Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1517531
EVER notice how Maltese pol- iticians (especially Prime Min- isters) tend to always deflect criticism, by reminding us of all the times the opposing par- ty had been just as 'guilty' of similar shortcomings, back in their day? Sure you have! I mean, it's a little hard not to notice stuff like that, isn't it? Take Eddie Fenech Adami, for instance… oh, and before you all pounce on me, for picking on a prime minister who's been retired from politics for almost ex- actly 20 years: kindly note that Robert Abela just did exactly that, in Parliament this week. (In other words, he tried de- flecting some of the blame, for some of his own mistakes, on a man who hasn't actually been in power – or even active in politics, for that matter – since way, way back in 2003…) But one step at the time. As it happens, I remember the EFA era rather well: given that I was roughly 18 when he first became prime minister; and would spend roughly the next 16 years observing the actions of his government as a jour- nalist. And one thing I can certainly tell you is that: down to almost the very last day of his premiership, Eddie Fenech Adami consistently deflected all criticism of Malta's 'slug- gish' economy, by pointing towards decisions taken by his immediate predecessor (the late Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, if you'll remember.) One aspect, in particular, kept cropping up at the time (and believe it or not, still oc- casionally does to this day): KMB's decision, before the 1987 election, to over-inflate the public service with around 8,000, newly-hired employees. Now: it is, of course, a little late to be pointing out a tee- ny-weenie- little flaw in that reasoning (though I did write a few articles about it, way back when). But because Ab- ela's comments have suddenly made the issue relevant again: here goes. There were at least three problems, with Eddie's habit of blaming Karmenu for his own economic mismanagement (four, if you include the one I just implied right now). 1) While the Labour gov- ernment was obviously wrong, to embark on a job-dishing, public-spending, election-eve extravaganza in 1987… the Nationalist opposition had been equally misguided, to write a personalised letter to all 8,000 of those employees, guaranteeing the continuation of their public-sector employ- ment under a PN government (and thus, the perpetuation of the selfsame problem). 2) Eddie Fenech Adami had ample time, between 1987 and 2003, to compensate for this shortfall by 'expanding', 'diversifying' or otherwise just 'managing the economy bet- ter'. So by blaming the preced- ing government, all he really did was admit to his own in- ability to actually improve on Labour's record, himself. 3) The whole point of even electing the Nationalists to begin with, in 1987, was precisely to adopt a different approach to economic/polit- ical governance… including (but not limited to) 'rectifying the same past mistakes, that Eddie's government was still complaining about all those years later' [Note: another case in point – and probably a bet- ter example – would be how both Labour and PN govern- ments blamed each other for turning Air Malta into a giant, election-winning 'cash-cow'… and then, also for the untimely demise of that airline: despite having brought it about, them- selves…] But oh well. You get the gen- eral picture. It's never wise, at the end of the day, to shift the blame for your own mistakes, onto the people you yourself have actually replaced (on the very specific promise of 'do- ing a better job', remember?) It sort of instantly reminds us all, that… … hey, wait! I hadn't even got to the part about Robert Abe- la and the 1995 Um El Faroud maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 MARCH 2024 10 OPINION Abela's reference to Um El Faroud means only one thing, really. Nothing has changed since 1995 Raphael Vassallo