The State broadcaster (PBS) and the Broadcasting Authority (BA) have often made it their mission to broadcast their master’s voice and ignore those voices of dissent and criticism of the government. This attitude insults those citizens who expect balanced reporting and analysis by media operators financed by their taxes.

It is clear that the government has complete control of how PBS manages its news content. Let’s be honest: PBS has served the government of the day for several years. The Labour government has simply upped the propaganda content by becoming a notice board for the Labour administration, ministers’ speeches. Comments are given prominence irrespective of any news value and investigative journalism at PBS is non-existent. 

It also has the deciding factor on the media regulator, the BA, which often fails to show commitment to respect its constitutional obligation to ensure impartiality in the media. 

Earlier this year, the Constitutional Court confirmed that the Nationalist Party’s rights were breached by TVM and the BA when they both failed to act effectively on the opposition’s complaint regarding the failure to cover their critical views of the Marsa flyover project. 

The PN is again suing PBS and the BA, claiming that its incessant censorship and failure to fulfil their constitutional obligations is breaching their party’s fundamental rights. The government keeps using its power of incumbency to silence dissenting voices.

The government is committed to the winner-take-all principle by treating almost half of the population as not entitled to the same democratic rights as the rest. 

Tribal politics underpinned by cronyism, clientelism and nepotism have been practised for too long. Former prime minister Joseph Muscat’s soundbite before the 2013 election that ‘Malta belongs to us all’ captured the popular imagination of many who hoped it was time to banish feudal politics. Sadly, it was just a hollow gimmick that confirmed the moral bankruptcy of those who promised unity only to promote more divisive political practices.

Labour’s reaction to the PN’s complaint about impartiality was, at best, bizarre. 

The PL’s spin doctors argued that PN leader Bernard Grech was finding ways to make up for the people’s mistrust by resorting to “bullying” on the national television station and the BA, where he had someone representing him. They added: “This is what the establishment does: bullying the institutions.” 

"The PN is again suing PBS and the BA, claiming that its incessant censorship and failure to fulfil their constitutional obligations is breaching their party’s fundamental rights. The government keeps using its power of incumbency to silence dissenting voices"

The PL’s donning the anti-establishment mantle is grotesque. The party has been in government for a decade during which they hardwired partisan tactics in the country’s governance structure. They leave almost half of the population feeling disenfranchised because they do not openly support them. Their brazen control of the State media is just one method the government uses to silence those who disagree with its way of managing the country.

One can only hope that the voices of political sanity in the government’s ranks prevail to promote the changes needed to ensure that all citizens are guaranteed their fundamental democratic rights at all times.

The country needs a united front to address the daunting challenges ahead, even if the government fails to acknowledge that painful structural changes are necessary.

Trying to feed the people propaganda will do little to eradicate the changes that need to be carried out. 

Electoral success does not give a winning party the right to trample on the rights of the opposition. One of these fundamental rights is to have a balanced and impartial reporting of current affairs by the State media and regulators financed by taxpayers’ money.