In 1982 Istvan Szabo's film Mephisto won the best foreign film Oscar. It told the story of a stage actor in 1930s Germany who achieved success, becoming head of the Berlin State Theatre, by ingratiating himself with the Nazi party.
Despite being lauded at the Academy awards ceremony, Szabo's film largely disappeared. A DVD run in the 2000s fell out of print and the film was generally overlooked by the main streaming platforms. But now, Szabo's masterpiece has been restored and re-released - to greater acclaim. Its appeal is likely due to Mephisto's acute relevance to our current age - particularly in its depiction of that universal theme, man's opportunistic complicity with corrupt political power. And nowhere is that theme more relevant than in Labour's Malta.
Felix Busuttil has just been awarded the "Midalja ghall-Qadi tar-Repubblika" by the President of the Republic. The Labour party activist and former Labour party candidate benefitted from far more than a presidential medal. He was appointed to the board of Zfin Malta and given contracts for his "coordinator" and "communications assistant" roles at Arts Council and Teatru Manoel. The Government Gazette reveals that Busuttil received multiple direct orders for "marketing campaigns". Co-incidentally he was paid 9,000 euro, just below the threshold for public tender, for every one of those multiple direct orders issued every six months. But he's so talented, you might think. So are many others - but none benefitted as much from Labour's generosity with our money.
If that weren't appalling enough, consider the situation of a certain Albert Marshall, the former ONE TV CEO and longtime Labour Party veteran. After raking in hundreds of thousands of taxpayer euros in his role as Chairman of Arts Council Malta, he's been removed to make space for Luke Dalli, ONE show host and Helena Dalli's son. The problem is that we will continue to pay Albert Marshall over 100,000 euro per year for another three years, although he's no longer in the role. To justify the exorbitant 300,000 euro bill on the taxpayer, Minister Owen Bonnici reclassified Marshall's role as "technical expert". Apart from his 63,000 euro salary, Marshall will keep pocketing a performance bonus of 9,450 euro, 3,000 euro expertise allowance, 6,000 euro for expenses and another 1,600 euro in communications allowance. On top of that he gets a fully paid government car with a full-time driver along with other perks. He also held several other government roles, including deputy chair of PBS and other roles at the Malta Film Commission, Teatru Manoel, the Valletta Cultural Agency, the Valletta Foundation - which come with their respective honoraria That's not bad for a man approaching 80, who's just been put out to graze.
Szabo's film Mephisto is based on the real life story of Gustaf Grundgens, whose career soared when the Nazis ploughed huge subsidies into the stage to shape it in their own image. Under the Nazis, Grundgens' friends and colleagues were arrested, exiled and even killed. But Grundgens sucked up to the Nazis who made him artistic director of the Prussian State Theatre. The Nazi war criminal Hermann Goring appointed him to the Prussian State council. Grundgens became a member of the Presidential council of the Reich's theatre chamber. He starred in the Nazis' propaganda film Ohm Kruger. Those positions pale into insignificance next to what Labour gave Albert Marshall.
Grundgens had a wilful ignorance and a fatal capacity for seduction. Director Istvan Szabo commented that "the problem arises when a talented person allows themselves to be exploited, or even fights in support of those in power. This still exists in the 21st century and it does not necessarily require a dictatorship - the power of money is enough". And it doesn't even require a talented person - the average mediocrity is good enough for some.
Marshall's posts and positions under Labour far outnumber Gustaf Grundgens' under the Nazis. At least Grundgens didn't keep getting his massive salary after he was removed from his post.
Marshall is not alone to have luxuriated in Labour's generosity with our money. Sigmund Mifsud was propelled from being a simple trumpeter with the national orchestra to the executive chairman of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra - simply because he had pledged loyalty to the party as an election candidate. He was later charged with tampering with evidence and using moral and psychological violence to force members of the orchestra and the victim of sexual harassment to cover up the allegations and not to cooperate with the police. Following his arraignment he was suspended but continues to receive half his salary to this day - more than three years later.
Mary Spiteri, a lifelong Labour diehard who performed regularly at Labour's public events had a full month-long publicly funded solo exhibition with public events to boost her popularity. Jason Micallef, head of the Valletta Cultural Agency, decided to put up a biographical musical about her - "Mary Spiteri: My life" - with our money. How much we don't know, because Jason Micallef loves transparency.
Frederick Testa who appeared regularly at Labour party conferences and campaign events was awarded a job at PBS and was recruited as a "cultural liaison officer" for the Arts Council on 30,000 euro per year through a direct order. Willie Mangion, notorious for holding the world record for the longest search for a garage, received direct orders as "cultural coordinator" in return for appearing in Labour's campaign adverts. He spent years looking for a garage in which rock bands could practice - pocketing over 20,000 euro every year he spent in hot pursuit of that elusive garage. When a garage was finally found four years later, Mangion kept his 19,582 euro consultant post.
Charles Marsh, ONE Radio DJ was appointed "logistics coordinator" at Festivals Malta through multiple direct orders. Sarah Lee Zammit, known for her close ties with Labour media, won a 52,000 euro public tender for marketing services from the Arts Council and a 25,000 euro direct order from Heritage Malta for communications strategy work. Her company Nocemuskata was awarded at least seven direct orders for Malta Biennale activities with an approximate value of 100,000 euro. She was also appointed deputy chairperson on the organising committee of Festival Kanzunetta Maltija and member of the local governance board.
Jean Pierre Magro, a close collaborator in Labour's network, received 137,000 euro for consulting services through direct orders. Jackie Mercieca, a ONE TV broadcaster, was appointed on the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts. Film Director Mario Philip Azzopardi who directed many Labour Party campaign videos, was appointed to the Teatru Manoel board. He was awarded a raft of direct orders and appointments including as artistic director of Valletta 2018 through an 80,000 euro contract.