Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/753405
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 20 NOVEMBER 2016 16 News In the wake of the US election, both Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and opposition leader Simon Busuttil jumped on Donald Trump's "anti establishment" bandwagon. Are they taking voters for a ride? asks JAMES DEBONO Muscat's game: I am the people's voice, you are the elite In his first reaction to Trump's victory Muscat declared that it strengthens his "resolve never to become part of the establishment, but rather work to change it from within…" This begs the question: how can one change the establishment from within without being a part of it? Perhaps, Muscat was simply be- ing honest by acknowledging that as Prime Minister he is part of the establishment running the country and to his credit by not rocking the boat Muscat has given the country the political stability required for economic growth. So why is Muscat using Trump's victory to lash out against this abstract entity? Muscat's readiness to jump on Trump's bandwagon betrays his awareness of a creeping perception that his government's pro-business policies, especially in land use (the Paceville masterplan and the ap- proval of high-rises in Sliema and Mriehel are cases in point) are self- serving policies benefitting a num- ber of construction groups, some of which, like the Gasan and Tumas groups, also have a direct interest in the government's energy policies. Moreover Muscat himself holds the global elite, many of them purveyors of citizenship schemes and exploit- ers of fiscal loopholes in other coun- tries, in very high regard. To counter this perception Mus- cat presents himself as a strongman who is in synch with popular aspira- tions. He may get his hands dirty in his role as Malta's salesperson but in the prevailing narrative he only does so to make life better for everyone else. Moreover Muscat portrays him- self as the sole intermediary be- tween government and "families and business (who) want decision- makers to hear their real, unfiltered concerns". This weakens the role of party, the bureaucracy and parlia- ment in holding his power in check. In his budget speech Muscat com- pared the slow modus operandi of past Nationalist governments with his "turbo" way of doing things. For Muscat another lesson from Trump's victory is that "priorities are decided in homes and workplac- es, not in palaces or newsrooms". His reference to palaces and media in the same breath betrays increased nervousness towards media scru- tiny – ironically as opposition leader Muscat had actively courted the me- dia but as prime minister he is keen on linking it to the establishment. This fits in well with his unease about a "campaigning" media. Less nasty than Trump After having briefly flirted with anti immigrant rhetoric before and immediately after the 2013 election, when he toyed with a push back of immigrants, Muscat has champi- oned civil liberties, gay rights and in- tegration. Cushioned by the Italian acceptance of boat people, Muscat has acknowledged push backs as a mistake. One reason for his turnaround may well be that his economic mod- el hinges on foreign labour and rich foreigners buying property, but as suggested by recent events, which have seen irregular migrants round- ed up for eventual deportation, Muscat still tends to distinguish between rich and poor migrants. In this sense while he cannot be in any way compared to Trump, who dis- tinguished himself in the use of hate speech directed against minorities, Muscat may still play the migration card if cornered. Moreover Muscat's strongman approach to decision-making, cou- pled with his subservience to certain business lobbies –¬ in his bid to ac- celerate economic growth – betrays an inclination towards the kind of populism advocated by Trump. So is his devotion to the global elite re- flected in his boldness in changing Malta's landscapes and social fabric to accommodate them. This may explain why, despite his conversion to Europeanist posi- tions, immediately after Brexit Mus- cat was quick to lash out against dis- connected "political elites", with his party machine constantly referring to opposition leader Simon Busut- til as a representative of these po- litical elites. In so doing Labour has identified Busuttil's main weakness, as the leader of a party which was entrenched in power for 25 years during which Busuttil himself was projected as a rising star. For while the two leaders share a similar social class background, Busuttil's ascent coincided with his party's long spell in government. Curiously both leaders were born in self employed families (Muscat's father being a fireworks importer and Busuttil's an owner of an iron shop) and have attended the same school (St Aloysius college). And despite taking different career paths – with Busuttil being closer to the traditional lawyer class, while Mus- cat followed Alfred Sant's footsteps as an economist – they followed the same political path first by having a role in their party's media and then as MEPs. Busuttil's game: I am the insurgency, you are the establishment Busuttil's first dignified reaction to Trump's victory was a sober tweet expressing concern on the global uncertainty created by Trump's as- cent to power. But speaking on Radio 101 on Sun- day, just an hour after Prime Minis- ter Joseph Muscat refuted claims Mirror Mirror on the wall… who is the most anti establishment of us two? PN: Environment authority 'has no option' but to reject LNG tanker permit PAUL COCKS THE Environment Resources Authority has no option but to reject the permit for the LNG tanker to be used as a Floating Storage Unit in Marsaxlokk bay, according to the Nationalist Par- ty. The opposition yesterday pub- lished a preliminary report, draft- ed by PN president Ann Fenech, on "significant failures and de- ficiencies in the risk and safety studies" justifying the presence of the FSU in Marsaxlokk. Fenech, a maritime lawyer by profession, said that the anchor- ing of the Armada LNG Medi- terrana in an unsheltered bay is wrong and goes against good practice and international rules. "Not only was there a complete disregard of this crucial prem- ise that a jetty and FSU must be placed in sheltered water, but there was total disregard of the other golden rule that all moor- ing points on board the vessel should contain quick-release hooks," Fenech said, quoting from the report. Fenech said the ERA was obliged to reject the permit be- fore it, because an alternative was doable and available as in the case of Livorno. The positioning of the FSU ig- nored rules and regulations geared towards the prevention of major ac- cidents and because it is in breach of the Seveso III directive, the report concluded. That alternative did not put lives and property at risk by placing the FSU outside Marsaxlokk and piping the gas underwater directly to the new power station. Fenech said the safety reports commissioned by the operator of the power plant – Electrogas - made "serious omissions" and certain risks were not taken into consid- eration, including strong winds and high waves. Labour says PN has no energy plan In reaction to the press confer- ence, Labour accused the PN of hav- ing no concrete plans in the energy sector and said that the opposition's desperation has led it to embark on a campaign of scaremongering which has now become farcical. "The new gas powered plant has been compared to the Chernobyl disaster, to the Titanic, and now bad weather," Labour said in a state- ment. It added that the people are in favour of a switch to gas, cheap- er bills and cleaner air and "will never trust the opposition lead- er who wants to turn back the clock." FAA: Power plant reports 'raise more questions' than answers MIRIAM DALLI FLIMKIEN ghal Ambjent Ahjar (FAA) has called on the Planning Authority to appoint its own experts to study the risk assessment reports prepared by Dutch consultants Ma- rin for Electrogas, the operator of the new gas-fired power station. It said the reports flag "a serious problem" with the moorings in case of extreme weather, since anchors – no matter how heavy – would not be enough to hold the tanker. "Moorings are the key element in embedding anchors in the seabed, as the forces exerted by the tanker dur- ing extreme weather far exceed the weight of 35 tonne anchors," FAA said. FAA argued that the conclusions of some of the reports clearly showed that the moorings may fail in some particular instances. "How is the Planning Authority, and ultimately the government, go- ing to respond to these safety ques- tions being raised in the reports for- warded by Marin?" FAA asked. "Has the Planning Authority ap- pointed its own experts of the same stature as the consultants appointed by Electrogas? If not, how can the Regulator and, ultimately the Gov- ernment be 100% sure of the safety of this project?" FAA went on to ask which regula- tors are going to be in charge of the safe operation of the plant once it be- comes operational. "What experience levels do these regulators have to be able to guar- antee the level and quality of inspec- tions? What is the level of experience of the persons carrying out the in- spections on behalf of the regulatory bodies on similar plants?" FAA insisted that answers were required before the project can go ahead. Despite the preoccupations raised by FAA, government reassured that the experts engaged by the compe- tent authorities are of international repute and their reports show that the power plant is safe, clean and en- vironmentally friendly. The Armada LNG Mediterrana in Marsaxlokk bay United against