Current events have shown the shamelessness and/or stupidity of some of our leading politicians. The most obvious is, of course, the political immaturity of Robert Abela. His predecessor, the disgraced Joseph Muscat, was a sly fox who had the gift of the gab, and thanks to this, gave out handfuls to his followers, making them believe that he was giving them bushels. Meanwhile, the expensive holidays he has been taking – even if partly sponsored – the clothes his family wears, would suggest that he has hoarded impressive sums for himself, and not simply from hiring his car out to the government at €7,000 a year.
Abela needs to realise that Maltese citizens can think for themselves and are not easily fooled. His yacht is impressive. So are the ridiculous comments he has been making, foremost of which is his claim that the COVID-19 cases that have been diagnosed are “mild.”
This Trump-like statement does not make sense from many points of view. Firstly, Abela should start listening to doctors and healthcare professionals – the front-liners. I am not in a position to know the opinion of his health minister, the one from whom he snatched the leadership of the country, but I hope that Chris Fearne is not following the current trend of putting his ministerial position before the common good.
Secondly, Abela should understand that COVID-19 is a contagious disease, and the safety of a country depends on how much this contagion can be controlled. This includes looking out for the well-being of all medical staff.
Even if a person is ‘mildly’ affected, s/he does not live in a vacuum, and can spread it to relatives, friends or strangers who can be affected less ‘mildly’.
If they are old or fragile, COVID-19 can even cause their death. Up to today, the approximate figure of persons who have died in the world from COVID are 740,000 and the pandemic is still raging.
Malta managed to control its figures because of the wisdom of doctors who reasoned as doctors and did their utmost to save people’s lives, and not because of politicians who put revenue and their political interests before the people.
If people get ill, there is no revenue anyway, and the government will have to go to its dwindling coffers to pay for these persons’ illness.
Moreover, the side effects of this contagious disease are proving to be very alarming – the British Medical Association has described them as “profound” and has stated that “COVID-19 patients can suffer long lasting symptoms, irrespective of the severity of the initial infection.” Among these, what is already being experienced are serious long-term respiratory illnesses, chronic fatigue, strokes – all of which will weigh heavy on the state’s health budget.
I hope that Chris Fearne is not following the current trend of putting his ministerial position before the common good- Vicki Ann Cremona
Abela’s initiative “to see for himself” before returning to his yacht and his holiday was noteworthy, but nowhere near enough. I hope that what he saw has made him stop and think, seek proper professional advice and change tack.
Certainly, the comments made by Julia Farrugia Portelli in her inane interview to the BBC about Malta being “totally geared up” have proved totally untrue. Are you “geared up” for the mess you have made by getting Malta listed as one of the countries not to visit, Farrugia Portelli? Why didn’t you stop and think, and listen to the wise advice that was being given to you?
We are now in a worse mess than before, thanks to the silly policies adopted with regard to cheap, mass tourism rather than advertising Malta as a safe place, with low COVID-19 rates, and try and attract the better tourists, and not mainly packs of low-income students.
I had enormous respect for Edward Scicluna, who was an able colleague at the University of Malta, and was one of the most competent economists in this country. Like many others, I was shocked by his brazenness in court and the justification he provided for his silence and collusion with regard to disgraced Joseph Muscat’s corruption.
Scicluna had the gall to affirm that had he stood up for Malta’s interests and spoken up against Konrad Mizzi, he would have had to resign, but that this did not seem fair after he had left a comfortable job in Brussels.
So, at 73, and a lifetime career behind you, a paycheck is definitely more important than your country’s interests, and that of your voters who put you there, Prof. Scicluna?
Don’t you realise that it is your sacrosanct duty to defend the interests of the citizens you are supposed to be representing? You may have lost money, but would have certainly won something that is not translatable into money: nationwide respect, probably respect that went far beyond our shores.
As it is, your answer was beyond shameful. It showed the weakness of the cabinet you form part of that is unable to stand up to the brazenness of a ‘kitchen cabinet’ or the thoughtlessness of the current one.
More importantly, you and your colleague, Foreign Minister Evarist Bartolo, have shown to many of us that you do not have what it takes to stand up and be counted when it is vital to firmly say ‘No’ to corruption.
Given this disgraceful situation, no wonder the free press and civil society have had to step in and remind everyone what national values are all about!
Vicki Ann Cremona is president of Repubblika.