As the leading newspaper in Malta, backed by strong advertising revenue, surely The Times should show a bit less partiality for the government and defend the consumer, who pays for that advertising, a little bit better. Even in its reporting this newspaper shows a marked bias, sometimes strongly, sometimes weakly, for the government.
For instance, in its unsigned page one story Utility Rates Will Go Down, Gonzi Says, (January 25) it is reported that "on past government declarations, the move is to be expected". "The move" referred to is a reduction in the prices consumers pay for electricity and water.
What kind of reporting is this? your own story, after saying that a price reduction is to be expected, from what the government has said, then goes on to actually contradict this thinking, by referring to the promises made by macho minister Austin Gatt, none of which he has kept. The minister is discredited by his very own words yet this newspaper says that from past government declarations, the move is to be expected. I would say that from past government declarations, the government is not to be believed.
The report also says that this was the first time the Prime Minister "made a concrete commitment" that the prices will dicrease. Apart from the government's "concrete", very often turning out to be just mud, how weak it is of The Times to find nothing wrong in that - the exorbitant utility tariffs we are paying now were set when the price of oil was at close to $150 a barrel, the price of oil is now at well under $50 a barrel, and has been so for weeks and weeks. Yet The Times does not criticise Lawrence Gonzi for the exorbitant tariffs he has set. Not even for the tardiness in saying that prices will come down.
The Times accepts everything the government dishes out. Such as reporting without comment the Prime Minister's claim of Malta having faced the challenges "through prudent decision-making". The only prudence we have seen, if it can be called that, is the government's ruthlessness in imposing ever-higher taxes, to improve its revenue. Otherwise extravagance remains on the board, recalling Minister Austin Gatt's purchase of a gas-guzzling Jaguar, out of our tax money.
As for Dr Gonzi's criticism of the Labour Party for its anti-EU membership stand, which the PL has now gone back on, by, to its credit, accepting EU membership, the Prime Minister, and Malta, should be thankful for the PL's strong "anti" stand. That strong stand contributed to the EU's loosening of its purse strings, just a very little, for Malta, while the membership talks were on. Malta's negotiators, as everyone today knows, did not achieve anything much. Though today they are the ones who are enjoying privileged positions.
Editorial note: The Times strongly rejects the accusation of "accepting everything the government dishes out", as amply borne out in its recent reports and editorials on the subject of utility rates. As for expecting the rates to go down, this statement has now been vindicated by Enemalta's declaration that it is working on a revision of the tariffs.