Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1186350
maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 20 NOVEMBER 2019 7 NEWS ANALYSIS Schembri. Still in this case the inability to prove a crime does not absolve Schembri from political responsibility not to drag the government down in to his shady business. Muscat may well bank on the fact that panamagate has not in any way eroded his super majority and that the initial shock has subsided as people are losing interest in a case where the details change but the protagonists remain the same. This explains why last year's explosive news on 17 Black did not have any impact on Muscat's performance in mid term elections. Moreo- ver Muscat may rely on the temptation by his detractors to raise the stakes, conjuring improbable scenarios which when disproven only serve to turn the focus away from Schembri's political impro- priety. 3. If Schembri did commit anything illegal, the in- quiry would cast a shadow on Muscat for keeping Schembri in office for so long If it is established that Schembri should be formally investigated for breaking the law, Muscat's own position may become untenable. So it stands to reason that Muscat should have averted this by asking Schembri to clear his name without dragging the public office he holds with him. Sure enough the PM may well claim that he is being consistent to his pre 2017 election commitment that he would remove Schembri only if he is put under formal criminal investigation. But he would go down in history as the Prime Minister who kept someone formally accused of breaking the law, in a very sensitive office for a long pe- riod of time, despite repeated requests by the opposition, the European parliament and the media to kick him out. For in this case the suspicion of impropriety stems from the original sin of opening a secret company while in of- fice, something which on its own suggests a propensity for shady dealings. In the scenario of Schembri facing criminal prosecution, Muscat may have no choice but to resign himself, even if he can do so with the excuse of honouring his other com- mitment to step down before the next election. So even if worse comes to the worse, Muscat would not even have to say that he is bowing out because of Schembri. Still the fact that Muscat is still standing by his man may indicate that he honestly be- lieves that Schembri is not at risk of criminal prosecution. In this sense Schembri's de- tractors may well be providing Muscat a life line by insisting on criminal responsibility in- stead of sticking to the more water tight arguments related to Schembri and Muscat's po- litical responsibilities. What is sure is that no PM would want to bow out with such a blemish on his record, which endangers the prospect of future employment in in- ternational institutions. 4. Muscat has lowered the bar for the whole country The ultimate consequence is that by adopting such a le- galistic approach Muscat has lowered the bar for the whole country after substantially raising it in his first three years in office. Muscat who had little qualms in firing Anglu Farrugia, Ma- nuel Mallia and Michael Fal- zon in the absence of any criminal responsibilities, now links Schembri's future to him facing criminal prosecution. In this way he has made the Labour Party pay the price of losing the high ground when faced with the moral ques- tion. For beyond criminal responsibilities, the problem facing Labour is the creeping perception that a law exists for the animals and another one for the Gods. Perhaps this was the price to pay for gaining the bless- ing from part of the coun- try's capitalist establishment, something which gave Mus- cat the breathing space to em- bark on radical social reforms without being sabotaged by the dominant players. Schembri is perceived as a vital peg in Labour's deal with big business. But this deal re- turns to haunt Muscat each time he has to decide between defending the common good and private interests. This has become abundant- ly clear on land use issues, where Labour's commitments to business have clashed with those towards residents in- cluding those living in Labour strongholds. The fact that a segment of the party is increasingly un- comfortable may explain why Muscat could not ignore the elephant in the room while speaking to party activists in Rabat. It may be that what Muscat fears most is not Busuttil's wrath but that of party loyal- ists who feel betrayed. legally right but politically wrong National Development and Social Fund | Orange Grove, Birbal Street, Balzan BZN 9013, Malta www.ndsf.com.mt The National Development and Social Fund (NDSF) is an autonomous agency established for the purpose of managing and administering contributions received from the Individual Investor Programme of Malta, in virtue of the Malta Citizenship Act Cap. 188. VACANCY Basis: Full-Time For further details and a full job description, please refer to the Government Gaze‡e of the 19 November 2019 and the Careers section on our website h‡ps://ndsf.com.mt/Careers. The NDSF is seeking to recruit an experienced and qualified applicant to join its team of professionals, in the following area: Applications in hard copy, supported by the necessary documentation, are to reach the Chief Executive Officer, NDSF by not later than noon of the 03 December 2019. Late submissions will not be accepted. Head (Investments and Research) Jobs Plus Permit no 868/2019