Some three or four years ago in court, an angry Dom Mintoff walked up to me and placed his fist to my face and grunted, “Who is behind you? Who is behind you? I will kill you!”
Like most people who have a big problem buffering what their mind is thinking from coming out of their mouth, Mintoff was probably trying to say he could not understand who was financing MaltaToday. It is of course difficult for most people to accept the fact that there is no one behind MediaToday and this newspaper except for its two shareholders; and that it does not take millions to make a newspaper, but perseverance and hard work from journalists and staff.
For ages now, in the circles dominated by those who consider Lawrence Gonzi to be infallible, the rumour fanned by many is that this newspaper is owned and sponsored by John Dalli. So much so that this week I received several phone calls taking it for granted that I would be joining the man in his European Commissioner’s post.
The answer to that suggestion is not worth a mention so I will move on.
The problem, it appears, was that I believe John Dalli would have done a better job than Gonzi as Prime Minister, but really none of them have ever aided me or helped this newspaper. On the contrary, this newspaper was prosecuted by the police on the insistence of the chairman of the Lotteries and Gaming Authority Joe Zammit Maempel, and I faced a potential two-year imprisonment or a €232,000 fine all because of a silly short snippet on the Dragonara Brasserie in our ‘What’s on’ section that mentioned slot machines.
John Dalli was then minister responsible for the LGA. I experienced no special treatment other than the fact that all the other newspapers that carried this snippet were ignored but MaltaToday was not. At the end of the day I was fined €7,000 (equivalent to 350 days of incarceration) by Giannino Caruana Demajo, the same judge who sentenced Noel Arrigo to a ridiculous two years and nine months for something that scandalised the country.
Well if that was not enough, after the leadership contest, the perception that this newspaper belonged to John Dalli, led Alan Camilleri from the Office to Prime Minister to order all ministries to boycott MaltaToday.
That was 2004, and it went on for a year until someone realised that they could not break our back.
It did not stop there.
When that failed, the Prime Minister expressed the opinion that MaltaToday was an English version of Labour weekly Kullhadd - easy words for someone who has never really militated within the Nationalist party when others were wasting precious time fighting other people’s battles. When we walked the streets and were literally beaten by Labour thugs, I never recall seeing or hearing about a Lawrence Gonzi.
Unlike him we were there when it mattered most. Unlike John Dalli and many others, I do not believe in the supremacy of the party. I am not a party man. I do not believe in political parties. I did and I learnt that party politics is not for me.
I believe that political parties are vehicles created for the advancement of people’s careers. There are, needless to say, those who believe they are not. I would love to call them the idiots or better still the imperial imbeciles. But the vast majority are there for their own personal gain. They take decisions according to what is best for them.
In his tenure as Prime Minister, Lawrence Gonzi had proven to us that his decisions are based on what is best for him, and that is to protect his power base and his position.
Like all other leaders, a perfect example would be the General Workers’ Union leaders in this country. They act and react according to the whims of their members who guarantee that they remain in power and not in the general long-term interest of their members.
John Dalli, on the other hand, would have loved to give the leadership another go. When that failed, his only other logical choice was for European Commissioner – perfect for someone escaping a political scene which could not give him more dividends.
In a year’s time everyone would have forgotten what was written, and they will embrace Dalli as Commissioner.
Gonzi, in his Jesuitic style of dealing with a problem, ignored the fact that Joe Borg was an effective ambassador for Malta and a very competent Commissioner. He did more. He was willing to lose the services of John Dalli as minister to literally get him out of the way. It is a shameful chapter for someone who presents himself as a political leader with a new style.
This is not the first time he has done such a thing. When he came to choose the President, he went for George Abela, irrespective of the fact that Abela may not have it to be President. Some may disagree, but we could have done with someone with more persona and a better delivery.
His new challenge will be the replacement for John Dalli. With Dalli out of the way, the absolute control of Mater Dei and health policy by his personal assistant Edgar Galea Curmi will be supreme. The chaos brought about by the appeasement of the resident unions at Mater Dei, accommodating the interests of doctors, and the proliferation of direct contracts to private companies will not diminish but probably increase and with that, the disaster.
More importantly, the exit of Dalli from the scene will leave the backbenchers without someone to lead. They looked at Dalli as a reference point. But Dalli took the bait and Gonzi is relishing the moment.
Not that it counted for much. Unlike Mintoff who was willing to take on Sant single-handedly, none of them have the proverbial ‘balls’ to take on Gonzi.
More significantly few have the self-respect to decide when to leave politics and resign. Power and money remain too important for most of them.
With a one-seat majority, many would have thought this possible. But then many do not realise how petrified most Nationalists are in being removed from the ‘networks’ or for being ostracised.
Speaking to me, many backbenchers are scared at being taken apart by the janissaries inside the Office of the Prime Minister. They point to Where’s Everybody and The Times, and of course the blogger from Bidnija. They speak openly about Edgar Galea Curmi as being a control freak and have no kind words for Gonzi. And yet when it comes to the crunch they retreat and do nothing. They make their calculations and when they add up they see that it makes less sense to depart or confront.
In this scenario, the Niccolò Machiavelli award must go to Gonzi. No one beats him for scheming.
Cabinet ministers on the other hand talk of a Cabinet that is badly managed and of a Prime Minister who lacks the aura of a leader. Nonetheless we should not be fooled – leaders are not what you or I make them out to be.
Gonzi has without any doubt managed to invest in power by juggling with people in position. He has also managed to divert public attention from the most damaging accusations by being an excellent communicator and a superb salesman. Many of the accusations are in fact not allegations but fact: the contracts at Mater Dei involving millions of euros in direct orders, the Tonio Fenech episode, and the Enemalta extension. The latter is an indictment on Austin Gatt, who continues to defend the indefensible, in the light of evidence that the decision should not have been taken for ethical, environmental and commercial reasons!
Wonder why?
But troubles for the poor PM are not over. With the possible election of Louis Galea in a by-election, he should know that if he is thinking of selecting him as minister, he must not forget what skeletons Louis Galea has in his wardrobe. Perhaps some reminding would not be amiss. Apart from the auxiliary workers’ scheme and FTS scandals, he is about to enter a mire of problems with the ex-ministers in the backbench who will be shocked when a non-elected ex-Minister is reappointed to Cabinet.
Exciting times ahead, Yippee!
Congratulations and celebrations From the bottom of my heart, I would like to congratulate Joseph Muscat for rudely arriving late for a meeting with King Juan Carlos of Spain. And a big embrace to Charmaine Gerada, one of the most caring and loving characters at the Office of the Prime Minister for having been awarded ‘the Encomienda of the Order of Isabel la Cattolica’ from the Spanish king. It is so heartening to see this former rabid Labourite from Senglea, who saw the light and joined Lawrence Gonzi’s dream parade, was recognised by King Juan Carlos. Well kings nowadays have nothing better to do, and instead of colonising new lands or slaughtering Aztecs, the modern and lovable Spanish king who saved democracy in Spain prefers to dish out medals to insignificant people. I am dying to see how the garish medal sticks out on her bosom. I am sure it is quite a sight!
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