A budget-busted week

What should have been a big week for the Prime Minister, ended up being a total political mess.

First off, we had to endure the unnecessary and painful four-hour long budget speech, which included trivial and petty proposals, so much that when judged on their own, one would start to wonder whether it’s a state or a local council budget.

By now, we have become accustomed to the bombastic style of Joseph Muscat – to inflate as much as possible so that people think it’s big news. The setting up of monuments, the erection of a fence in Wied iz-Zurrieq or service works on a drainage problem, should not be included in a state budget speech. Steve Mallia’s description was truly spot on – UK Chancellor’s speech for a nation of 60 million people took 55 minutes, Edward Scicluna’s, for 400,000, takes 3 hrs plus.

Meanwhile, Joseph Muscat’s ministers have gotten themselves into so much trouble lately that they have completely ruined his big budget week. And by taking their side, he has ruined it for himself.

To start with, right after the budget speech under the Taghna Lkoll tent in St George’s Square, he chose to take Helena Dalli’s lie. He chose to believe that Helena Dalli was totally unaware of illegal works being undertaken on her property.

Firstly, it is already very hard to believe Dalli when she lives just a few footsteps away from the said property in Zejtun. Secondly, the Opposition revealed on the same day, just a few hours before Joseph Muscat chose to take Helena Dalli’s side, that the mechanical shovel on site carrying out illegal works belonged to Helena Dalli’s company, Pada Builders Limited.

The Prime Minister chose to defend the indefensible, and in doing so, his credibility on accountability has become a joke. He sets the rules, to later bend them himself.

Joseph Muscat chose to act differently in the case of Victor Scerri – he was among the first to demand his resignation. It is very clear that Joseph Muscat does what suits him best. One might not agree with MEPA granting Scerri’s permit, but at least the planning process had been completed.

In Helena Dalli’s case, MEPA is yet to determine whether such illegal works are to be sanctioned – now that it is possible to sanction illegal works in the countryside due to the recently adopted ODZ policy.

In any case, Victor Scerri had resigned back then, even though he was no member of Cabinet. Helena Dalli occupies a much higher rank, and she must shoulder responsibility for lying about not knowing of the illegal works. Regardless of the outcome, we all know that no one will shoulder responsibility. If Joseph Muscat would not shoulder responsibility for breaking his biggest promise of delivering the power station on time, then Helena Dalli will do just the same.

What was supposed to be the big budget week was marred by yet another showdown. A Wild Wild West incident, involving Minister Manuel Mallia’s driver, turned out to be a political disaster. It could have remained a road incident, but Mallia’s way of handling it turned out to be a political buster.

A few hours after the incident took place, a press statement issued by Mallia’s secretariat stated that the driver fired warning shots to stop a foreigner after being involved in an alleged hit-and-run on the minister’s car. The press statement in itself sounded odd. Since when does the minister’s driver have the authority to fire warning shots for a mere hit-and-run?

Well, we have become used to this cowboy attitude from Labour hardcore, who think they have acquired the right to rule over all Maltese and Gozitans as of the moment the Labour party won the election. This incident is the result of cowboys being permitted to do as they please, without being scorned at by their superiors.

Like pretty much everybody else without Labour blinkers on their eyes, this press statement didn’t go down well with me. Something just did not make sense on Wednesday night when this statement was issued. A few seconds after I posted a story by maltarightnow.com on my facebook page, which pretty much stated what eyewitnesses had seen, my page was bombarded by Labour stalwart Alex Saliba – in his attempt to justify the story. This made me suspect further that something fishy was going on.

The truth came out a few hours later, when pictures released on social media portrayed bullet holes on the foreigner’s car. Since when have shots on target turned to be warning shots? Aren’t warning shots fired into the air?

Truth is, Manuel Mallia tried to cover up for his personal driver. In so doing, he has accomplished a travesty of justice. As interior minister, he is expected to defend the good, no matter what – even if that meant going against his personnel. Simon Busuttil is correct in stating that Mallia’s position is no longer tenable. I, for one, am very concerned that the police are under the hands of a minister who endorsed a press statement that is inaccurate and untrue.

What a week this has been for the Prime Minister! In truth, he can only blame himself for taking the wrong side.

By the way, I have left out the court’s decision to stop Joe Mizzi from signing with the Spanish operators following the dodgy way in which the contract was awarded and likewise, the casino concession, as yet another fiasco.

There have been so many fiascos going on this week that I have reached my word count sooner than I hoped! Signs of a government out of control? Most definitely.