“I don’t know the details and will not comment,” a visibly irate Chris Fearne replied when asked about his view on the Christmas in the City initiative.

The initiative had been launched that morning by fellow members of cabinet Julia Farrugia Portelli and Jose Herrera, accompanied by Jason Micallef, the executive chairman of One Productions, the Labour Party media group.

They presented their month-long activity programme intended, in the words of Farrugia Portelli, to keep the Christmas spirit and the capital city alive.

Micallef chimed in: “COVID-19 will not kill Christmas.” To keep Valletta alive they proposed free parking on Black Friday and from December 8 until the end of the year. No doubt, the objective was to encourage as many people as possible to go to Valletta on those days.

But, just a day earlier, Fearne had warned that COVID-19 cases are “likely to increase and increase significantly”. He was categorical: “Christmas is coming. Unfortunately, we need to limit gatherings this year.”

No wonder he was livid with the launch.

Fearne is the minister of health. But he is also the deputy prime minister. By his own admission, he was not aware of the “details” of a national launch of an initiative intended to contradict his guidance to the country. He probably had no clue the launch was happening at all.

Amid the uncertainty and anxiety of the pandemic there is no easy policy decision. The intersecting social, economic and political pressures are amplified and the ideals of evidence-based policy and intervention are much messier and complex now.

But it is even more crucial at this stage that all decisions and initiatives are taken after thorough discussion with all stakeholders including the various ministries, most importantly, the health minister. Dialogue and consultation within cabinet and clear communication with the public are essential. Building the public’s trust in the competence of our government secures effective implementation of government policies.

At a time when true leadership is life-saving, we are regaled with the absurd circus of Farrugia Portelli and Micallef refusing to accept reality and fuelling the fire of a new virus which is wrecking our health service.

What Christmas in the City has starkly revealed is a fragmented, dysfunctional government at a time of national emergency. How can an initiative that openly threatens the very basis of mitigation and prevention measures and undermine the message of caution to the public not be discussed in all its details with the health ministry before its launch?

The real reason behind this is Robert Abela.

The only adult in cabinet is clearly being excluded and kept in the dark. For the simple reason that his trust ratings eclipse those of the prime minister. The petty squabbling and personal egos are devastating efforts to contain the virus for the benefit of both the health and economy of the nation.

By undermining Chris Fearne, they secure their future in Abela’s cabinet- Kevin Cassar

Abela’s persistent denial of the real and present threat of the virus belies a worrying ignorance not only of the damage already done to our health service but also of the complexity of policymaking.

It demonstrates his inability to rise above his bruised ego and utilise the expertise of his deputy and the experts in his ministry for the good of the nation.

The bizarre statement that he does not want “messages of gloom and doom” reflects a complete detachment from the reality which those working in healthcare face daily.

His failure to lead a cohesive cabinet that delivers a unified strategy with a single message is nothing short of failed political leadership. Instead of honesty and clarity, we face confusion and chaos. In a pandemic, the price for that is paid in human lives.

Those like Farrugia Portelli and Micallef who appear to be oblivious to the risks cannot be allowed to dictate or be trusted to launch initiatives which damage the national effort without as much as sharing details with their own deputy prime minister.

The uncertainties around COVID are not a carte blanche for the anti-science and anti-intellectualism of the tourism minister. Without her earlier initiatives to promote Malta as a safe haven for mega parties, we would never have been in the unenviable position we now find ourselves in.

Keeping the details of the Christmas initiative secret from their health minister is really a statement of loyalty towards Abela and his botched response to the pandemic. It is a way of glorifying the prime minister and taking a clear stand on the side of Abela – a critical move when a cabinet reshuffle is imminent.

By promoting Abela’s message that all is well, all is under control, COVID will not ruin our summer, COVID will not kill Christmas, they are really ingratiating themselves with the man who holds their ministerial post in his hands.

By undermining the deputy prime minister, they secure their future in Abela’s cabinet.

A prime minister who fosters such fragmentation of his own cabinet is an ever-present risk.

A prime minister who allows those with a track record of abysmal misjudgement not only to remain in cabinet but to launch damaging initiatives without consultation in cabinet has lost control.

A prime minister who declares that his personal conscience and his individual flawed judgement alone can navigate the country through such treacherous waters is worryingly naive.

Getting decisions wrong is bearable when the motivation is genuine. When those wrong decisions are driven by self-promotion and petty internal squabbles, it is shameful. The stakes could not be higher.

Kevin Cassar is a professor of surgery and former PN candidate.