Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/797847
7 'Busuttil broke code of silence' maltatoday, SUNDAY, 12 MARCH 2017 News JURGEN BALZAN OPPOSITION leader Simon Busuttil's decision to expose the "threat" he received by SMS from the CEO of db Group, Arthur Gauci, in which he was asked to pay back donations given to the party, not only demystified party financing but also saw the PN leader break a code of silence. Party faithful are questioning the wisdom of Busuttil's move and a number of opposition MPs told this newspaper that expos- ing db Group's request on live TV can seriously jeopardise the party's chances of having a fight- ing chance in the forthcoming election, due in about a year. One of the three MPs who spoke to MaltaToday said Busut- til jumped the gun in revealing the private correspondence with the CEO of a company which had a very close relationship with the party for many years. Busuttil not only did the un- thinkable in breaking the code of silence on party financing but also opened a Pandora's box after the upset developers revealed the extent of their relationship with the party. In a somewhat late reaction, the PN denied that the company owned by former PN militant Silvio Debono paid for the sub- stantial salaries of the PN's secre- tary-general and the CEO of the party's media company. However it confirmed receiv- ing €3,500 in donations from the developers during 2016, while its media arm Media.link Com- munications had "commercial relations" worth €70,800 with two companies linked to Silvio Debono. These revelations have shed a light on the intricate links be- tween politics and big business and exposed the open secret that political parties depend on finan- cial support from leading entre- preneurs. For too long it has been sus- pected that this unsavoury sym- biosis was behind a number of very controversial policies and decisions and Busuttil has con- sistently tried to distance him- self from this unholy alliance between the big parties and big business. Yet, Busuttil's claims of inde- pendence from big donors are unconvincing on two counts. Firstly, Busuttil himself admit- ted meeting Debono on a num- ber of occasions and it has been claimed that it was the PN leader himself who asked for the money. Secondly, and more significant- ly, Busuttil is delusional if he be- lieves that the PN can survive on small donations from supporters alone. The PN employs some 60 people, runs a huge media or- ganisation and organises costly political events and campaigns. These operations cost the party millions every year and cannot be sustained without the financial backing of big businesses. The PN leader gives an impres- sion that he looks on the business class with a jaundiced eye and his anti-business rhetoric has echoes of Alfred Sant in it. Although the former Labour leader won the 1996 election on a similar anti- corruption platform, the MPs told MaltaToday that the party is making too many enemies in the business community. "How can you expect business- men to continue donating big sums of money when the party leader has gone out on a limb and exposed one of its biggest donors? The trust is gone. What guarantee do potential donors have that they will not be ex- posed?" one MP said. With the general election just months away, the party is ever more dependent on donations from big businesses to fund its electoral campaign. Party insiders warned that if do- nations dry up, the party – which traditionally has very strong ties with the business community – will find it very hard to match Labour's well-oiled and better financed campaign. The PN leader's judgement is also being questioned from a strategic perspective as his gamble has harmed the opposi- tion's chances in the election earmarked for March 2018, and demoralised many within the party's structures. Following the well-attended demonstration organised last month, the PN was on an up- ward trajectory and Busuttil's anti-corruption battle cry was in synch with the people's anger over the government's poor re- cord in governance and Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's persis- tence in defending his right-hand men Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi despite their secret compa- nies in Panama. But many in the PN now fear that Busuttil's gamble has back- fired and cancelled any inroads the PN may have made with the electorate. Busuttil has obstinately stuck to his anti-corruption discourse despite it now being publicly known that his party and many of his MPs have strong ties to big businesses, which curry favour with both parties, especially with the party in power. PN deputy leader Mario de Marco's involvement with the db Group did not shock anyone because it is a known fact that MPs, especially those on the op- position benches make a living by working for or providing services to big businesses. Although de Marco's position in the party has been weakened, it could backfire on the party if he is expunged or humiliated by Busuttil's faction or other fac- tions which could be biding their time before assaulting the leader- ship. De Marco still enjoys support at grassroots level and his level- headedness, loyalty and cross- party appeal remain an asset for a party which is desperately still trying to regroup after the 2013 drubbing. While any attempt to oust de Marco is highly improbable to succeed, the party cannot afford any signs of disunity on the eve of an election. Another MP said that Busuttil should not have gone on live TV to reveal the contents of the SMS he received. Instead, the MP add- ed, he should have replied confi- dentially and met up with repre- sentatives of db Group to patch up any differences in private. Busuttil did not need to wash dirty linen in public and while he could have kept up appearances by publicly opposing db Group's St Julian's project, openly sever- ing ties with the company only showed the extent of the rela- tionship the party has with busi- ness rather than showing how independent it is. Busuttil's gauche reaction has also raised questions on the peo- ple around him and how sound their advice is. Many outside his strict circle of confidants fear that Busuttil is heavily influenced by Malta Independent column- ist and blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia who still holds a grudge against the de Marco family fol- lowing her ousting from the Times of Malta in the mid-90s. For the past few weeks, the blogger has intensified her cam- paign against both de Marco and Silvio Debono and an MP said this has influenced Busuttil's thinking and his actions. "Busuttil should be wary of this because Caruana Galizia is not representative of the electorate which we need to win back," the MP said. Opposition MPs told MaltaToday the party's chances of winning the election were dealt a heavy blow by Simon Busuttil's gamble, which exposed the extent of ties between big business and politics PN leader Simon Busuttil has made too many enemies in the business community, an MP warned