On top of an inundation of incompetence and corruption that is suffocating Malta, we now also must contend with Labour’s unrestrained abuse of language that negates and nullifies meaning and logic.
All members of the Labour leadership distort language, they describe as white what is black, and right what is manifestly wrong.
These so-called politicians relentlessly keep at it feeding and confusing that vast unquestioning tribal sector of their electorate with a barrage of lies and nonsense language. They have succeeded in downgrading these Labour supporters to the level of the sheep in Orwell’s Animal Farm.
Instances of use of this abusive language are many and varied and are not restricted to manipulated news broadcasts. Spokespersons of ministries and State institutions indulge in this activity full-time. The releases and statements of this Labour administration are crafted intentionally to confuse, evade and hide.
In public procurement, corrupt direct orders appear to be the rule and not the exception.
Meanwhile the term ‘direct order’ does not feature in Labour’s vocabulary. There is no admission nor denial of the thieving practice; Labour just ignores and, in your face, just carries on.
Under Labour, the Planning Authority, governed by rules and regulations that deliberately feature more holes than a kitchen sieve, has become an institution expert at Labour doublespeak. The start is invariably a decision to grant an inadmissible permit. This is followed by a carefully worded justification peppered with contradictory technical and aesthetic jargon.
An indecent multi-floor development permit is going to aggravate an already crowded ambience and increase an already serious parking problem. The authority duly imposes an obligation on the applicant to provide 30 parking spaces. As the spaces absolutely cannot be provided, the authority drops the requirement and solves the issue by obliging the applicant to pay a monetary penalty.
They have succeeded in downgrading Labour supporters to the level of the sheep in Orwell’s Animal Farm
We are so invited to accept this as a correct, legal and logical decision. Problem solved and citizens must lump this insult. The Planning Authority gives the impression of being quite adaptable to being exploited and act as a cash cow to a corrupt political party. Its miracle rules, regulations and procedures seem to allow it to ignore and defy even our duly constituted law courts as they declare particular permits illegal and annulled.
An evident lack of rule of law and an extensive practice of selective impunity are carefully downplayed. To be fair, we do, however, occasionally witness instances of respect for rule of law and enforcement. Recently a pastizzi shop was caught selling probably dozens of pastizzi without issuing VAT receipts. The transgressors were given a € 3,000 fine.
Justified complaints when electricity outages occur are met with technical explanations that do not add up. At one point, we witnessed an attempt to put the anger of ‘ungrateful’ householders to shame by showering with praise the poor dedicated workers struggling in the heat to restore power.
Citizen complaints need to be neutralised. The minister responsible for energy attacks the opposition for instigating unjustified panic but never an admission of a disastrous lack of planning and infrastructure investment.
Nonsense language is often practised by Prime Minister Robert Abela. I was disturbed when I heard him arguing incoherently about a “stepping aside”, at full salary, of indicted Central Bank of Malta governor Edward Scicluna.
According to our prime minister, in stepping aside, at full salary for as long as it takes, Scicluna increased his level of integrity and behaved according to standards higher than those expected of him. It is awful that a prime minister should utter such off-the-mark nonsense.
No doubt, Labour fully understands the power of words as they record the version and meaning of events for posterity. I recall way back a particular minister making an appeal so that we desist from referring to Daphne Caruana Galizia’s death as an assassination. The term was too harsh on his ears. Perhaps mention of just passing away did sound better, to better forget.
This tragically absurd and destructive Labour government never stops alienating citizens. With trepidation we constantly wait for the next fraudulent scandal, the next crisis.
Malta is not just contending with a material and environmental degeneration but, more menacingly, also with a hard to repair moral and ethical degradation.
Labour must not be allowed to irrevocably relegate Malta to a third world country status.
Arthur Muscat is a human resources and industrial relations specialist.