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2 maltatoday EXECUTIVE EDITOR Matthew Vella mvella@mediatoday.com.mt 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 • 23 JANUARY 2022 Muscat is a 'Citizen Joe', just like everyone else Editorial JUDGING by the reactions to last Wednesday's raid on former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's res- idence: it is clear that we have not really learnt the lessons of our recent history. Despite all the widely-known problems with Malta's governance and rule-of-law framework – in particular, its 'culture of impunity' – there are still numerous peo- ple who continue to treat their own cherished political leaders as being 'above the law'. Some are even accusing Prime Minister Robert Ab- ela of 'failing to intervene', forgetting, it seems, that the entire reason Malta's reputation has been dragged through the mud, since 2017, is precisely because of political interference in the wider administration of justice. Truth of the matter, however, is that – evne after his disgraced exit from politics in 2019 – Joseph Muscat is 'Citizen Joe'... a regular man in the street just the same as everybody else. So exactly why he – or his followers – should expect to be immune from investigation, is anyone's guess, really. This does not mean that the raid itself raises no ques- tions of its own. Yes, the timing might be considered 'irregular', because Muscat had requested to place himself at the disposal of an investigating magistrate, back in November 2021, when the Times's Accutor story was first published. Nonetheless, the police still have to execute the or- ders of the magistrate; when (or if) these are forthcom- ing. And Muscat knows all this only too well: just as he knows that even his children's devices have to be seized in such raids. After all a PEP's [Politically Ex- posed Person] immediate relatives are also considered to be PEPs; so, despite their tender age, his daughters' devices were also necessary for a thorough investiga- tion. Moreover, the same has happened in other situa- tions, such as Melvin Theuma's raid by police. As a newspaper we must view the process of law and order dispassionately. We cannot allow Muscat to twist the sharp corners of the way the law gets applied. One may understand that Muscat has a right to crit- icise the process of the law, or the way it is adminis- tered. But to suggest – as many of his supporters are now doing – that he shouldn't be investigated at all… that only takes us back to the impunity that lies at the heart of Malta's glaring 'rule-of-law' problem. And while Prime Minister Robert Abela insisted that the government has full trust in the institutions, this implicit trust should ideally be recognised without ex- cessive verbosity. This is particularly relevant, because Muscat's Facebook video – as well as his interview to the Times on the same day of the raid – is also the prod- uct of a seasoned, astute politician who knows how his words can inspire (or weaponise) a strong Labour fol- lowing: still seduced by the former Prime Minister; but also loyal to a strong, Labour party-in-government. So Muscat's threat of 'making noise' – widely viewed as an implicit threat to Robert Abela, to do a Berlus- coni-like run for politics so as to avoid investigation – could equally prove a threat to the Nationalist Party. It could help 'bring out the vote', and return Labour to power with yet another super-majority. It is a knife that cuts both ways. Whether or not Mus- cat is truly capable of guaranteeing Labour's third con- secutive landslide win, is a factor that affects Abela's own political future: as he tries – unsuccessfully, so far - to sever any loyalty for his ascent to the Labour throne, to the former party leader. Metsola's abortion volte-face: predictable, but necessary It didn't take long for all the congratulations to new- ly-elected EP President Roberta Metsola, to turn into a chorus of indignation at her apparent 'volte-face' on abortion. However, such reactions only betray a fundamental misunderstanding of how the European parliament functions. As EP President, Metsola will now be taking posi- tions representing the majority views of the House as a whole; hence her decision to accede to Emanuel Macron's request, and sign the Simone Veil charter on abortion. Nonetheless, a volte-face it remains: for Metsola, of course, was never a champion of women's reproduc- tive rights; and her agreement comes on the back of a three-party agreement (EPP, S&D, Renew) that in- cluded recognition of abortion rights as a condition for party support. So far from any conviction on Metsola's part, this is typical political wheeling and dealing. It is a case of po- litical expedience. It is unlikely that Metsola would be signing up to those same rights in a different situation. Still, this newspaper welcomes this development. Metsola's voice can do much to change a lot inside the Maltese political scene, both for the Nationalists and Labour. Above all, it should spell an end to the weap- onisation of abortion in Malta as a 'taboo' with which to batter political opponents. And that, in itself, is no bad thing. 23 January 2012 Malta's involvement in Libyan Mirage escape shrouded in mystery MALTA grabbed international headlines for its part in evacuating thousands of persons from Libya, however its role in the military opera- tions that complemented the Libyan rebel up- rising remains ambiguous. The arrival of seven unknown persons aboard two French-owned helicopters in Malta, prior to the arrival of the defecting Libyan Mirage jets at the beginning of the Libyan conflict, remains a mystery. The two helicopters arrived together with the two Libyan air force fighter jets. Presumably, the seven persons were oil workers running from the troubled region. However, the anonymous passengers landed in Malta under a cloud of mys- tery. Only one passenger held a passport aboard the helicopters owned by Heli-Union - a French company which offers air transport services by helicopter on behalf of oil and gas companies. Maltese authorities presumably interrogated the passengers, however their identities and their activity before and after leaving Benghazi remain unknown. On the day the two fighter jets landed, two French-registered Super Puma civilian helicopters landed at "about the same time", carrying seven French passengers who claimed to be oil workers. Local and international press reported that police questioned seven passengers who landed in Malta from Libya on board two helicopters. Sources close to the Maltese government said the helicopters had left Libya without authorisation by the Libyan aviation authorities, and that only one of the seven French passengers carried a pass- port. These persons claimed to be oil workers, fleeing Libya a few days after Benghazi had fallen. On 15 February, a few hundred persons began demon- strating in front of the police headquarters in Benghazi following the arrest of human-rights ac- tivist Fathi Terbil. On 17 February the anticipated Day of Wrath hit the streets of Tripoli and cities around the vast Maghreb country. In the follow- ing days, Benghazi fell and the revolution spread. Mass evacuations of foreign nationals from Libya to Malta and elsewhere started a few days later, climaxing with the evacuation of around 300 persons in a high-speed ferry chartered by the United States government on 25 February.... Quote of the Week "I am a woman from a small Mediterranean island. I know what it is to be the underdog" Maltese MEP Roberta Metsola in her acceptance speech after being elected President of the European Parliament MaltaToday 10 years ago