Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/408403
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 2 NOVEMBER 2014 Opinion 18 T he police are a strange bunch. Stranger if you recall that this week, they arraigned a young man for having allegedly bitten a police officer. That is what the Maltese police alleged. It turns out that the biting incident may have been concocted by the police themselves. The truth appears to be that the man, who was driving and probably inebriated, was stopped by police and then roughly manhandled. In the far from gentle encounter, a police officer slammed his elbow into the man's nose and broke it. The blood splattered all over the police officer's clothes and of course the police car. Later on in the day, the police commissioner stated in a press comment that he would not tolerate 'violence' on his police officers. That is a fair comment, but one has to see if it was not the other way round. In court the lawyer of the man with the broken nose skilfully convinced the court that there was another truth and the man had a short reprieve and was released on bail. The case continues of course. The whole episode raises two interesting observations, one serious and the other rather sad. The first is that the police appear not only to be heavy handed but also probably visionary. And far worse, they are also turning the truth round, in the sense that a victim of their actions has been made to be the perpetrator. That is serious and it is quite shocking how the media refuses to take this one further. The sad side of the story is the incredible number of split personalities that most lawyers are capable of. The lawyer in question was Robert Abela, who apart from acting as the lawyer for MEPA together with his wife, also represents clients and, read this, the association of police officers. Yes, you read rather correctly. It was only the day after Abela appeared for his client, that he was issuing press releases for the new association of police officers. I give up. No more said. George Pullicino is still around, and will be around until the next election, and by the look of things the leader of his party will be backing him. But as things are turning out it is abundantly obvious that the decision to go for Solarig was taken by Chris Ciantar, Pullicino's permanent secretary. Pullicino's statement that the Malta Resources Authority and the Contracts Department were involved in the process, turns out to be untrue. The ball is back in Pullicino's court, who hits back at his critics by mentioning Konrad Mizzi's wife, Sai Mizzi, and her inflated monthly remuneration. Good one, but not good enough to save him from the very pertinent question. If he accuses Mizzi of deviating public attention with the PV contract, then the same can be said of Pullicino's repeated reference to Mrs Mizzi. Why did his right hand man, Chris Ciantar, pilot a contractual agreement that not only handed out a handsome €35 million to Barbaro Sant's company but also failed to pick up the allegedly forged bank confirmation. PN leader Simon Busuttil has said that he will act according to the Commissioner of Police's investigation. But I guess the whole issue here, is that the government in which Pullicino was a leading minister was too accommodating with businesses. The tariff offered to Solarig was unusually high and advantageous. And unashamedly considerate when one considers that the rooftops are government property. The only crime that may be detected is the allegation of a forged bank document. But hell, we are talking only of €35 million. And to prove that the minister knew of this, would require the services of a truly investigative detective. Someone even better than Giovanni Kessler, the man who sees things when they are not to be seen! So the outcome of all this is truly a politically diminished George Pullicino, and confirmation that the Nationalist administration was rather shoddy in its choice of business partners. Sloppy or convenient are the words. Simon Busuttil will then follow this through by calling for Konrad Mizzi's resignation, a lame request considering that so many politicians before him have been asked to resign for far more serious situations. The saga about the Chinese-owned clothing factory has attracted the attention of the media because of court proceedings against the owner, a Chinese businessman. The political twist to the story was of course the fact that it was Chinese-owned. That of course tickled the opposition's media and the PN's web troll, the queen of bile. The malicious hate blogger that everyone believes is abetted by those at Our Lady of Sorrows Street. Needless to say, everyone conveniently forgot that the Chinese factory landed in Malta in 1987. The year Malta elected a new government headed by Eddie Fenech Adami. The factory continued to operate for all those years and many a Nationalist minister would gladly accept to be clothed by the Chinese businessman. But it is fashionable, for the opposition side, to hit out at anything Chinese. The whole world embraces Chinese investment but somehow some people think it is not a good idea. Simon Busuttil is one of them. Rather hypocritical, when one remembers that this company was allowed to operate under a Nationalist administration. And in 25 years the only story that ever appeared about the conditions of work in this company was penned by MaltaToday. Then again, consistency is not one the greatest virtues of the Maltese. Today, sister paper Illum carries a story about this very company and the police investigation that took place. Lino Farrugia, the man who has sued MaltaToday for libel over a cartoon showing him urinating as a drone flew over him, still believes that Malta is in the Middle Ages. The police have now started criminal proceedings against a BirdLife volunteer who accompanied a British campaigner at Mizieb. Farrugia argues that Mizieb is a hunting reserve given to them by Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici and that access to 'others' is illegal. Well, if this is true, which I find ludicrous, it is rather interesting that Lino Farrugia has decided to use the police, to prosecute a young BirdLife volunteer. It is also rather rich that Farrugia has taken this step, considering the hundreds of hunters and trappers who take up private and public land without any consent or right over the land. More on this another time. Cyrus Engerer has no shame. He appeared next to Helena Dalli at a press conference. Since the criminal appeal case that decided against him and the recent revelation of his sickening recorded comment on his then fellow councillors in the Sliema council, he continues to receive remuneration for two government consultancies. He is held in high regard by the Labour government. It is a great pity that the Labour government continues to defend the indefensible. It is one thing for the government to stand by the Energy Minister and his wife, and for one to interpret ethical standards in one's own way, but when it comes to criminal intent, there should be no ifs or buts. Engerer must go! A strange bunch indeed Saviour Balzan @saviourbalzan