We, the disgusted people
So, finally, the full findings of the Egrant inquiry are released, and what do we find? Among other things, that the magistrate ordered a police investigation into Pilatus Bank and, separately, into Karl Cini, Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri’s accountant at Nexia BT.
J ust minor details, of course, that would never change how we view the conclusions of the inquiry report. Yeah, right.
Cini, you will remember, was the accountant who requested the opening of three Panama companies and who said he would convey the name of Egrant’s owner over Skype, rather than in writing.
The inquiring magistrate never asked him the multi-million dollar question: Who owns Egrant? Perfectly understandable, since the magistrate’s terms of reference made clear that he was to ascertain whether Egrant belonged to Joseph or Michelle Muscat, not whom it belonged to.
Perhaps it is time Cini was asked, under oath, ‘Who was the bearer and ultimate beneficiary of Egrant when you set it up?’ and the nation was given the answer.
At this stage of the revelations, so much sleaze has been exposed. We have every reason to expect that we have not seen the end of it yet. We have every reason to be suspicious of anything touched by Castille.
The revelations have confirmed what many suspected. Last week I attended a university discussion on the political situation. It brought back memories of my student days and I greatly enjoyed it. But I was still stunned by an academic who said that we never saw this coming.
Speak for yourself! Many of us saw this coming. We even spoke about it publicly. We were called envious and traitors for our pains.
Still, it was nothing like what happened to Daphne Caruana
Galizia, who saw it coming before most. She was ridiculed, isolated, chased in the street, called names, and worse. She is still being vilified today, two years after her assassination.
Then there were those who believed her. They, too, were ignored, mocked and ridiculed. Sadly, some find it difficult to admit how right these people were. Simon Busuttil was right. Jason Azzopardi was right.
Karol Aquilina was right. Damn it, the whole Opposition, leading up to the 2017 election was right! Members of the Opposition argued incessantly about Egrant, the Electrogas contract, the Vitals contract, the Panama Papers scandal and much more. We even held all-night debates to make our point.
The difference today? The sheer scale of the sleaze is undeniable. A sense of unifying popular outrage is emerging. At the university debate, participation was strong, bold and fierce. No one tried to dominate. People praised those like Occupy Justice and Repubblika, who persevered in what was sometimes a lonely task of calling out the corruption. There was talk of further action. With the representatives of the two main unions present, there was also talk of a national strike.
There was a strong sense of a citizenry aware of its rights and duties. Ultimately, we are all citizens who love this country and want it to get out of this mess as soon as possible.
We, the people, are angry and disgusted. We, the people, are also disillusioned at the behaviour of whose constitutional role it is to safeguard us. We have been completely let down by our own government, by the attorney general and by the police commissioner.
What a contrast with the obliviousness or cynicism of others. Take Michelle Muscat, for instance. What she said at the Labour fund-raising event on Republic
Day goes from the absurd to the surreal. It went viral.
She spoke of her husband as a demi-god who we should all emulate. The poor woman thinks the media is against her and her husband. Someone should send her the memo (previously sent to Imelda Marcos, Grace Mugabe, and others) that slowly explains that the media worldwide is anticorruption.
Then there is Neville Gafa, who insists on playing cat and mouse with journalists. He uses a car detailed to the Office of the Prime Minister to run errands for his direct boss Keith Schembri. Lately he taken to social media to attack anybody, including Minister Evarist Bartolo, who dares say anything which may taint the only ones who can protect him. The audacity of individuals like Gafa, who seem to think they are omnipotent, is unbearable.
Joseph Muscat seems to believe that once Chris Fearne or Robert Abela becomes prime minister, everything will be fine and dandy. Muscat hinted at this last Sunday in Gozo. But the attitude of his wife and that of Gafa clearly show that they are all counting on this.
Such signs indicate that there is a lot of work left to do. We cannot take it for granted that justice will be done. Or that the full truth will come out. We must insist very hard. We must work for it.
To guarantee real meaningful change, we must look hard not just at the politicians, but also at ourselves. The people are clearly changing the political landscape. We need to be the change we have long been waiting for.