Labour deputy leader for party affairs, Michael Falzon, kept his hand firmly down when Opposition leader Alfred Sant addressed two public activities recently, asking his audiences whether they owned a swimming pool.
Sant’s jibe was aimed at belittling Lawrence Gonzi’s earlier quip that Labour’s proposal to cut the energy surcharge by 50% would only benefit “people with swimming pools”.
And indeed, Falzon is one such owner of a swimming pool, in the prestigious Iklin area. But on both occasions, when Sant invoked the swimming pool quip, Falzon never stepped forward to declare his own swimming pool. Just as well, for the man who highlights the plight of the poor and suffering in his speeches has good reason to be secretive about his own facility in an upmarket residential zone.
Yesterday, Falzon refused to answer questions by MaltaToday about why he had not raised his hand during the political activities during which Sant called upon those who own a swimming pool. Falzon simply said he had nothing to comment.
When asked if his swimming pool was registered, Michael Falzon replied he would not answer because it was MaltaToday asking the questions. Falzon, renowned for his guarded approach when tackled by the press, has in the past instituted libel proceedings against MaltaToday over various news reports.
During the time Alfred Sant made reference to the swimming pool cliché, Falzon looked rather uncomfortable as Sant continued to insist with the crowd, in his inimitable humourless style, for any of those in the audience to raise their hand if they owned a swimming pool.
It was only when the crowd screamed that none of them had a swimming pool that Michael Falzon felt compelled to give a half-hearted smile.
Falzon’s swimming pool had after all been featured as the backdrop to a news clip about the deputy leader, in an item appearing on One TV.