Playing childish games
Last week the Prime Minister was interviewed by a child. Quite an appropriate situation when we realise the systematic infantilisation of people and authority that is going on around us.
Rachel Borg is an independent columnist based in the tourism industry
Like water in a stream, the flow of enquiries, investigations, allegations and criminal court cases are making their way around the halls of the Law Courts. Their journey is not smooth. In fact, along the way, there have been more obstacles than a bed of rocks. From libels to demands for information under the Freedom of Information Act, to extradition requests and the whole soap opera, the attitude throughout by the Government, the Prime Minister, Attorney General or by the Ministers involved, such as Chris Cardona and Konrad Mizzi and the Chief of Staff, Keith Schembri has been nothing but childish.
On the one hand there are the passionate rushes to sue for libel, only to be followed by a limp show where we are to assume that the case itself was already decided in their favour simply by their having instituted it and there is no need to actually show up in court and prove that what was written or alleged was a lie, an untruth, false, never happened.
Then somehow, too, evidence is disputed on the basis that a laptop is not sitting in court amongst the defendants, when all the while we may have a deputy commissioner sitting in that court who himself carries the content of some blogs on that laptop, having been a subject of them occasionally.
Whistle-blowers are rejected on the basis of whistle-blowing. Only acceptable allegations can be made which may in no way implicate the wrong-doer. The request for the extradition of Pilatus Bank whistleblower Maria Efimova has been denied by the Greek Court of Appeal in a decision delivered this week.
This decision by the Greek Court of Appeal, comes hot on the heals of the ruling delivered by Judge Silvio Meli on Assistant Police Commissioner Silvio Valletta after her family contested Valletta’s involvement in the investigation. In the ruling the Judge confirmed that Valletta should not be involved in the investigation into the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Other numerous cases have been referred to be heard before a judge, only to have a similar contradiction of justice before them, such as the case brought by Simon Busuttil which is now before Judge Antonio Mizzi who is married to a Labour MEP.
As though all of this obstruction of justice is not enough in the first place, the defendants and the Attorney General go on to Appeal. Naturally, to appeal is their right but when the rulings come with an admonition against the poor motive in having come in the first place before the judge with such conflict of interest, one should normally have the integrity to accept and allow justice to start taking place.
Instead, we have appeal after appeal, leading to what only amounts to a childish attempt to cover the guilty in an invisibility cloak.
Every attempt by serious journalists to ask very legitimate questions to Ministers or persons of authority and responsibility, about matters that are of public interest or that require a reply from that person or institution concerned, is received by infantile responses or none at all. How much longer are they going to avoid the truth?
One sees the Prime Minister of Malta standing up and defending Minister Chris Cardona on the matter of the Gran Prix trips. We see him again defending tooth and nail, his Chief of Staff on so many occasions. With Konrad Mizzi he was only slightly more circumspect but bottom line, he stands by him too.
Where the Commissioner of Police is concerned, well, that is such a comic show that there isn’t even need to pretend.
On the FIAU, the MFSA, Pilatus Bank, Shiv Nair, weddings in Florence, unaccompanied trips to Azerbaijan, transfers of funds to 17Black, Michelle Muscat’s overseas travel, other travel to Australia or Dubai, Sai Mizzi and her invisible job, the Prime Minister has always used his position to pull clout over any charge of wrong-doing.
What he is doing, essentially, is what an irresponsible fanatic father would do for his spoilt son who was caught and charged with a crime, by pulling strings for him. This child is never going to learn right from wrong and will continue in his lost ways or become even worse. Recently there was outrage at the awful behaviour of the driver that caused all the injuries to the honourable Policeman. A protest march was held and the condemnation was united against the incident. Wouldn’t the Prime Minister want to react in the same way if the good people of Malta are victims of a crime committed against them?
The problem is that our country as a whole is suffering because of this. Not only do we have to confront injustice, lies, false accusations and unfair delays, but we also have to persevere against bullying and deceit.
We are truly tiring of this infantile behaviour. It is bringing shame to our country and each new survey of one sort or another by the EU, is confirming this as we slide down the ratings. In rapid succession we are visited by EU Delegations coming to investigate the rule of law and the revelations of Daphne Caruana Galizia’s investigations, continued by the Daphne Project. This week it is the turn of the European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality Věra Jourová to visit and make enquiries on the state of affairs surrounding several topics that concern not only Malta but also Europe.
The reality around us is neurotic. Hiding this and hiding that. Pretend here, pretend there. Deny enough times so that people tire of hearing. Voices from hell talking together making a babble and cacophony to drown the truth. Abuse freedom of expression and claim it as your right.
And when it can no longer be repelled and a case comes to court, then bring out the soldiers, surround the fort and put the kids out of sight, whilst resorting to appeal after appeal, all the while declaring that you want the case to be concluded and to show that you have nothing to hide and are sure to prove your innocence. If it worked with the wife, it should work with the public. How many of these persons are still in a healthy marriage?