Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1264355
12 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 28 JUNE 2020 NEWS Crunch-time for Abela Now that the Enemalta-Montenegro scandal is linked to Yorgen Fenech's 17 Black, the same company identified as a target client of the Panama companies, Robert Abela and his party's national ex- ecutive had no choice but to kick Kon- rad Mizzi from Labour's parliamentary group. Yet despite acting under duress, the de- cision highlighted the contrast with his predecessor Joseph Muscat. It comes in the wake of a series of decisions which in- clude the forced resignation of Chris Car- dona from PL deputy leader. As a result, Abela's stature has grown and so has his potential appeal to voters appalled by La- bour's track record on governance issues. By calling Mizzi's bluff and getting the en- dorsement of the party's executive, he has also strengthened his hold on the party. Yet he also faces a number of dangers. The yardstick may boomerang By sacking Emmanuel Mallia and Mi- chael Falzon, Joseph Muscat had set the bar high for political propriety. Neither of these two politicians had been found guilty in a court of law and both were sacked for cases of impropri- ety, which happened on their watch. Yet for what remains a mysterious reason, Muscat found himself unable to follow the same yardstick when dealing with far more serious cases involving Mizzi and Schembri, both of which had opened a company in a secretive jurisdiction like Panama and were eventually linked to Yorgen Fenech's 17 Black, which was list- ed as a client in their company declara- tions. In so doing, Muscat lowered the bar of political propriety to the abyss. Abela has now raised the bar again by sacking Miz- zi. Mizzi has protested that he was not given the opportunity to prove his in- nocence. The risk for Abela is that by sacking Mizzi from MP he has set a precedent for others in his parliamentary group. Mizzi himself has argued that other members of the Cabinet are under investiga- tion in what might have been a reference to finance minis- ter Edward Scicluna, who was embroiled in the Vitals Global Healthcare scandal by the de- fault of being finance minister. But in Mizzi's case, the latest scandal came in the wake of other scandals and the shadow of permanent suspi- cion cast on him due to the Panama and 17 Black revelations, which are already based on documented proof and not hearsay. Although Mizzi remains a sui gener- is case, Abela may face trouble if any his political allies are caught up in a similar situation where he would be expected to be as tough. He may face an even greater problem if his predecessor Joseph Muscat ends up in the same position as Mizzi. Living with Konrad's resent- ment Konrad Mizzi remains unpre- dictable. He has shown insub- ordination by openly defying the party leader and refusing to leave the PL's group out of his own free will, forcing Abela to call a meeting of the party's executive to show Miz- z i the red card. Even if Mizzi decides to remain an MP, he may still be a nui- sance for Abela, especially if he uses his seat to curry favour among Labour sup- porters, and lash out at the Opposition and civil society groups to present him- self as a victim of a conspiracy. Stripped of party discipline, Mizzi may be- come even harder to control in the absence of a strong resolve by the party to delegitimise him. Only if the police start closing in on Mizzi's fi- nancial transactions, he may end up cornered and humiliated. Moreo- ver, the decision to kick Konrad Mizzi out has galvanised a movement for change in the Labour Party, spearheaded by young activists who are suspicious of dealings with big business while prioritis- ing the moral question. This may become a force to be reckoned with. Abela vs Delia: Raised bars and boomerangs The Montenegro scandal risks embroiling the Labour government but Robert Abela finally raised the bar by kicking Konrad Mizzi out of his parliamentary group. Yet while the Opposition should be on the offensive, PN leader Adrian Delia is now under a formal police investigation on an alleged bribe from Yorgen Fenech to stop the re-election of MEP David Casa. What are the dangers facing the two leaders as they navigate their parties through troubled waters, JAMES DEBONO asks? Keith Schembri: eminence grise