Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1544268
A story carried by MaltaToday last Sunday and pub- lished online on Monday about a satirical Instagram ac- count that spoofed developer Joseph Portelli provided some comic relief. But it also provided a disconcerting deep dive into the mindset of some politicians. The mastermind behind the fake account, Patrick Van Schaik, revealed all on April Fool's Day, publishing the messages the fake Portelli had received along the years and highlighting public comments on his posts. One Nationalist Party candidate, George Muscat, kept trying to make contact with the fake Portelli by messag- ing him and when he received no reply, even tried call- ing. Pathetically, Muscat also tried to leverage his famil- iarity with PN leader Alex Borg in one of his messages. However, what Muscat wanted from Portelli was never revealed in the messages. Muscat was not alone in trying to ingratiate himself with the fake Portelli. There were others, like Labour St Paul's Bay local councillor Raymond Tabone, who felt the need to agree with Portelli's project to demolish the locality's "ugly" former HSBC branch and replace it with flats. Within the grander scheme of things, politicians like Muscat and Tabone are small fry but their behaviour is suggestive of how the political class is awe-struck by magnates like Portelli, irrespective of their track record. And why is this of concern? In a country where the law governing political party fi- nancing is toothless; where ministerial asset declarations suddenly vanish from the public domain at the prime minister's whim; where transparency registers to record meetings held by ministers and top aides are non-exist- ent; where controls over candidate spending at election time are a joke, it becomes very relevant who politicians interact with, especially in such friendly tones. When we are ostensibly on the eve of an election cam- paign, Van Schaik's satirical skit provides insight into a situation where the lines between politics and business become blurry. We understand that in a small community like Mal- ta, where almost everyone knows everyone and where proximity breeds familiarity, and where parliamentari- ans are part-timers, who retain their full-time jobs, hav- ing a defined separation between politics and business is impossible. But regulating that intersection is absolutely necessary in a democratic society to reduce the risk of corruption and favouritism. Unfortunately, despite legal changes introduced over the years, and the lofty words espoused by politicians of every persuasion, the mechanisms regulating the behav- iour and actions of elected public officials remain weak. The political party financing law is a prime example of a paper tiger. Political parties can fall foul of the law be- cause the Electoral Commission—the authority tasked to see that the rules are adhered—cannot take action fol- lowing a 2018 Constitutional Court judgment that stated the commission could not act as prosecutor, judge and jury. Unfortunately, since then the law regulating political party financing has not changed, leaving the commission a toothless watchdog. This is a situation that suits the two main parties fine—they can't be bothered to fix a system that allows ambiguity to persist. Good governance may not be a sexy topic to engage on, especially in an election campaign, but it is a necessity since it forms the basis of what should be a free, fair and equal society. But there is also an overriding issue that goes beyond rules and laws—it concerns the values of honesty and integrity. We may have the best laws in place but what counts is having honest politicians, who are willing to do what is right, and people who enforce the rules, who do so without fear or favour. This may be construed as an idealistic and naïve view of politics. We disagree. Wherever humans are involved, errors will be committed and bad things can happen, which is why the necessary checks and balances must be in place to minimise the risk of temptation and if this fails, to stop the abuse from perpetuating itself. A satirical spoof that shone a light on Maltese politicians' psyche maltatoday MaltaToday, MediaToday Co. Ltd, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 MANAGING EDITOR: SAVIOUR BALZAN EXECUTIVE EDITOR: KURT SANSONE DEPUTY PRINT EDITOR: LAURA CALLEJA Tel: (356) 21 382741-3, 21 382745-6 Website: www.maltatoday.com.mt E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt 11 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 8 APRIL 2026 EDITORIAL Wherever humans are involved, errors will be committed and bad things can happen, which is why the necessary checks and balances must be in place to minimise the risk of temptation and if this fails, to stop the abuse from perpetuating itself.