Two weights, two measures, PN?

The most recent public opinion survey commissioned by the sister paper, The Sunday Times of Malta (November 28), was a repetition of other similar surveys commissioned by other newspapers and which have been published ever since Lawrence Gonzi had been unceremoniously booted out of government in 2013.

Neither Simon Busuttil nor Adrian Delia had managed to stem the tide against the PN.

After suffering a humiliating electoral defeat in 2017, Busuttil had willingly stepped down to make way for a new leader.

His successor, Delia, was not even given the chance to contest a general election as PN and opposition leader.

A faction within the PN’s parliamentary group, considered to be still loyal to Busuttil, who had tried to undermine the election of Delia by publicly suggesting the latter should not have contested the PN leadership election, had used Delia’s very negative public opinion survey results, to embark on a vicious campaign among PN members in order to oust Delia from the leadership of the party.

 Their first attempt, to replace Delia by Therese Comodini Cachia, came to naught when President George Vella refused to play ball.

So they then turned on Bernard Grech, even if Grech had already been exposed as a VAT and tax dodger for 12 years and paid his tax dues to be able to contest the party leadership, knowing he had the backing of those so-called “blue heroes”.

Unfortunately for the PN and those “blue heroes”, Grech’s election as PN leader has failed to turn the tide for the PN. One survey after another, commissioned by three different newspapers, have continued to show similar disastrous results as those obtained by Delia.

So the question many are asking – including thousands of PN voters – is whether those same “blue heroes” will also ask Grech to step  down now  so that the PN may find a new leader to face the PL when the prime minister calls the election, most probably around May 2022.

Eddy Privitera – Mosta

Redefining ‘social mobility’

Photo: Shutterstock.com

As a student of politics, I was fascinated when, in 2017, the then leader of the Malta Labour Party, Joseph Muscat, added ‘social mobility’ to the party’s erstwhile guiding principles of ‘social justice’, ‘equality’ and ‘national unity’.

In fact, thanks to the Malta Individual Investor Programme, introduced in 2014, Muscat succeeded in attracting to Malta wealthy, newly created citizens from obscure backgrounds as well as the lavish proceeds generated by several expatriate, financial services and online gaming companies. The resulting wealth successfully boosted the ‘social mobility’ of privileged local personalities, of secretive bank accounts and of unrepentant consciences.

Not to be outdone, our current prime minister, Robert Abela, now plans to legitimise the cultivation and consumption of restricted quantities of mind-altering cannabis – “strictly for responsible personal use”.

Abela is so convinced about his own good intentions that he has ruled out a free, conscience-based vote within his own government’s ‘united’ parliamentary group.

After all, thanks to this new legislation, Abela is raising his predecessor’s earlier principle of ‘social mobility’ to a new convivial high – ‘social volatility’!

Mark Miceli-Farrugia – Ta’ Xbiex

The truth about Gozo

Revel Barker’s recent article ‘Yes, I remember Gozo’ (November 22) is to be applauded.

It is the most perspicacious, hard-hitting criticism I’ve ever encountered of how Gozo is being ruined as a holiday destination.

He mentions that the Maltese have ruined Gozo with flats that don’t sell, ignored what little they appreciated of their built heritage, blocked everybody’s priceless sea view and, in the last three years, we’ve hardly been able to move for tower cranes and Maltese traffic. 

If fewer people come to Gozo next year, it will be because they came this year… and didn’t see anything about Gozo that was different from anywhere else.

Peter John Sutton – Xagħra