The debacle started a little over a month ago when positive coronavirus cases started to dwindle. The health professionals warned that a second wave of covid-19 would hit Malta. Prime Minister Robert Abela rubbished the warnings claiming that “waves are in the sea”. He even accused doctors of scaremongering the public because they were envious [...]
Cosa Nostra is the Italian mafia organisation that originated in Sicily in the 19th century and forms an association of criminal groups that share a common code of conduct. The basic group is called cosca, a family or clan. Each family takes over a territory, usually a village or town in which it operates. Although [...]
Ineptocracy is a system of government where the least capable to lead the country are elected and put in power. Malta is the perfect case study. Premier Robert Abela took centre stage after Health Minister Chris Fearne and Professor Charmaine Gauci, Superintendent for Public Health, managed to control the first wave of Covid-19, working through [...]
When last January, Robert Abela was sworn in as prime minister to replace the corrupt Joseph Muscat who was forced to resign by civil society, people thought that at last, Malta would have a down-to-earth humble man to lead it. He played his boy scout role to perfection with much ‘I love our country’ while [...]
“Every nation deserves the government they have” -- Joseph de Maistre. Absolutely true. Malta is a fine example. For the Maltese, democracy means that they can vote every five years. They cast their vote on election day and then go on about their lives as usual until the next election and in between they do [...]
Dear Adrian, Let me say it at the beginning. As a man and a lawyer, I respect you. You know the reasons so I will not elaborate. But unfortunately you do not have what it takes to be a political party leader. To be leader of a party you need to have a vision. You [...]
Harold Wilson in the mid-1960s said that “a week is a long time in politics”. Indeed, during this past week, we had enough news to keep us occupied reading inside under the air conditioner and forgetting the sweltering heat outside. As October looms, money laundering prosecutions remain worryingly low ahead of a crucial second Moneyval [...]
Possibly, after three years in limbo, the Partit Nazzjonalista may finally be seeing a glimpse of light at the end of the long dark tunnel. Maybe. This week the General Council will decide whether a vote of confidence in Adrian Delia or an election by the councillors and tesserati for a new leader will take [...]
In 2017, Adrian Delia came out of the blue to contest the leadership of the Nationalist Party. He was a good lawyer with corporate clients and a former president of a football club. Nobody knew him. His campaign was aggressive and many thought that he could be the answer to the PN’s woes. Then Daphne [...]
The worst nightmare is the nightmare that continues even when you wake up! – Mehmet Murat Ildan Late last Monday evening, President George Vella issued a statement. In it he said that although he had evidence that the majority of Nationalist Member of Parliament declared that they do not have confidence in the Leader of [...]
The country is sick. It is sick because corruption has become the order of the day. Every deal, every project, is tainted with corruption for the few to make millions. Corrupt businessmen found fertile land in Joseph Muscat’s government and with a little effort they managed to rope in ministers. They promised to make them [...]
“Do not be negative. Our institutions are working.” That is the standard reply by the government, its trolls and apologists when one mentions or asks about corruption, money laundering and a host of other criminal activities by ministers, government officials and their friends we face every day. Outgoing Prime Minister Joseph Muscat used to insist [...]
We Maltese are peculiar, very odd people although God has been good to us. We go back to around 6,000 BC and we built the first free standing buildings in the world, more than 2,000 years before the Egyptians had even dreamt of the pyramids. Then in AD 60, destiny, or divine action, decided to [...]
A bad government cannot only be called as a ‘bad’ government; the real adjective should be this: Enemy! Yes, bad government is a real enemy for the country it governs, an enemy within! - Mehmet Murat Ildan At the beginning of 2011 few in Malta had heard of Konrad Mizzi. Before entering politics he [...]
Robert Abela, newly crowned Prime Minister of Malta, must be either a naïve, wet behind the ears politician or a scholar of Machiavelli’s political thoughts. He thinks that by kicking out of the Partit Laburista Chris Cardona and Konrad Mizzi all his troubles just faded away like an early mist when hit by the sun. [...]
As a lawyer I’ve always been convinced in the rule of law, so having a strong rule of law comes natural for me. We will close the chapter on rule of law with success, not just by dealing with our current challenges, but also by being a leading example for other countries. - Robert Abela [...]
"Corruption is much more likely to flourish where democratic foundations are weak and, as we have seen in many countries, where undemocratic and populist politicians can use it to their advantage." – Delia Ferreira Rubio, Transparency International. A few months back, late in 2019, a relative of mine came from Canada to visit. He took [...]
It is no wonder that since 2013, the Nationalist Party did not make any inroads with the electorate. Survey after survey show the same pattern, with the Labour Party leading by an average of 25 percentage points. The latest one by The Sunday Times even shows that the actual leader Adrian Delia as the 4th [...]
“What I fear most is power with impunity. I fear abuse of power, and the power to abuse.” - Isabel Allende Every time Labour is in government there is a common peculiarity. Malta becomes an island of impunity: individuals and or groups of individuals become untouchable, whatever their criminal or corrupt actions are. In the [...]
I apologise to Andrea Camilleri. But ‘a nest of vipers’ is how many describe the Office of the Prime Minister during the corrupt administration of Joseph Muscat, who gained the title of the most corrupt person of the year in 2019. Muscat will be remembered in history as the most corrupt prime minister Malta ever [...]