Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/421389
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 23 NOVEMBER 2014 News 7 not directly attributable to Mallia. Busuttil's challenge neutralised Muscat's reaction to the case, which took the shape of a meeting with Mallia in which he expressed "anger and disgust" at the incident, with both agreeing that "strong action" should be taken against Mallia's of- fending escort, Paul Sheehan. So far Muscat has absolved Mallia by equating responsibility to direct involvement in the incident. "If the inquiry shows that Mallia has any political responsibility to shoulder, of being involved in the case – which so far does not result to me – or that he was on site or giving instructions on the site of the inci- dent, then there is responsibility to be carried," Muscat told MaltaToday on Friday. But this answer suggests that the case is not closed and Muscat may have a contingency plan to appease popular anger. Moreover this is one case which cannot be deflected on to the opposi- tion. For while the government can throw back other accusations of ministerial misconduct on the poor record of former Nationalist minis- ters, no case exists of a former minis- ter's driver shooting at a car involved in a hit and run. One may recall a number of cases involving ministry officials which had serious repercussions on pub- lic administration, including a case where Noel Borg Hedley, a Finance Ministry official, was found guilty of bribery. But everything pales in significance when compared to a scene worthy of an action movie. One may argue that Mallia is under no obligation to resign because he was not involved in the incident and he cannot be held responsible for the personal actions of his driver. More- over he had already suspended his driver, who has also been suspended from the police. But the main problem for Mallia is that his ministry's first reaction was to minimise the incident and shift the blame from his driver, a police officer. In its first statement Mallia's min- istry claimed that the driver had fired "two warning shots in the air". However, photo evidence shows that the bullets had lodged inside the car. A photo published by MaltaToday shows a bullet hole above the rear windscreen, in the car's roof, and another in the rear bumper. This cannot be said to suggest a cover up, as there was no attempt to hide the evidence, but it suggests that initially the ministry underscored the gravity of the case. Ultimately it was the wrong infor- mation conveyed by the ministry in its first press release, along with the perception that the minister attracts the wrong sort of people around him, which undermined Mallia's position. The sheer fact that Mallia is respon- sible for the Home Affairs Ministry, which is responsible for upholding the law of the land, makes his posi- tion even more untenable. Dragged down by Mallia? Muscat may be wary that sacking Mallia in the absence of a direct link between him and his driver's action may set a precedent in the way he will have to address the shortcomings of other ministers in the future. For holding ministers account- able for the action of their direct subordinates may open the flood gates for future demands for resig- nations. Understandably the Prime Minister may be reluctant to raise the bar of ministerial responsibil- ity. Moreover making Mallia resign now would trigger instability, as his replacement would trigger a re- shuffle. But inevitably Muscat's failure to sack him comes across as a sign of weakness vis-à-vis a very strong personality who came from the other side and was fielded as a star candidate in a bid to lure National- ist voters impressed by the stand- ing of a top criminal lawyer. Interestingly, Muscat failed to show the same consideration to an- other former Nationalist – Godfrey Farrugia was removed for admin- istrative reasons. The perceived weakness vis-à-vis Mallia also evokes a sharp contrast with Mus- cat's ruthlessness towards Anglu Farrugia two years ago. Anglu Farrugia was yet a party official, and not a minister, and thus more easily disposable. But by sacking Farrugia Muscat had set a yardstick according to which unde- sirable comments on a magistrate coupled with a bad performance on TV, could cost you your head. This should make any minister in Muscat's cabinet dread the conse- quences of what they do. Mallia's survival risks sending the opposite message: that Muscat will stick up for his ministers in the same way as Lawrence Gonzi and Eddie Fenech Adami used to stick up for their own. Significantly, the first signs of de- cline in ministerial standards is oc- curring just two years since Muscat was elected to power. Some may say that even when judged by the yardstick set by previous PN gov- ernments, this degeneration is hap- pening far too early in the course of the legislature. Moreover recent surveys have shown Muscat's ratings as stable, despite a sharp dip in the ratings of his ministers. Muscat now risks be- ing dragged down by what used to be one of his most powerful assets in the electoral campaign. from Anglu to Manuel Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia and chief of staff Silvio Scerri: two favourite targets of the Nationalist Party and now firmly in the eye of a storm over the Sheehan shooting Helena Dalli: commercial interests and irregular works on a property she still owns has created more embarrassment for the government