Attack on Dr Muscat is an attack on Malta

When our Prime Minister went infront of the European parliament to defend his government’s case on the question of the ‘rule of law’ in our country, which was the subject of a debate which had been instigated by the PN and their colleagues in the EPP, Joseph Muscat was defending Malta’s name and not just the PL government. During that debate, attended by around 30 MEPs from a total complement of 751 MEPs, what stood out so shockingly was the personal attack on Dr Muscat made by the PN MEPs, particularly David Casa. Besides, of course, the attack by Werner Langen, a very close friend and colleague of Simon Busuttil and the PN in the EPP, who also happens to head the Pana Committee which is investigating the Panama Papers revelations.

The PN MEP’s ferocious and disloyal attack on Dr Muscat brought in its wake a tsunami of harsh counter attacks on the PN MEPs here in Malta. They were accused of being “traitors” among other tmis@independent colourful adjectives. The PN and its MEPs, as well as their apologists in the media, reacted by arguing that criticising Dr Muscat and his government does not mean criticising Malta. Wrong! When the leader of the PN, PN MEPs or its officials accuse the Prime Minister and the PL government of “corruption” without providing any concrete evidence on their allegations. When saying that the PL government and the Prime Minister are closing their eyes to tax-evasion and money-laundering, they are actually saying that Malta’s tax-regime is akin to that of other foreign offshore jurisdictions, such as Panama, the BVI and so on.

When PN MEPs or the PN leadership use the European institutions, or even foreign media, to attack our prime minister, as they have done during the recent debate in the European parliament, they are not just attacking Dr. Joseph Muscat. They are attacking the Prime Minister of Malta, who happens to be their own prime minister too. In the eyes of all foreign countries, the Prime Minister of Malta represents our country, not himself, irrespective of what David Casa, Roberta Metsola, Therese Comodini Cachia, Simon Busuttil or Beppe Fenech Adami might think !

Take the case of Panama, for example. For decades, people around the world have associated Panama – and not any particular Panamanian government – with money-laundering, tax evasion and other illegal or illicit acts. There has never been any law prohibiting the opening of companies in foreign offshore jurisdictions and many have used facilities offered by such jurisdictions in a totally legal way. So when accusations such as the breakdown of the rule of law – which was the subject of the debate in the European parliament – that have been made during the last few years by PN exponents , especially in European and international fora, foreign entrepreneurs, business people, investors and the general public can only start associating our country with corruption, taxevasion, money-laundering and other illegal acts as they do about other offshore jurisdictions.

If Malta’s name in the Financial Services world is not protected and preserved by all our politicians of whatever hue , as well as our media, we would only be allowing our foreign competitors, especially European ones, to undermine and finally destroy our competitive tax-regime with enormous negative consequences for our financial and economic well-being, irrespective of which party happens to be in government. In other words, if the PN MEPs, as well as the new PN leadership, continue on the same road they had taken during the last legislature, they would only be cutting their nose to spite their face. And the Maltese and Gozitan electorate, will, once again, show them what they think of them come 2022.

Eddy Privitera Mosta