Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1279544
6 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 19 AUGUST 2020 NEWS ANALYSIS Robert Abela can't be blamed for relaxing rules and reopening Malta for businesses following a successful COVID-19 strategy. But while he can take the credit for keeping the pandemic in check, the second wave and record cases pulled the ground from under his feet. Where did he get it wrong? asks JAMES DEBONO 1. Abela downplayed risk of second wave Robert Abela's greatest mistake was to ignore experts' advice that the virus was still lurking, waiting for the first opportunity to strike back and gave the im- pression that the war had already been won. "Waves are found in the sea, there's no need to strike up public fear of a second wave," he said in May when announcing a lifting of restrictions. Addressing the party's general conference on 26 June he invit- ed people to enjoy the Summer. "I had expressed my determina- tion that people would enjoy the summer – and many said that we did not know what we were doing then," he told the par- ty faithful at an extraordinary general conference at the Rialto Theatre in Cospicua. "And I kept my word with you," he added to a roaring applause. Yet Chris Barbara, an eminent virologist and part of the team leading Malta's successful COV- ID-19 fightback, had already warned in May that the virus "will seize every opportunity we create for it to spread." Pro- phetically he warned that "this is surely not the time to organise street parties or to celebrate in this way, as we will be creating more opportunities for the vi- rus to spread" and that "now is the time to be even more care- ful than ever by keeping physical distance, avoiding groups, us- ing sanitizer to wash hands and wearing facemasks." Had the government heed- ed his advice by stopping mass gatherings, parties and feast marches, the situation may not have degenerated as much as it did. 2. He overplayed the immigra- tion card By closing the ports during the first pandemic emergency at the risk of endangering lives, Ab- ela raised expectations that he can stop immigrant boats from reaching Malta. But he was also aware that he could not suspend international obligations indefinitely. That did not stop him from further sa- bre-rattling with the EU over im- migrants who were inhumanely detained on a Captain Morgan boat in April. But this decision also backfired, after Abela was snubbed by the EU and forced to bring the migrants to shore. Yet despite these setbacks Ab- ela continued playing the im- migration card, by suggesting that Malta's high numbers are attributable to immigrants com- ing by boat. On 3 August, when asked to comment on whether there was a relationship between the spike in positive cases and a number of large-scale par- ties and gatherings, Abela said he disagreed with attributing the surge in new cases to mass events, as just under half of the numbers were rescued migrants who were being kept in isolation and did not mix within the com- munity. The problem for Abela is that his blame game has even back- fired among immigrant-bash- ers who blame him for taking in more migrants despite all his bluster. To add insult to injury the de- cision to quarantine immigrants on boats will mean that migrants will become another source of revenue for the fat cats bidding for their quarantine on the high seas. 3. He backtracked without apologising Muscat excelled in the art of backtracking and recognising his own mistakes as he did in 2015, when he described his pushback threat in 2013 as a "mistake". In May 2019, Muscat apologised for controversial remarks on foreign workers, saying that "his vision was for foreign workers to toil in the sun instead of the Maltese" was "insensitive". But Abela remained aloof, refusing to take any blame for handling of the second COVID-19 emer- gency during which the number of active cases shot up from just three cases in July, to over 600 cases a month later. Unlike Muscat, Abela failed to realise that a carefully craft- ed apology can go a long way in defusing criticism. Instead, Ab- ela's stubborn refusal to accept some blame for the situation betrays his aloofness from the suffering of thousands of old people who were expected to go on lockdown, and who are now angry that his encouragement to people to enjoy the summer has practically nullified their sacrifice. 4. He was too keen on appeas- ing the big lobbies The problem with the latest restrictions is that these hit hard on small businesses, like bar owners, who are now more like- ly to blame big party organisers and the hotel lobby for spoiling their recovery. They may be keen to point out that had Abela not succumbed to these lobbies and restricted travel to tourists with COVID-free certificates, and had he kept restrictions on mass gatherings in place, we might well be in a much better situa- tion than we are now. While one has to acknowledge that Abela was in a tight spot, facing mass lay-offs if business remained Robert Abela's five COVID-19