Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/827970
13 maltatoday THURSDAY, 25 MAY 2017 Editorial Our role as journalists MaltaToday, MediaToday Co. Ltd, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 MANAGING EDITOR: SAVIOUR BALZAN Tel: (356) 21 382741-3, 21 382745-6 • Fax: (356) 21 385075 Website: www.maltatoday.com.mt E-mail: newsroom@mediatoday.com.mt The role of any journalist is to probe and ask questions and to question them irrespective of any interests held by those seeking power or in power. And this country is being held ransom by both political blocs making it impossible to even entertain any form of intelligent questioning. This newspaper's editorial policy does not find its roots in prejudice or perception. Irrespective of the accusations, over the 18 years of its exist- ence it has strived to provide its readers with a perspective that is based on solid report- ing. We have erred on some occa- sions – for this is a newspaper title staffed by humans – but in general we have tried our very best to relay the message backed by facts. But most of the time we have achieved our aims to keep our readers informed. And an informed reader is a prepared citizen. Yesterday morning as sub- scribers to the reputable Paris- based Intelligence Online, MaltaToday tagged the story of an alleged Russian spectre in the elections, part of the slew of allegations of Russian med- dling in democratic elections. This time, it was linked to the whistleblower saga in the Egrant allegations, although as this newspaper reported, that link was not well-established in the report. Like all other news agencies we picked up the story and it followed it by asking the Prime Minister for a reaction to the report's claims that foreign secret service agencies had raised the concern of Russian mischief. We too find the allegation difficult to believe, but even that in itself is beside the point. The fact that the claim was published, like other al- legations, merits a follow-up. All questions have been asked, whether it was about the Egrant allegation, the al- legations of money laundering and Maltese PEPs. Because there is no wrong or right time to ask a question. The ques- tion is the journalist's only weapon. The reality is that this ques- tion stirred a hornet's nest and understandably there was a discussion and counter- reaction. The same reasoning applied when MaltaToday together with numerous news agen- cies under the umbrella of the European Investigative Col- laborations (EIC) published the Malta Files, a leak that attempts to highlight the tax advantages of the imputation system in Malta which creates a particular attractive regime for tax planning and tax avoid- ance by the rich and powerful. The Malta Files project was carried to coincide with the Maltese presidency, which is steering through important tax avoidance directives and starting work on the CCCTB, and in doing so, it attempted to pursue the argument that this tax avoidance system – though incomparable to off- shore and secretive regimes – highlighted the disparity between one country and an- other, and created an unfair balance. It allows the rich and multinationals to not pay tax in the country where they generate their profits. The reports gained us no friends from the financial services world, no pats on the back from the political parties. It served to illustrate a reality that is reasonably questioned in other Euro- pean countries as unfair and unjust. Million-dollar question Declarations by ministers Chris Fearne and Evar- ist Bartolo in one of the PL party rallies that the PL had learnt from its mistakes could and would have been more credible if Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri had resigned a year ago. If the Prime Minister had acted to call for the resigna- tion of Schembri and Mizzi, these elections would be fought under much more serenity. The million-dollar question is rather simple: will Muscat weather this to win the day? Until now many pundits argue that this is im- probable and that the surveys do not tell the whole story. Only time will tell.