Why is Robert Abela defending Roderick Galdes? Why is Robert Abela mocking Marlene Mizzi's comments about Galdes' hobnobbing with contractors? They're not gospel truth, Abela sniggered about Mizzi's comments.
Robert Abela never learns. Every time he stuck his neck out to defend one of his cabinet members or one of his picks in Castille, he was forced to change tack and eat humble pie.
Take Justyne Caruana - he appointed her, then had to swiftly remove her over her despicable abuse of public funds for a job given to her footballer flame.
Take Clayton Bartolo. Abela fiercely defended him too but ended up sacking him. Bartolo got his friendly cabinet colleague to pretend that Bartolo's girlfriend was working as a consultant with the Gozo ministry when she had never set foot anywhere near. Besides, she was entirely unqualified and unfit to be a consultant. Having defended the sordid daylight robbery of taxpayers' money through the collusion of his ministers, Abela was forced to kick Bartolo out as more shocking details emerged of more tens of thousands of euro allegedly paid to Amanda Muscat by a company which had reached a deal with Bartolo's Malta Tourism Authority. Those 50,000 euro allegedly paid to Amanda Muscat were flagged to the police as suspicious by the FIAU.
Robert Abela did the same with Rosianne Cutajar - he appointed her to his cabinet despite her history. She was forced to resign as parliamentary secretary as more information about her inappropriate links to Yorgen Fenech emerged. Abela protected her from the sanctioning she deserved from the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe for defending Yorgen Fenech without declaring her obvious conflict of interest. But that wasn't enough. She ploughed into more controversy with her "kulhadd jithanzer" (everybody is pigging out) classic and for reaping a windfall from a phantom job she never did and was entirely unqualified for. Abela was again forced to act. He threatened her with expulsion and even called his parliamentary group to discuss her punishment. She kept him waiting until the last minute when Labour MPs and the party executive were already walking into Labour's Hamrun headquarters before resigning from the parliamentary group.
Minister Byron Camilleri commented as he walked in for that meeting: "she did not want to be a burden on the Labour party, and that's why she took the decision of her own will". Just a few months later Robert Abela welcomed her back into the Labour fold with open arms - and without the apology he'd demanded of her.
Robert Abela did the same with Neville Gafa. Everybody warned Abela to keep Gafa at arm's length. Instead he brought him into his own office in Castille. Gafa didn't last more than a few weeks. He tangled with everybody - from diplomats to the parents of LGBTI citizens - and Robert Abela was compelled to make another of his classic U-turns. From defending Gafa with all his might, Abela forced his resignation in just a few weeks. He has "every right to work" and has "a contribution to make", Abela had told the nation, referring to Neville Gafa. According to Abela, Gafa had every right to destroy the flowers placed by the diplomatic corps at the Caruana Galizia memorial. Gafa was just exercising his freedom of expression according to the PM. But just two weeks later Abela changed his mind commenting that Gafa's attacks on ambassadors were unacceptable.
The same will happen with Roderick Galdes. Abela knows Galdes has got to go. So why not spare himself further embarrassment and sack him, now before he has to come back and do it later.
Robert Abela keeps sticking his neck out for Roderick Galdes. Abela knows Galdes only spells trouble. His Siggiewi social housing debacle ended up in court. The court ordered an investigation into who was behind the illegal registration of residents in those Siggiewi apartments that weren't even habitable. Those Identita' officials weren't working on their own initiative. They weren't taking the risks out of their sheer loyalty to the Labour party. They were doing it at the request of somebody with the authority to shield them from prosecution. Despite the court's order for an investigation Angelo Gafa's police force has taken no action - no proper investigations have been carried out, let alone prosecutions. Angelo Gafa knows exactly where those investigations would lead - and so does Robert Abela.
Now Galdes has messed up again. He's brought Malita plc onto its knees. That alone should raise concerns about Galdes' competence or the lack of it. Malita borrowed 22 million euro from the European Investment Bank. Yet it's run out of cash. It can't pay the contractors who worked on its projects. It's left them in the lurch with millions of euro in outstanding payments forcing them to take legal action to try and recoup the money they are owed. How is it going to pay the European Investment Bank?
That affordable housing project in Hal Farrug, Luqa has ground to a halt. So have projects in Cospicua and Qrendi. Contractors have refused to continue to work on those projects until they're paid outstanding dues. That's a disaster not only for those who've lingered on the social housing waiting list for years but also for Labour. Allocating housing units to entire families is one sure vote winner, especially on the eve of a general election. But if those 364 units are left in shell form Labour won't have any goodies to hand out come election time. And for the next general election they're going to need every goodie they can hand out to hang on to power by the tips of their fingernails.
Robert Abela has three good reasons to sack Roderick Galdes. First he's incompetent, letting a financially robust majority-owned state company collapse, amassing millions of euro in debts. Secondly he's blowing Labour's chances of buying off crucial voters for another election victory. Thirdly, far more details about Galdes' massive murky property portfolio could emerge. It's time for Robert Abela to cut his losses.