Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1291181
9 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 23 SEPTEMBER 2020 NEWS TO secure his election as La- bour leader, Robert Abela promised continuity with the Muscat era, but his adminis- tration sent strong signs of dis- continuity, with the police now being given the go-ahead to investigate Keith Schembri and Nexia BT over money launder- ing following a magisterial in- quiry requested by former Op- position leader Simon Busuttil. In what must have been a shock to Joseph Muscat loyal- ists who never doubted Schem- bri's innocence, Schembri was arrested in his own home on Monday morning at 1am – interestingly it was One TV which first reported the dy- namics of the home arrest. Is this a sign of Abela react- ing to force majeure, or does he smell an opportunity to con- solidate his leadership? The ev- idence suggests that it is a bit of both. Abela is on a trajecto- ry which takes him away from Muscat, but his pace is being set by events. Despite his cautious ap- proach, Abela managed to car- ry out what increasingly looks like a silent revolution. In the space of eight months he has effectively changed the polit- ical landscape in a way which would have looked unthinkable just a few months ago. Abela's silent revolution The more qualified Angelo Gafà has now replaced dis- graced police commissioner Lawrence Cutajar. The par- ty has expelled Konrad Mizzi from the parliamentary group and has elected Daniel Jose Mi- callef as deputy leader, a young politician with no skeletons in his closet, instead of Chris Car- dona. Victoria Buttigieg has also replaced Attorney Gener- al Peter Grech. Neville Gafà, a close ally of Schembri, has had his OPM job terminated. Nationalist MEP David Casa filed a complete request from the Maltese authorities for in- formation on Yorgen Fenech's secret company 17 Black. The government stopped silly an- tics like removing flowers from the Daphne shrine. The cherry on the cake was news on Monday that that Criminal Court had instructed the entire host of Malta's finan- cial institutions, asset manag- ers and investment fund man- agers, to grant access to police investigators to any assets they hold in the name of Keith Schembri, the former chief of staff to former prime minister Joseph Muscat, as well his ex- tended family. This was a clear sign that the police and the Attorney General have finally embarked on an investigation on Schembri, a decision which casts a dark shadow on Abe- la's predecessor Joseph Muscat who had placed Schembri in to the heart of the Maltese state. Actions speak louder than words Abela has not expressed any political judgement on the Muscat era. He has so far failed in encouraging any party dis- cussion to assess the Muscat legacy. The closest to express- ing a political judgement was the expulsion of Konrad Mizzi from the parliamentary group, but even this action was surgi- cal and presented as a way of protecting the party from the Montenegro wind farm scan- dal. Abela's approach is one which lets the institutions tighten the noose around Muscat allies, who up to a few months were considered untouchables. This also indirectly increases the pressure on Muscat to give up his seat in parliament. In this way, without irking Muscat's supporters by offending their idol, Abela has taken away the carpet from under Schembri, Mizzi and ultimately Muscat's feet. While doubts persist on whether Abela will (if need be) also throw Muscat under the bus, so far his actions have been carried out with surgical precision in a way which avoids shedding blood. What is clear is that Abela is doing nothing more than what is expected of any EU leader, but his actions still amplify the contrast with his predecessor. The downside is that Abela will not do more than the bare minimum of what is expected of him, something which makes it unlikely for him to embark on a full-scale investigation of the deals involving Schembri, Muscat and Mizzi. This may also explain why Abela is wary of the public in- quiry on Daphne Caruana Gal- izia's assassination, which has increasingly assumed the role of a forum investigating the Muscat system of government. By sounding reservations on the scope of the inquiry, Abela still pays lip service to Muscat loyalists by refusing to extend the public inquiry on Caruana Galizia's assassination beyond December. Abela seems wary of a judicial inquiry pronouncing a judge- ment on the Muscat years. He also refrains from one symbol- ic step which go a long way of healing wounds, that of paying homage to Daphne Caruana Galizia at her murder site, in the same way as EU Council President Charles Michel did a week ago. Will Robert throw Joseph under the bus? While never questioning Mus- cat's legacy, any investigation of Keith Schembri's financial undertakings is bound to cast Muscat in a negative light. While any public criticism of Muscat would sound premature to Labour loyalists, any confir- mation of allegations first made by former PN leader Simon Busuttil under the watch of a Labour government, would in- evitably diminish Muscat in the eyes of his supporters. But Abela will not be the one to wield the dagger of Brutus in front of Muscat. Pressure is bound to increase on Muscat to move aside. Abela has now cor- nered Muscat, whose resigna- tion from parliament will inevi- tably be viewed as an admission of guilt. It remains to be seen whether Abela will agree to sugar-coat Muscat's bitter pill by heaping praise on his prede- cessor or whether he will let his silence speak volumes. A new mandate for Abela? Abela knows that taking action on Schembri will strengthen his appeal among middle of the road voters who still consider Labour as more stable than the opposition, but want closure on the corruption scandals of the past years. Decisive action against Schembri could also be a prel- ude of an early election, which would give Abela the legitimacy required to break with the Mus- cat past. For till now Abela has inherited Muscat's mandate. To disavow the legacy of his flawed predecessor, he may well need a mandate of his own. Instead of digging in his Brutus's dagger, Robert Abela prefers watching the noose get tighter around his predecessors. How far will he go, and will Abela turn to the polls to strengthen his electoral mandate? asks JAMES DEBONO