Robert Abela caves in

After months and months of badgering Robert Abela, Helena Dalli has finally been placated. It’s not quite what she wanted. It’s only a minor consolation prize that Abela has rewarded her with – but it might just be enough to silence the vitriolic accusations being levelled at party officials by Helena’s husband, the notoriously erratic loose cannon, Patrick.

Helena’s son Luke, has also been appeased with a new CEO position at Arts Council Malta. He too turned against Abela, quitting ONE after 14 years of hosting shows on Labour’s media. Like his father, he was damaging Labour with his accusations levelled at the party. Abela couldn’t take the pressure – and he simply gave in.

The problem is that Abela is using constitutional roles as petty rewards for disgruntled former Labour cabinet ministers and party loyalists. Abela cannot distinguish between his role as prime minister of the country from that of leader of a political party. He uses his powers as prime minister to tackle the petty political squabbling triggered by his uncontrollably ambitious party bigwigs and their close family.

The prime minister is meant to consult with the opposition leader before nominating the acting president. There is a gentleman’s agreement that, while the president hails from the ruling party, the acting president is picked by the opposition. That’s exactly why Francis Zammit Dimech was acting president. Yet, Abela seized on his demise to quell the seething anger of Dalli, her husband and her son.

Abela saw Zammit Dimech’s death as a brilliant opportunity to silence the loud attacks lobbied at him from the Dalli family.

Abela didn’t think twice about breaking that gentleman’s agreement. He didn’t bother to consult with the leader of the opposition. He simply decided he’s going to appoint Dalli and did just that. The news was first leaked to the media. News that Dalli was being appointed acting president circulated. That’s how Bernard Grech found out about Abela’s cynical move. He received the letter from the prime minister informing him that he was going to appoint Dalli only after the news was all over the media.

Immediately after, the Labour government issued a devious statement claiming that Abela had appointed Dalli “according to law and in consultation with the leader of the opposition”.

The man’s shamelessness knows no bounds.

Grech vociferously denied Abela’s false claim. He confirmed that he had received the prime minister’s letter after Times of Malta had reported the news. He insisted that the letter was “not to consult me, simply to inform me”. “At no point did he (Abela) consult me or the opposition,” Grech wrote.

Grech’s PN commented that “just as there was agreement on the appointment of the president, there should also be consensus on the appointment of the acting president by honouring the agreement between the prime minister and the leader of the opposition”. That’s what should happen. That’s what decent people who understand the weight of their office do. Not Abela. And not Labour.

In a vicious statement, the Labour Party commented: “It is unfortunate that even on the appointment of a person (Helena Dalli) who has done nothing but good for our country, the PN knows no other way but to be destructive.” In Labour’s trademark ONE puerility, they added “the Nationalist Party has never forgiven Helena Dalli for being a pioneer in the introduction of civil rights in our country”.

Robert Abela cannot distinguish between his role as prime minister of the country from that of leader of a political party- Kevin Cassar

“Helena Dalli,” the Labour Party statement insisted, “is worthy for the role.” So, Dalli is worthy of the role of acting president but was deemed wholly unfit for the role of presi­dent by their own leader Abela. She was deemed utterly unsuitable for a second stint as European commissioner, just a few months ago, despite being such an amazing pioneer of civil rights. That doesn’t make any sense. What’s changed since then?

Abela has been put under increasing pressure by the Dalli family. Upset at being snubbed so humiliatingly by Abela, the Dallis were out for his blood. “Soon you will know about the manoeuvres in the appointment of the president by two high-ranking Labour officials to harm Helena’s credibility… It was a fascist attack on a woman who dedicated her life to the Labour Party and the Maltese people,” Helena’s husband commented publicly.

Helena herself didn’t hold back. “I have the necessary experience of a life in politics to know where such baseless reports originate and what their objective is,” she threatened on social media.

On live national TV during the inauguration of President Myriam Spiteri Debono, Dalli didn’t have the basic decency to behave. On a day when the new president of the nation was taking her oath of office, Dalli was moaning about being overlooked for the post  and engaging in partisan attacks.

“A small nucleus of people within the PN excluded certain people (herself) for very unfair reasons – there was a lot of unfair commentary about many serious people who gave their lives to the country, to politics and the people,” Dalli complained.

In a measure of the self-obsession of the woman, instead of speaking about the new presi­dent, she kept reminding the nation how great she was and how far more deserving she was than Spiteri Debono for the role. “I was the person who first invited the Venice Commission to Malta. I was drafting an equality law. I wanted them to see what we were doing. We worked a great deal,” she droned on.

No wonder Abela just caved in! God only knows what hell she and the rest of her family put Abela through, all these months, so she could get what she felt so entitled to. Besides, there’s a general election around the corner. Abela cannot afford to have those sorts of self-serving egomaniacal political beasts working against him. He needs all of them onside. He’s even drafted the tiresome Neville Gafà as the Labour Party’s ‘new weapon’ in Gozo. That smacks of real desperation! Who’s next? Konrad Mizzi? Or maybe Keith Schembri?!

Kevin Cassar is a professor of surgery.