I can still remember it, as if it was yesterday. During one of those surreal sittings of the Public Accounts Committee which I chair, Keith Schembri had reminisced how Konrad Mizzi, half-jokingly, had once asked him what his secret was, and how he could become rich like him. In fact, the infatuated Minister had described Keith's as the Midas touch, since all he touched turned to gold.

Today, I realise how apt that short anecdote was, especially in the light that even a secondary school student will tell you that the story of King Midas of Phrygia, in ancient Greek Mythology, is far from described as a happy story. Quite the contrary in fact, it is a tragedy that led to a great deal of pain for all the characters of the story - a stark reminder that unbridled hunger for power and wealth is almost always guaranteed to end up in people getting hurt.

This is what we are witnessing in front of our eyes today. We are continuing to see this sordid tale unfold in front of our eyes, a tragedy which has been cast over our country, which is far from over yet.

It is becoming more evident that consequent Labour administrations had one goal, and one goal alone. To abuse and take advantage of their positions of influence, to create sham projects, carefully designed to result in generous kickbacks for themselves and their associates.

You have to harbour a special kind of evil in your soul, to weaponise sensitive issues such as the healthcare system and energy supply, (which let's not forget, was only accentuated due to a global economic crisis through which frankly Malta faired quite stupendously), through misleading propaganda.

Then, be elected to Government and immediately kick off the greatest travesty to good governance in the young history of this state, to design and create projects and contracts, for which the only purpose is to funnel kickbacks through an intricate structure of hidden companies and financial instruments spread across the globe.

You must be a special kind of person, to be able to pull all this off, get caught red handed, and deny it lock stock and barrel, when the evidence is pointing a large red arrow into your general direction, and several reports agree that the deals were fraudulent.

What is most worrying, is that the current administration, under the leadership of Prime Minister Robert Abela appears to be covering up as best as it can for the sins of the previous. We are all very much aware by now how the Police Commissioner and the Attorney General have been rendered toothless puppets that only respond to the bidding of their Labour overlords.

This continues to be the case, as the 17 Black inquiry remains unpublished and kept away from public scrutiny. In a modern democracy, this is far from acceptable, as it is the concrete confirmation, if ever we needed one, that this Labour government is the perfect continuation of the previous one. Robert Abela made it crystal clear when he was running for the leadership of his party, that he was running on the continuity ticket - and by golly was he being honest! You must hand it to the man.

The 17 Black inquiry must be published today before tomorrow! It is the right of all hard working, tax-paying citizens to know who has been taking them for a ride, and who wiped their feet in their trust.

Only then will start to bring this tragedy to a close, as we guarantee that justice is truly served.

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