The Nationalist Opposition is being persistently neglectful of its constitutional duty to shadow the government, highlight its weaknesses, oppose its excesses and provide alternative solutions to help drive forward the debate.
You’ve got one job. You’re not doing it.
Jurgen Balzan of The Shift News recently asked if the Nationalist Party is enabling Labour’s corruption by dragging its feet when criticising it. He was pointing out it took the PN two whole days to even comment on The Sunday Times’s story about Carmelo Abela’s abusive use of government resources to make home improvements.
I can report the PN knew of Carmelo Abela’s abusive home improvements for 6 months before The Sunday Times reported on them. The source that informed The Sunday Times had informed a member of the PN Parliamentary Group 6 months earlier and had had enough waiting for them to do their job and demand the Minister assume responsibility for his wrong-doing.
This is as shocking to me as the Minister’s own wrongful actions. They have both neglected their responsibilities – the jobs they are paid to do – in the interest of private benefit.
The Nationalist Party appears to have no will to hold the government to account.
Just this week the Constitutional Court ruled the government breached the fundamental human rights of the heirs of Daphne Caruana Galizia when for 8 months they retained Silvio Valletta as head investigator in the crime that killed their wife and mother.
This wasn’t some personal complaint. If people in government are willing to crush someone’s fundamental human rights to protect their personal interest, it can really happen to anyone. The Nationalist Opposition said nothing.
Just this week the Greek Supreme Court ruled Malta’s request for the extradition of Maria Efimova should be refused as Malta is not a safe country. If it is not safe for her it is not safe for anyone who dares testify to crimes they have witnessed involving powerful businessmen and politicians in Malta. The Nationalist Opposition said nothing.
Just this week Jonathan Ferris sued the government for denying him whistle-blower status, underlining that unless one does like Maria Efimova and absconds to some other country seeking its mercy and protection, witnesses of wrong-doing here are persecuted. The Nationalist Opposition said nothing.
Just this week the Vice-President of the European Commission replied to the European Parliament that Owen Bonnici’s refusal to legislate to protect journalists here from the sort of libel tourism that sought to bankrupt Daphne Caruana Galizia before she was killed and that has been and is being threathened on other media outlets here is baseless and has no grounds in European law. Owen Bonnici misled Parliament. The Nationalist Opposition said nothing.
Just this week the European Commissioner for Justice Vera Jourova visited Malta and, as reported by Politico, came here to warn the government of consequences for crushing rule of law. The Nationalist Opposition said nothing.
The Nationalist Party spoke to give Joseph Muscat its unqualified support in his jingoistic battle with Italy while children, pregnant women and to use their gift of life terminology the embryos in their wombs were used as hostages on the high seas where they still roll in bad weather and vomiting for worse than morning sickness.
And it spoke to explain why the Leader of the Opposition’s wife became even less interested in politics since her husband got the job than the utter ambivalence she felt before he started.
Some people still act surprised or disgusted that I criticise the Nationalist Party because I grew out of it. They find my criticism disloyal and serving the interests of Labour. It is the Nationalist Party that is being disloyal to its function as an opposition, thereby serving the interests of the Labour Party and the corruption of its leaders.
When the Police, the Attorney General, judges, administrators, European institutions, journalists neglect to do their duty of keeping corruption and crime in government in check and acting on it when it is found out, it is our duty to criticise them and call them to account.
When the Opposition neglects to do its duty, we must call them to account as well.