A month ago, TVM’s Reno Buġeja broke the news that disgraced former prime minister Joseph Muscat, who until 11 months ago was reported by media outlets under his control as having almost been elected president of the European Commission, is now offering economic advice.
Our national broadcaster informed us that an Office of Joseph Muscat exists. A few days later we saw photos of the disgraced politician coming out of Auberge de Castille following a meeting with his successor and former legal consultant Robert Abela.
More recently we got to know that the disgraced former prime minister became a member, or “friend”, of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, an Azerbaijani government-funded political think tank and lobby group.
The fact is that Muscat was forced out of office in disgrace. His resignation was prompted by shocking revelations in the criminal court showing a connection between his office and the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, as well as daily mass protests held by civil society. Not to mention that he was named the ‘2019 Man of the Year in Organised Crime and Corruption’ by anti-graft investigative outlet OCCRP.
Following his resignation in disgrace, Muscat told us he had great plans in the area of sports and civil rights. It is evident that none of this materialised. Four months after his resignation, he is forced, once more, to face reality. No decent institution wants to have anything to do with him. His record is forever tainted.
But Muscat is not the type of person to give up. He is now desperately seeking to launder his reputation, because effectively, his major problem is his reputation. In this impossible task, he only managed to find two allies: Malta’s prime minister Robert Abela and the Azeri regime.
It is a known secret that Joseph Muscat and people very close to him helped Robert Abela win the Labour Party leadership race- Robert Aquilina
I expect my prime minister to openly distance himself from a disgraced former prime minister who tarnished the country’s reputation in such a harmful manner and under whose leadership the country’s executive power had a close relationship with the alleged murderers of a journalist. But is Abela politically free to do so?
It is a known secret that Muscat and people very close to him helped Abela win the Labour Party leadership race. Few people realised this was happening during the campaign. It is now evident that Muscat saw an opportunity in Abela’s sense of ambition. What better opportunity could there have been for Muscat to recycle his political power than to push forward his legal consultant to become his successor?
He knew Abela would not resist the temptation of succeeding him. But at what cost, especially for us citizens?
We find ourselves having a prime minister who does not have the right drive, nor is he in the political position, to do what’s required of him to effectively re-establish the rule of law in Malta.
Let us not forget that the impunity that prevailed during Muscat’s term in office still exists today. Keith Schembri, Konrad Mizzi and Muscat are still free to travel the world.
Those who are entrusted with effectively investigating the alleged wrongdoings of these individuals, and to take all necessary legal steps in their regard, are still failing us.
Having a new prime minister did not change any of this. Rather, Abela is part of the problem.
It may actually be surmised whether Abela’s proximity to Muscat will, in effect, solve the disgraced former prime minister’s problems; in contrast, it will definitely make the new prime minister’s life much more problematic.
Muscat should not be allowed, let alone helped, to re-write history.
He should be labelled for what he is: this country’s disgraced former prime minister.
Robert Aquilina is president-elect of Repubblika.