Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1540705
WHEN Prime Minister Robert Abela called his Cabinet and parliamentary group on Saturday he was in listening mode. He presented an internal sur- vey showing that people were behind Labour's economic policies. I will not comment on the survey, but yes, on the economy the people think Labour is tops. Nonetheless, asking people on sin- gle issues does not give a perfect profile of what a voter is thinking. Robert Abela needs to be straight when it comes to unexpected surprises. The first piece of good news was the resignation of Neville Gafa as a person of trust on Saturday. This Vladimir Pu- tin boothlicker, homophobe and maver- ick has no place within a modern social democratic party. He should have never been employed at Castille in the first place. I also hope that PL President Alex Sci- berras and Deputy Leader Alex Agius Saliba now have the gall to banish him from the Labour headquarters too. If they don't, Gafa will remain a problem. For one, Agius Saliba should get his act together and start realising that the La- bour Party cannot be a refuge for misfits and extremists and that as deputy leader the last thing he should be doing is wast- ing his time duelling with commentator Gerald Fenech. Neville Gafa has no gravitas and is an individual who should be relegated to a place where he has no relevance. Then there are the issues which do not want to go away. The Keith Schembri saga, which saw him being interviewed by an interviewer who tried very hard to ask him the per- tinent questions. Keith Schembri is not a victim, the people who trusted him and entrusted him are, including his family who he de- ceived, are the real victims. The Labour Party knows it is the victim not him. In his years as chief of staff at the OPM he gave the impression that he was act- ing in good faith. Now we all know that he was doing the complete opposite. He says he is loved. But truth be told, the vast majority blame him for the fall from grace of Joseph Muscat and the stain on Labour's moral standing. No one could have imagined his du- plicity and what I still find difficult to understand is that someone like him is given any creedence in the first place. And if we were to be very sincere, some- one with such serious criminal charges should never have met the prime min- ister. If others like Joseph Muscat think they should embrace Keith Schembri for the rest of their life that is their prob- lem. I for one, have the habit of block- ing people who have shafted me. And I completely agree with Robert Abela's comment to Joseph Muscat on the 28 November 2019 when he told him: "Dak il-koċċut, fottik!" That Schembri uses his podcast ap- pearance to send the not so very subtle message that he will do everything to support Abela to win yet another elec- tion is diabolical to say the least. Schembri is not a stupid man; far from it. He is highly intelligent and a ma- nipulator and actor. He knows that by saying what he said, he tried to compro- mise Robert Abela. His appearance was a warning of sorts to whoever it may be that they should be careful how they act in his regard. Schembri knows that in Yorgen Fenech's trial, his name will very likely be resurfacing. All this, should serve as a lesson to everyone, including the prime minister. Abela needs to be careful where he threads. When it comes to Keith Schem- bri he should know that he cannot trust the likes of someone who duped so many people around him and hid his re- al intentions. Yet, Abela's real challenge is not Schembri. His challenge is the middle ground. The mass of voters who will not be impressed with the financial results but are looking out for signs that the gov- ernment truly wants to address their concerns and enable them to improve their lifestyle. No matter what, many people have come to the conclusion that they need a big leap forward. They need this country to calm down, slow down, stop boasting about tourism numbers, and revenues and taxes collected and new projects. People want some normality; peace and tranquillity. The prime minister needs to start lis- tening to normal people and not only to businessmen who are gripped in an orgy of wanting to make more and more money at any cost. The health index of this country needs to be gauged by the simple things in life not by the complicated numbers that are presented in the budget. A budget that will be marred by a pro- test that is at the heart of our problem. The onslaught on our cultural heritage, our towns and villages, our natural en- vironment and on the country that we call home. Yes, it is simple as that. 7 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 26 OCTOBER 2025 OPINION It's simple as that On Schembri: No one could have imagined his duplicity and what I still find difficult to understand is that someone like him is given any creedence in the first place. And if we were to be very sincere, someone with such serious criminal charges should never have met the prime minister Saviour Balzan Founder and co-owner of Media Today, publisher of MaltaToday, he is a TV host and pollster The middle ground is what Robert Abela needs to think about