's pigging out), someone once said quite prophetically, and it is very unfair.

Surreal times indeed, but we can put an end to it. The light at the end of the tunnel is that things can be done differently. Let's give hope for better times ahead!

Dr Darren Carabott is the Opposition's Shadow Minister for Home Affairs, Security and Reforms, and President of the Public Accounts Committee.