Fil-Parlament il-lejla: x’faqar!

Smajtuh id-dibattitu tal-lejla fil-Parlament dwar is-sentenza tal-Qorti tal-ġimgħa l-oħra?

X’faqar! X’mistħija ta’ Parlament!

Il-pajjiż jixraqlu ferm aħjar minn hekk!

It-taħwida hi kbira: flok “world class medical system” għandna kaz ta’ “world class fraud” li nħolqot minn Vitals Global Healthcare u Steward Health Care u mill-Gvern Laburista.

S’issa insterqu €300 miljun!

Għadu kmieni biex wieħed jgħid x’ser jiġri u dan sakemm jinqata’ l-appell, jekk ikun hemm.

Jinħtieġu tweġibiet diversi.

Meta ser jibdew l-investigazzjonijiet mill-Pulizija fil-konfront ta’ dawk involuti? Il-Pulizija sfortunatament mhemmx ħosshom! Fejn hu l-Kummissarju tal-Pulizija Angelo Gafà?

Robert Abela, Konrad Mizzi, Edward Scicluna, Chris Cardona, Keith Schembri u Joseph Muscat: meta ser jintalbu jwieġbu ta’ egħmilhom, jew tan-nuqqas tiegħu?

Il-membri tal-Kabinett immexxi minn Joseph Muscat: ħadd ma jaf xejn. Wieħed iwaħħal fl-ieħor. Kellna Ministru tal-Finanzi (Edward Scicluna) li ma kienx jaf x’inhu jigri fil-Ministeru tieghu!

Chris Fearne min-naħa l-oħra, ħlief għal xi botta, kien kawta ħafna! Hu imħasseb dwar x’inhu ġej!

Il-parti l-kbira tal-membri tal-Kabinett ta’ Joseph Muscat baqgħu fommhom magħluq. Ħlief Varist Bartolo, li bħas-soltu jibqa’ jdur mal-lewża.

Hemm responsabbiltà politika kbira. Hemm ukoll responsabbiltajiet kriminali. Min ser iwieġeb? S’issa ħadd ma wieġeb.

Robert Abela kien skomdu ħafna huwa u jipprova jwieġeb waqt is-seduta Parlamentari tal-lejla. Inevitabilment ħarab mis-sustanza tal-argument. Sa ċertu punt wieħed dan jifhmu għax il-konsegwenzi mhumiex żgħar u għandu bżonn iż-żmien.

Għad nispiċċaw li jkollna ninvestgaw kull kuntratt li ngħata minn dan il-Gvern. Ħadma, waħda wara l-oħra.

Din hi storja li għad trid tinkiteb fid-dettall. Fl-aħħar, kull min hu responsabbli jrid iħallas ta’ egħmilu.

Mill-kċina ta’ Joseph

Issa għandna deċiżjoni tal-Qorti li tħassar il-ftehim li bih sptarijiet għaddew għand ta’ Vitals Global Healtcare u wara għand Steward Health Care.

Tinten l-istorja, qaltilna l-Qorti. Konna ilna ngħiduh dan u ma hi tal-ebda konsolazzjoni li l-Qorti qablet magħna.

Joseph qed jgħidilna li ma hemm xejn li jħammarlu wiċċu. Id-deċiżjonijiet ħadhom il-Kabinett, qalilna. Ma ħadhomx waħdu!

Mhux hekk qalu sħabu, iżda! Fearne jidher sodisfatt bid-deċiżjoni. Ilu jgħid li d-deċiżjonijiet ittiehdu wara dahru. Tiftakru meta Edward Scicluna tkellem dwar il-Kitchen Cabinet ta’ Joseph. Tiftakru kemm kien ilmenta li l-Gvern ta’ Joseph kien jitmexxa mill-Kitchen Cabinet? Jiġifieri mill-klikka ta’ dawk ta’ madwaru?

Anke Varist dalgħodu ħareġ jattakka dan l-argument ta’ Joseph! Il-Kabinett kien imwarrab, qal Varist! Dam jaħsibha ftit biex jitkellem!

It-taħwid li dwaru iddeċidiet il-Qorti sar fil-kċina ta’ Joseph. Fil-Kitchen Cabinet. U bħal dejjem, min ħawwad fil-borma jkun jaf x’fiha, anke jekk mir-riħa jkollna idea tajba x’kien hemm! Safejn hu magħruf, fil-kċina Joseph ma kienx ikun waħdu. Miegħu kien ikollu lil Keith il-Kasco Schembri, Konrad Mizzi u oħrajn. Xi darba insiru nafu l-ismijiet kollha.

Hemm bżonn tindifa tajba. Sfortunatament Anġlu Gafà mhux kapaċi jagħmilha. Għalhekk inħatar!

Lingering doubts on return to normal

The more Robert Abela brags that “the institutions are working” the longer doubts linger on. In a situation of normalcy, which we have a right to, there is no room for a Prime Minister addressing a press conference as that of last Tuesday (with a repeat on Thursday morning), on the police investigations into an assassination.

The Commissioner of Police addressed the press twenty-four hours later, on Wednesday. Commissioner Angelo Gafà was right to do so even if he could not give specific and detailed replies to avoid undermining the investigation at such a critical juncture. We expect the Commissioner of Police to inform us as to what is going on under his watch.

Angelo Gafà’s predecessor could not utter a coherent sentence in his press conferences. He left the running of the show to his deputy, known to the assassination prime suspect as Uncle Silvio.

Robert Abela and his predecessor have been breathing down the neck of the Police Force for far too long for them to realise that this is not normal behaviour in a democratic state. During his Tuesday Press Conference Robert Abela made a statement that could have indicated that he was being briefed on the criminal investigation by the Police. In fact, he stated that no politician, current or former, is in any way associated with the assassination investigation of Daphne Caruana Galizia.  This was clearly rebutted by the Police Commissioner on the morrow in his answers to the press when replying to a similar question. He stated that to date no leads to politicians, past and present have been identified. However, he further emphasised that he does not brief the Prime Minister on investigations.

This is the real news from the Police Commissioner conference. Commissioner Gafà is getting one clear message across: the police does not brief the Prime Minister on ongoing investigations! This is a complete U-turn from past police behaviour. We have learnt from detailed testimony in the assassination criminal case that police officials used to brief former premier Joseph Muscat who would generally be accompanied by his Chief of Staff Keith Schembri. Melvin Theuma, the assassination middleman has testified time and again that he was aware of various important aspects of the investigation from his paymaster Yorgen Fenech, Keith Schembri’s friend.

The police, maybe, have learnt the lesson that they have been undermined too many a time by the tenant at Castille Place. In this respect Angelo Gafà’s statement is a much-needed breath of fresh air, a welcome step on the road to normalcy. It is however not enough. Even the tenant at Castille Place must play his part: in such circumstances he should realise once and for all that shutting up is the only way forward.

The assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia did not happen out of the blue but against a background of institutionalised and industrial scale corruption. The police have made progress on the assassination itself. Instead of trying to take credit for the latest developments in the Caruana Galizia case, it is now up to the Prime Minister to deal with the background that led to the assassination. Ignoring that background and its illicit fruits means endorsing it.

The democratic institutions can function if we let them. If the Prime Minister halts his prima donna behaviour it will definitely help a lot. Until such time there are lingering doubts as to whether a return to normal is on the cards yet.

published on The Malta Independent on Sunday : 28 February 2021