Saviour Balzan | Sunday, 27 December 2009

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But why?

The other day, for my sanity, I sat down with two friends who are not Maltese and who work here in rather responsible and high positions. Unlike the majority of Maltese they do not depend on the ‘network’ to move on. So in a way, they are privileged.
Nonetheless, it is refreshing to talk to people who can look at things objectively. The reason we became friends is because of this newspaper. It did not take them long to understand that the established English-language newspapers had a very distinct slant. I am of course referring to The Times and The Independent.
We met by accident and since then built a friendship. Sitting down with them, I could not get the smirk off my face. “Will this government last till Easter?” one asked.
“Of course it will, none of the backbenchers have the courage to cross the floor and Gonzi has too strong a hold on the party machinery,” I replied.
As we drank a stupendous, dry Sicilian wine with a honey colour from the Trapani area, I was reminded about Tonio Fenech. “How can he stay on as minister? In my country he would have resigned and the Prime Minister would never have stood up for him. But what is more surprising is that the story just blows away as if nothing happened. Does this always happen here?” the other one queried.
“I think you have to appreciate three things,” I said as I looked at the wonderful stuffed ravioli, filled with artichoke and mushroom in a butter sauce, waiting for me. “The first is that the Prime Minister cannot do away with Fenech – he is his right hand man. Together with Pullicino and Austin Gatt, Fenech represents the triumvirate in the government structure.
“The second is that Fenech would had have little chance to survive if the rest of the press decided to follow the story. But The Times, The Independent and most importantly State TV are so pro-government that a story simply disappears or dies a natural death.
“And thirdly, none of the backbenchers or dissidents decided to take Fenech head-on. Dalli was the only one who could have done such a thing, but he is a calculating man and he does not like to take chances.”
“Is State TV so controlled?” I was asked.
“Well, let us say it is dominated by individuals and companies who have a very clear bias towards the government. Television is very influential and all the discussion programmes are dominated by the same media company.”
I literally gorged the first plate, but as I was about to tackle the last ravioli I was interrupted. “Tell me, this Fenech, does he know what he is doing? How can he not understand that the water and electricity tariffs are mad? It goes against the trend. And why did they have to hedge at such a high price?”
“Well, it is not Fenech who is behind the tariffs but Austin Gatt, and I would blame the Prime Minister for accepting the rationale behind this price hike. It just goes to show how detached he is from reality. If this country had real unions and budding leaders there would be people in the streets, but the unions today exist to keep their officials in a cosy place with a good salary.”
They laughed. “Yes, I know it is so easy to buy industrial peace here.”
And he went on: “There is too much political interference here. I always asked myself why all my management staff was Nationalist, not Labourite, and then I realised that my predecessor was very close to the administration.”
The chef, acting as waiter, approached the table and we stopped talking. “Tajjeb kien, Sur Balzan?”
“Hafna tajjeb.”
He picked up the plates and as he left I resumed. “This is a very nepotistic society. When the Labourites were in power over 22 years ago, it was very much like that. But today in 2009, it is unthinkable that this system of patronage continues. And this dependence on the political party to advance your career puts the party in government in a very powerful position and people, a lot of people, owe it… in terms of votes.”
They looked on as the second plates arrived, an assortment of fish, mussels and grilled calamari. One of the foreign friends paused and then quipped. “You see, you realise how gullible people are when you see these statements about Smart City. The whole world press is reporting about the crash in Dubai and here the newspapers publish prominently the news that all is on track with Smart City. And what can you say about Austin Gatt?”
I dragged some mussels onto to my plate, and some red sauce landed on my tie. “Typical! Well, Austin Gatt is a doer, and a bulldozer – but I think he has made some grave misjudgements. His decision to hedge at a high price was a grave mistake, and his decision to pass on this mistake to the consumer and businesses will cost him his reputation. And his handling of the Enemalta tender raises questions about why he allowed this to happen. Otherwise, without him Gonzi is simply in no position to act.”
I was asked about the future for Gonzi.
“He is resilient and a first-class schemer. You can accuse him of not taking decisions, but he uses people and disposes of them so easily. He appoints people based on the political mileage it will give him. He is only interested in his power base, which he has strengthened.
“So he appointed George Abela to weaken Muscat and keep Louis Galea at bay. And now he appoints John Dalli to get rid of him. He has a faithful group of loyal captains who are ruthless, and who leak and spin information in a very effective way. I think he is a master power-monger.
“And I very much doubt he will be challenged now. The last year before the election they will dish out freebies and goodies to the electorate and you know how people are: they have short memories. And all those disgruntled Nationalists will simply return to the fold.”
The grilled calamari drenched in lemon and olive oil and some red chillies were simply to die for. “So what about Joseph Muscat?”
“He is obviously in a much better position than Alfred Sant. If he cannot win, who can? But he does not have the forcefulness of a ‘statesman’. What he does have are three more years to go, and you win an election by only one vote here. He too has many internal problems but I think that he is underestimated by his opponents. You see… he thinks like a Nationalist, he waits, minces his words, is patient and avoids confrontation. The Nationalist party thrives on having opponents who oppose and who confront. But then again, a day in politics can change everything, it is still too early to say.
“But how about enjoying our meal and sod politics for a moment. Can you pass those Maltese shrimps… they look delicious.”

Santa has the ‘flu
Santa is down with ‘flu, so he has had to land unexpectedly in the Tuscan hills and rest in Arezzo. The Reindeer are secretively jubilant about Santa’s sudden ill-health. Santa intends to continue with his journey down to Malta and distribute his presents to those eight special individuals. So look out for more in MaltaToday’s Wednesday edition.

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