Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1398274
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 1 AUGUST 2021 10 NEWS JAMES DEBONO IN his own characteristic way of defusing nasty situations, Prime Minister Robert Abela this week put on a brave face to immedi- ately apologise for the shortcom- ings of the Maltese State, identi- fied in a damning public inquiry report on the circumstances leading to the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia and summoning parliament from its summer recess to discuss the re- port. He offered an olive branch to the Caruana Galizia family, which has been constantly vil- ified by Labour supporters on the social media, by inviting them for a meeting and hint- ing at financial compensation. Although he can go much fur- ther than this – for example, giving official recognition to Caruana Galizia's role in ex- posing high-level corruption – this gesture goes a long way from the days where the shrine in memory of the slain journal- ist erected in front of the law courts, would be regularly vili- fied by Labour supporters with the connivance of the author- ities. On this front, the change is epochal. The upside is that Abela, as he had already done after the greylisting of Malta by the FATF, is not shooting down a verdict which angers a large segment of Labour supporters by questioning its motives, and instead he has expressed his willingness to implement its recommendations and engage with critics. One may argue that Abela had little choice in this. The inquiry itself was appointed under his predecessor's watch and the government cannot simply ignore the results of a public inquiry, which it has ap- pointed. Neither can any Prime Minister of a democratic EU member attack the conclusions of the judiciary without sound- ing authoritarian. Seeking Nationalist approval This suggests awareness on Abela's part that despite his high poll ratings, he still needs the kind of legitimacy which he can only gain by distanc- ing himself from the antics of his predecessor. Ironically it was the same approach Joseph Muscat adopted in distancing himself from old Labour to reach out to new voters. For like Muscat before him, Abela is keen on turning Labour into a natural party of government with a strong appeal to former PN voters. The downside is that the apology is being made for the shortcomings of a faceless and nameless "State", with Ab- ela refraining from naming and shaming anyone, except to highlight the expulsion of Konrad Mizzi from the party's parliamentary group and Mus- cat's resignation from parlia- ment. Abela's mantra is that his government has carried out reforms in matters like judi- cial and police appointments, which show his willingness to mend what is broken in the re- public. Yet he still refrains from any judgement on his predecessor's legacy, except from hinting at Muscat's present political ir- relevance. What is significant is that Abela is now himself wearing his badge of distinc- tion from Muscat with pride: "The way the State functions today isn't even recognisable from how it was in January 2020," he said. "The State that the inquiry evaluated works completely different today." Quite a feat from someone who promised continuity be- fore being elected Labour lead- er. Abela's slow revolution But Abela's attempt to brush away his ties with his prede- cessor without spilling any blood sound all too timid in contrast to the denunciation found in the inquiry report of "an atmosphere of impunity, generated by the highest eche- lons at the heart of Castille and which, like an octopus, spread to other entities and regula- tors and the Police, leading to the collapse of rule of law"; and by the inquiry's attribution of collective responsibility on the entire Cabinet serving under Abela walks a tight-rope to ditch the albatross around his neck, while Grech calls for Muscat's head – knowing this strengthens the disgraced former leader's standing with Labour's hardcore... squabbling over the former PM's legacy, both leaders brush off the public inquiry's warning of the dangers of intimacy with big business Abela's tight- rope walk on the Caruana Galizia public inquiry "Abela still refrains from any judgement on his predecessor's legacy, except from hinting at Muscat's present political irrele- vance. What is significant is that Abela is now himself wearing his badge of distinction from Muscat with pride"