Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1275149
2 maltatoday EXECUTIVE EDITOR Matthew Vella MANAGING EDITOR Saviour Balzan Letters to the Editor, MaltaToday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt Letters must be concise, no pen names accepted, include full name and address maltatoday | SUNDAY • 2 AUGUST 2020 Risking on COVID-19 could be economically lethal Editorial FROM the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic last March, it was clear that Malta – like all other coun- tries – would have to face a delicate balancing act be- tween safeguarding the country's economic interests, and protecting public health. It was equally clear that this would not be an easy task. The restrictions imposed in March/April have already taken their toll, as evidenced by the deficit fig- ures for January-June published yesterday. Briefly put, a sharp decline in tax revenue and an ex- traordinary increase in expenditure, prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, have left a €900 million deficit in public finances. From this perspective, government had little choice but to ease restrictions – and in particular, to re-open the airport – in a bid to avert the mass-layoffs in sev- eral sectors, including tourism. But just as a total lockdown could not have been the answer to Malta's health emergency, a total return to the 'business as usual' approach, at this delicate stage, could also have dire consequences: not just on public health, but ironically even on the economy itself. At the time of writing, there are at least four large, in- ternationally-promoted parties planned for the immi- nent future: and doctors have already warned that the convergence of tens of thousands of party-goers from several European destinations – including some of the worst-hit regions – can only be interpreted as an open invitation for a second, more serious COVID-19 wave. However, the government stopped short of heeding calls for an outright ban on large activities. Instead, Health Minister Chris Fearne announced that only festa marches were being banned, with new measures introduced to limit the number of people attending mass events. This is, at best, a short-sighted strategy: for the eco- nomic advantages posed by these events – which in any case would only benefit a handful of entrepre- neurs – would clearly be outweighed by the exponen- tial risk of a second outbreak overrunning our health service: i.e., the one thing all our past restrictions and measures were designed to avoid. But risking Malta's COVID-19 status at this stage could also prove lethal for the Maltese economy for other reasons. How, for instance, will schools be af- fected in September? If a second wave results in children unable to go back to school at the end of summer, Malta's government can expect to have a parental rebellion on its hands: one that will also be fuelled by the discontent of small business owners and commuting employees. Under the current circumstances, government would be wise to revisit its strategy for a post COVID-19 're- turn to normality'. Malta cannot afford to risk what it has managed to safeguard so far, just to appease one particular business lobby… still less, when the conse- quences of this approach can only hurt the economy, more than help it. The PN's identity crisis Whatever the outcome of this weekend's General Council, the fundamental question faced by the PN has to less to do with the identity of its leader, than with its own entire ideological raison d'etre. There can be no doubt that a strong, charismatic leader can indeed bring unity to a divided party – as was the case with Eddie Fenech Adami in the 1970s – but the reality is that the PN's problems pre-date its current leadership issues by several years. Its vote base has in fact been shrinking since 2004, when the party received its first major drubbing in the first MEP elections. But despite the implosion, the party has not so far lost its diversity. For while the PN's total numbers have shrunk, it still remains a coalition of social liberals, conserva- tives, upper middle-class voters, working class vot- ers, tribalists and reformists. This unlikely combina- tion is an inheritance of Fenech Adami's successful strategy which weaponised strong and unifying bat- tle-cries: democracy in the 1980s and Europe in the 1990s and 2000s, to hold together different groups of voters. This diversity has not vanished in the PN cohort. But the various types of PN voters now find themselves swimming in a smaller and murkier pool. As such, the PN should avail of the ongoing internal debate to also discuss ideological alternatives to the status quo. One possibly successful template could be that of a modern, centrist party: building an identity based on clear rules guaranteeing fairness and respect in every aspect of life. This could translate the party's anti-corruption stance in to one which is more in synch with everyday problems faced by citizens. The PN can also distinguish itself from the more bullish style adopted by Labour leaders, by opting for a 'bridge-builder' as leader: someone capable of appeal- ing to the sensibilities of moderates in both liberal and conservative camps. Either way, a change in leadership, on its own, will not be enough for the PN to overcome its present dif- ficulties: not, at least, without any corresponding ef- fort to once again imbue that party with what it needs most: a sense of purpose. 2 August 2010 AG to look into gossip journalist's encounter THE Attorney General is reportedly looking into whether a meeting between a senior civil servant and a journalist could be prosecuted under law, as an inquiry into allegations made by the Office of the President, failed to prove any leakage of documents to the media. The issue before the Attorney General re- volves around the conclusions reached by the governmental inquiry headed by former Cab- inet secretary Alfred Fiorini Lowell into alle- gations raised in a report drawn up by Marica Mizzi, the President's press secretary. Mizzi recounted what she heard at a table at a State dinner at the Palace on 30 June, which was held in honour of the visiting Italian Pres- ident Giorgio Napolitano. In her report, Mizzi wrote details of a con- versation between a number of guests at the dinner that included Noel Grima of the Malta Independent, who at the time was the paper's acting editor. The conversation hovered over MaltaToday's stories on irregularities within the Office of the President. Grima reported- ly admitted that he had met Olaph Terribile some days earlier, and that he (Terribile) "had a file" in hand. Mizzi reportedly delivered the allegations that Olaph Terribile had met with Saviour Balzan and Noel Grima, while also adding that Terribile had passed on documents. Af- ter brooding over this information for near- ly two days, Abela decided to write to Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and received a re- ply saying that an inquiry was to be set up to investigate the allegation. Senior officials told MaltaToday that Abela may have been anxious about false rumours that MaltaToday had a "big story" to break in its Sunday edition and hastily decided to call a press conference at 4pm last Saturday to an- nounce the inquiry to government before it had been established. Questioned, Abela could not provide any answers as to what the inquiry's terms of ref- erence were, and who was to head it. Neither did Martin Bugelli, the Director General for Government Information who sat next to the President during the press conference. ... Quote of the Week "He is no saint and has a lot of things to be ashamed of. I prefer sinners to Pharisees." Minister Evarist Bartolo's comment on Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi during the Caruana Galizia public inquiry MaltaToday 10 years ago