The year that is about to end will be remembered for the unprecedented arraignment of a former Prime Minister, Joseph Muscat heading a long list which included three former ministers charged with criminal offences following the conclusion of a magisterial inquiry into the hospitals’ deal.
Muscat and the rest maintain their innocence and time will tell whether the evidence presented in court will be able to beat the tough defence that is being mounted.
But this developing story had its effect not only in the biggest hall in the Law Courts building. It has contributed in no small way to shift the political balance in the country, as elections for the European Parliament and local councils saw the Labour Party win again – yet with a much smaller margin than it had been used to. So much so that it lost an MEP seat to the Nationalist Party, and a host of localities now no longer have a Labour majority.
The now rescinded hospitals deal saga was however not the only blemish on the Labour government’s track record, as the list of scandals kept piling up to add on to others which had sprouted in previous years.
For one thing, a former Labour MP has also been charged in court in connection with the social benefits scandal, with the Labour government scrambling to contain the damage by offering presidential pardons to hundreds of alleged offenders, a move which was harshly criticised.
Labour was also embroiled in what has become known as the Siggiewi scandal, with nearly 100 individuals involved in a change-of-address attempt just before the June elections which was quashed by no fewer than 22 magistrates who heard the individual cases.
The PL also had to contend with two ministers being found guilty of a breach of ethical standards when the partner, now wife, of one of them was given a consultancy job with a whopping salary increase in spite of not having the necessary qualifications. Both Clayton Bartolo and Clint Camilleri resisted calls for their resignation and were defended by Prime Minister Robert Abela.
It was only when a second scandal emerged that Bartolo was forced to quit, becoming the second minister to move out of Abela’s Cabinet this year following Chris Fearne, who left after being charged in connection with the hospitals’ public inquiry, and also withdrew his candidacy for the post of European Commissioner.
The June election results have forced Labour to take drastic measures, including changing its top people with the exception of its leader. The PL will end the year with different deputy leader for parliamentary affairs, Ian Borg; a different deputy leader for party affairs, Alex Agius Saliba; a different president, Alex Sciberras; and a different communications team, headed by Norma Saliba.
It has also resorted to populist moves, such as the tax cut it announced last October when it presented the budget for 2025. It is also trying to push the agenda towards issues such as end-of-life care in a bid to divert attention away from its flaws. It is a tactic that Labour always employs when its back is to the wall.
But the growing list of scandals that started under Joseph Muscat and continued under Robert Abela has started to catch up with Labour.
For its part, the Nationalist Party ends the year in a better situation than it started it. The June election results have given it a renewed confidence, and what seemed impossible is now a little bit more achievable. Still, it cannot just rest on Labour’s shortcomings. The PN must strive to be more convincing in its arguments, and present itself as an alternative to the current administration. Its presence in public has increased in the past six months, but it must choose its battles to become more relevant.
This is more so in view of reports that two more political parties are set to be launched in January in a bid to break up the duopoly that has existed in Maltese politics since Independence. Given that traditionally Labour supporters are less inclined to experiment with their vote, the PN could lose much more than the PL with the advent of these two new political forces.
We have now started the second half of this legislature, and although more than two years separate us from the general election, parties have already started preparing for it. New candidates are being sought and approved, and soon enough election fever will start to grip the country as the PL seeks to maintain power for a fourth consecutive term while the PN, with its restored enthusiasm, aims to take it away. The addition of the two new political parties – together with the existing ADPD – will make the race all the more interesting.
