Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1521306
I have tried very hard to find one comforting fact that would make me figure out and justify Joseph Muscat's motives, or per- haps agree that he is only a naive man who did not know what the others were up to. Or perhaps we were naive and too stupid to realise who Joseph Muscat is. At least I was. But Muscat has previously used this argument when it came to the Panama accounts and when it came to Yorgen Fenech. I now know and I am certain that I took the right decision to erase any form of esteem and admiration or advocacy for Muscat in November 2019 when the Yorgen Fenech story came to light. When in 2013 he was elected with a landslide victory I really thought he would bring sensible change. It turned out that he created an economic revival by passing on the country to greedy busi- nessmen and tearing down the most crucial planning laws, allowing for a construction boom. The Gabriella Vella inquiry published online today my MaltaToday may have many flaws and gratuitous com- ments - it also ignores certain individuals and professionals, lawyers, and auditors - but the undeniable facts are there for you to see. They prove beyond any doubt that people involved in politics were only in the po- litical milieu simply to enrich themselves at the expense of others and public funds. The whole episode confirms the existence of a mafia struc- ture. For Muscat to argue that he did not know what the others were up to, either means that he is a very stupid and dumb man, or else takes us to be out- right imbeciles. More worrying is the fact that the Labour Party today is standing by Joseph Muscat. It is not only inviting him to talk on ONE but allowing its can- didates to invite him in pro- motional events and enabling dangerous propagandists like Manwel Cuschieri to stir up emotions for a man who has erred in no small way. This is a big mistake. Muscat's posse of follow- ers argue that he has done so much good for the country that the actions referred to are simple misdemeanours. This argument is flawed. Nothing and nothing justifies the greed and the crime. What has happened is that the whole political project has been a camouflage for Muscat and his closest aides to create structures which would bene- fit them personally at that mo- ment or in the future. I would take it one step fur- ther; all this talk of socialism is one big charade. An excuse to give the whole episode a cru- sader motive. There is no holy war in Mus- cat's grand plan, but only a personal motive to become richer and richer. Those who do not support him are now being accused of not being appreciative, loyal, or anti-La- bour. So be it. It is very clear that every step they (Joseph Muscat, Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi) took was intended to serve them. That taxpayers' money intended for valuable public service was used to finance these grand devious plans, did not make a fucking difference to them. They acted with im- punity. In March 2022, Robert Ab- ela won an election on his own steam. He did this with- out Muscat's support. This time around, Muscat is back. And even though the PL may possibly win with a comfort- able majority, the measure of the win will be attributed to Muscat's presence. This is bad news for Abela and the Labour party. Because what we will see in the next months is proof of Muscat's involvement with companies and individuals who were in Malta for only one reason – to pillage our gold chest on the premise that they would provide a sterling health service. Something Muscat and his closest aides knew was com- plete hogwash. And yet they allowed this to continue. We all have our opinions about the judiciary, the NGO Repubblika and its lawyer. They can be caustic and hyp- ocritical but let us be fair, they were given a silver plate by Muscat himself who em- barked on a dubious path from the first days in office, starting from the Cafe Premier inci- dent. Every step taken from the Golden passport scheme to the granting of a licence to Pi- latus Bank, to the Electrogas deal and the American Uni- versity of Malta, to the Mon- tenegro windfarm investment by Enemalta, and the several privatisation schemes; have all been peppered by revela- tions of impropriety. Not to mention the hospitals takeo- ver by the obscure Vitals and the subsequent transfer of the concession to Steward. Those who defend Muscat and his associates should at least differentiate the good from the bad and right from wrong. The Labour government can- not escape the truth. It cannot ignore the complex schemes devised to siphon off monies from kickbacks. The govern- ment and the Labour Party must not defend Joseph Mus- cat anymore. The ugliest and most unfor- givable part in all this malaise was the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. With all her faults and prejudices and gos- sip mongering, she was still crucial in pinpointing corrup- tion. Nothing will beat the de- vious plan to murder her and erase her completely from this earth. Nothing will convince me that there was not a politi- cal finger in the plot. And all this comes at an im- portant juncture, where we are being asked to vote. We are being encouraged to choose between one party and another for representation in an institution – the Europe- an Parliament – which frankly has little influence on the vis- ible deliverables in my home country (the traffic, the educa- tion of my children, the plan- ning laws, the over population, the shabbiness, or the type of political class we have). It might explain why in to- day's MT survey over 30% are opting not to vote. I hesitate to guess they will stay home because they are shocked by what they see and to add insult to injury they are now receiving a cheque of some €60 or €160 days before polling day. In their heart of hearts, they simply want to avoid believing that the statement that we are living in a Mafia state is an ex- aggeration and not the truth. maltatoday | SUNDAY • 26 MAY 2024 OPINION 5 Saviour Balzan Stop fucking defending Joseph Muscat Saviour Balzan is founder and co-owner of Media Today, publisher of MaltaToday, he is a TV host and pollster Muscat's posse of followers argue that he has done so much good for the country that the actions referred to are simple misdemeanours. This argument is flawed. Nothing and nothing justifies the greed and the crime.