Message control

“This victory is one to remember, we had the biggest range of opponents to overpower - the opposition at home, the bureaucrats in Brussels, the international media and even the Ukrainian president,” the Prime minister bragged to laughter from the crowd

Viktor Orban won a fourth successive landslide victory, trashing the opposition. Orban is the EU’s bete noire. He’s committed serious breaches of the rule of law. He’s abused EU funds, awarding a massive street lighting contract to his son-in-law. Reporters without Borders labelled Orban “a press freedom predator” for muzzling the free press. Orban maintains close ties with Putin and refused to contemplate cuts to Russian oil and gas sales. He blocked transport of weapons to Ukraine. He consistently casts the EU as Hungary’s enemy.

Despite being increasingly isolated amongst his Western allies, his popularity in Hungary is undiminished. Hungary’s election was a struggle between liberal democracy and populist autocracy. Populist autocracy won hands down.

Why do corrupt politicians stifling citizens’ freedoms and undermining the rule of law keep winning so emphatically? Why do populations keep electing leaders contemptuous of democratic norms? What drives people to trust those abusing power to enrich themselves?

“We are sending Europe a message - this is not the past, it is the future” Orban declared. It’s an ominous message for Malta too. For those who think autocracy cannot happen in the EU and that Labour won’t win a fourth term, look at Orban. For anybody thinking our democracy is safe, witness Orban’s subversion of every democratic institution.

Labour achieved much more in a shorter timeframe. Labour stuffed the police force with loyal sycophants, determined to provide impunity for those in power. Former police commissioner Lawrence Cutajar allegedly passed inside information to murder middleman Melvin Theuma. Deputy Commissioner Silvio Valletta watched Champions League football matches with the man accused of complicity to murder. Valletta led the Caruana Galizia investigation until legal action by the family removed him. His close friendship with Fenech was only revealed by the media. Valletta ordered his officers to cancel Fenech’s interrogation at Portomaso because he was ‘unwell’.

Assistant Commissioner Ian Abdilla failed to investigate alleged serious crimes of government’s highest officials including Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi. Instead Abdilla discussed ongoing investigations with Schembri. Abdilla was rapidly promoted from Inspector to Assistant Commissioner.

Labour undermined the MFSA, FIAU, Malta Gaming Authority, Public Broadcasting Services, Tax department, the Army by appointing to lead them sycophants loyal to the prime minister instead of to the state.

Orban similarly undermined democratic norms in Hungary. Freedom House labelled Hungary ‘partly free’. It rated Malta’s safeguards against official corruption at just 2 out of 4 highlighting that ‘Maltese anti-corruption efforts are considered weak and government officials and business people have been linked to corruption and influence peddling”.

Orban’s critics claim his main goals are financial. His relatives and friends have become obscenely wealthy. The same happened with Labour. James Piscopo, former Labour Party CEO acquired huge wealth in a few short years despite starting as an Air Malta ticketing clerk. Police investigations into the 600,000 euro Piscopo allegedly hid in a Jersey bank seem to have stalled. Robert Abela himself acquired massive wealth. Millions of direct orders were dished out to the same suspects - Bonnici Brothers, Construct Furniture, Joseph Portelli, Saviour Balzan, Zammit Tabona.

So how do corrupt kleptocrats keep winning? The Economist identified the main reason - message control. Orban dominated the media. He turned the state’s broadcasting into a propaganda megaphone. And throttled all independent media. Klub radio, a liberal critical station, had its licence revoked. Index.hu, Hungary’s biggest independent news website, was bought out by Orban’s ally who swiftly sacked the editor-in-chief. Labour does the same in Malta. TVM is a mouthpiece for Labour, even censoring the Pope. TVM (44.3%) and ONE (22.4%) enjoy the lion’s share of the audience. Only 12.8% watch NET. Saviour Balzan, founder and co-owner of Maltatoday received millions from government ministries and other entities. The government now desperately conceals how much he’s actually received.

For months, roadsides were lined with placards of Orban’s slogan “Forwards not back”, strikingly similar to “Il-futur sabih” (the future is beautiful). Those slogans were paid not by Orban’s party but by his government. Similar propagandistic billboards paid from our taxes littered Malta’s roads - “toroq ahjar ghalik” (better roads for you).

Hungarian posters paid by state companies portrayed the opposition leader as the ‘mini-me’ of an unpopular former PM. Labour portrayed Bernard Grech as a diminutive figure watched by overbearing faces of his MPs and a journalist on a billboard entitled “il-wicc tal-passat” (the face of the past).

Orban’s social media spending eclipsed the combined budgets of all opposition candidates. Fidesz used every conceivable government resource for the campaign. People who registered for COVID vaccines received pro-government e-mails. Robert Abela sent out cheques accompanied by a letter dripping with Labour propaganda using public money.

In poor rural areas, officials were threatened that if their municipality didn’t vote for Orban there would be no jobs. Anton Refalo stuffed his agriculture ministry with Gozitans. He awarded 2 million in direct orders to Gozitans in just 6 months. Herrera named Marsa Malta’s cultural capital and funded restoration of Marsa’s parish church. Alex Muscat diverted 3 million of passport funds to his district.

Orban raised the minimum wage by 20% and paid an unexpected 13th month of pension benefits. Abela sent out 100 euro cheques. Orban gave a tax rebate to every family. Abela sent everybody a tax rebate. Orban claimed he wants “to reward families”. Abela wanted to reward hard work (nippremjaw il-bzulija).

For Hungary’s opposition this election seemed the best and last chance to stop Orban capturing the state. Former European Parliament Vice-President, Klara Dobreva, commented “The path from illiberalism to dictatorship is a one way road, a dead end road and it ends with catastrophe”. That warning came too late for Hungary. Hopefully not for Malta.