Usually with something more than a passing smile or snort, we look on in horror at how various politicians suggest ways of dealing with COVID-19.  We openly and rightly scoff at the ridiculous but dangerous nonsense of Lukashenka in Belarus (‘vodka’), Trump in the US (‘bleach’), Bolsonaro in Brazil (‘ignore it’) or Magafuli in Tanzania (the virus is ‘satanic’, pray to God).

Routinely, health professionals and epidemiologists are pushed aside as politicians demand the limelight and seek to appear ‘decisive’, ‘strong’, ‘in control’ in possession of superior knowledge and, of course, a plan.

Malta has been very lucky and has, by any standard, coped well with the virus.  Considerable credit for this must be given to the country’s medical professionals and staff who, to a woman and man, have done an excellent job.  We owe them a considerable debt of gratitude – thank you!

It was in this context that with not a little incredulity I listened to the Prime Minister initially and directly call for an amnesty for those who broke the health restrictions and rules.  Following an immediate negative response from many sectors of Maltese society, he furiously back peddled, arguing that he had never called for such an amnesty and pathetically blamed the media for misrepresenting him (they had not).

But the damage had been done and was compounded by his ongoing suggestion that some (maybe many?) of those fined should be able apply for a refund!

(Note: potential memo to MTA for a new post COVID-19 slogan ‘Come to Malta, bend or break the rules, get fined, apply for a refund).

I initially assumed the report was in some way incomplete, or possibly a parody of the weekly ‘Sunday’ sermon to the faithful.  At precisely the same time, we learned that many Floriana FC fans were to be fined for breaking these very same rules.  Were their antics to be covered by the prime minister’s maybe amnesty and maybe refund? 

Can you imagine the reactions of those fans at being fined, knowing that this was not serious at any real level and that they might even get a refund if perchance a fine arrived in the post?

‘Officer, you don’t happen to have a copy of the refund application form on you?  It will save me time and effort dealing with the process and it will cut down on expensive bureaucracy in these difficult times when we are pinned to our collars dealing with this pandemic.’

Any conscientious police officer would know instantly that his/her authority simply didn’t exist.  The net result of any exchange in such a context is that the issue has been trivialised and has become the subject of, at best, confusion but more likely laughter or derision. 

Either way, a further undermining of conscientious police officers, civic responsibility and the law. 

In turn, this helps reinforce Malta’s ambiguous relationship with the legal frameworks that seek to govern life and relationships, private and public.  But of course this is OK because it has (maybe) been approved at the highest level (echoing so much more of the country’s recent history).

Consider also how this suggestion for a maybe ‘amnesty with refunds’ appears to our health personnel, who only a few weeks ago were so lauded that we were all asked to publicly applaud them and fly the flag in their honour.  The rules they carefully devised and negotiated to keep us safe have now magically become irrelevant and redundant. Not only do they not really apply, you might qualify (under weird rules) for a refund for them too! 

Their dismay and demoralisation must have been visceral.  We expect them to continue to work diligently on the pandemic (while protecting themselves as a particularly vulnerable group) knowing that their health advice and protocols can be simply ignored or dismissed willy-nilly. 

Just as with many police officers, the professionalism of health workers is consciously or unconsciously undermined and mocked at the highest level.  Why do I keep thinking of Dominic Cummings in the UK, arguing that he broke his own government’s rules to test his eyesight?

Now imagine the ongoing, stern-faced, flag-bedecked press conferences to solemnly announcing another phase in the virus-related ‘plan’.  Sub-texts anyone?

Just as we readily know that behind the silliness’s of those world ‘leaders’ listed at the outset lies an undergrowth of far more serious and contradictory agendas and ideologies, so too should we query that same undergrowth here in Malta.