Rushing recklessly to judgement

It has been a terrible week for the PN.

The finalisation of the so-called ‘Egrant’ inquiry by Magistrate Aaron Bugeja has opened up the proverbial can of worms at Pieta’.

Anyone who thoroughly reads the published concluding part of the Inquiry – and there are many who comment on it without having bothered to read it – will realise that the inquiry was a masterful stroke for the rule of law.

The Magistrate did a very good job – a credit to the independence of the Maltese Judiciary and to the fact that the rule of law is alive and strong in Malta, imperfect though it might be.

It proves that those – Simon Busuttil included – who alleged that there is no rule of law in Malta unnecessarily went over the top.

People who insist that Egrant belongs to the Prime Minister’s wife have come up with a lot of silly excuses because they do not want to accept the truth. The truth, of course, is not that Egrant does not belong to Michelle Muscat – or to any Tom, Dick and Harry – but that there are no indications that link Egrant with Michelle Muscat except for a much touted document that proved to have been forged.

While paranoid people on the anti-Muscat front try to invent as many excuses as they can, even doubting the independence of the Attorney General, those on the other front want to believe that the inquiry exculpates all people such as Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri from corruption allegations. Both are wrong, the result of poltical blinkers that have always been so fashionable in Malta!

With regard to Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri, there are known facts that cannot be denied and there are other inquiries that have not been concluded.

The Prime Minister explained why the Attorney General is refusing to publish the whole inquiry: it could unnecessarily make a mockery of the right for privacy by publicising account numbers and amounts of monies held by individuals in banks and, worse still, it could serve as a warning to those who the Magistrate indicated as having ‘prima facie’ breached the law before the Police take the necessary action. These reasons make sense, although public pressure might lead to the publication of the whole inquiry, anyway.

Yet people – established well-known lawyers included – ignore this and attack the Attorney General left, right and centre.

Everybody spouts out knee-jerk reactions on the social media, without even stopping to think about the implications of what they are saying.

They cannot understand that – as the magistrate put it – one hundred suspicions do not make one proof.

Out there, one finds hundreds of people who are convinced that Egrant belongs to Michelle Muscat because the blogger said it... and because Simon Busuttil repeated it ad nauseam.

That is no proof at law.

Knee-jerkism is, perhaps, the most foolish thing that the Maltese politics inherited from Simon Busuttil’s spell as PN leader and as Leader of the Opposition.

I have no doubt that Busuttil’s honourable intentions were correct and honest but the way he foolishly and recklessly rushed to judgement makes him one of the worst poltical leaders in Maltese political history.

Does anyone doubt that former Labour Leader Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici was and is an honest man? Of course not. Everyone, however, agrees that he proved to be a disaster as a political leader.

Honesty is not all that it takes for a good political leader.

While I do not doubt Simon Busuttil’s honesty, I have harsh words for his inconsistencies, his reckless knee-jerk reactions and his rushing where angels fear to tread – stances that have done the PN untold harm.

The Egrant story will forever be a millstone round the PN’s neck unless it immediately disassociates itself from it.

That is why Adrian Delia has done the right thing.

It is the time where Delia has to be cruel to be kind.

To show that he is the leader the PN needs at the moment.

To earn back some respect for the PN.

Busuttil’s upright ‘battle’ against corruption has nothing to do with it. It is his reckless and foolish strategy that has let the PN down.

Narcissistic politicians

Giving advice meant for lovers or people seeking love,  a UK-based psychotherapist, warns people to beware of falling in love with a narcissist.

I was fascinated by the five personality traits that he listed; not because I am thinking of falling in love, but because – I thought – they could serve as a guide to recognise narcisisstic politicians.

According to him, narcissists are:

1. Hypersensitive – Narcissists are highly sensitive to being overlooked and very sensitive to being slighted. They will react badly when they feel this is happening.

2. Attention-hungry – Narcissists suffer from disturbances to their self-image and they are particularly sensitive to any possibility that you are ignoring them or not taking them seriously. They constantly require your attention and efforts to make themselves feel better.

3. Excessively needy – A narcissist’s need for love is inexhaustible. You bring them a gift, and everything is fine. But seconds later, they may be reacting to a sense that you aren’t paying them enough attention.

4. Energy consuming – Narcissists drain their partner’s energy and life. When you fall in love with a narcissist, the experience is so powerful it may feel like the most intense and authentic relationship you’ve known. This quickly starts to change, however, as you find yourself having to do more and more to soothe and repair their insecurities, leaving you feeling drained.

5. Obsessed with social media – Narcissists may become absorbed by social media, posting endless pictures of themselves. Conversely, they might avoid it like the plague, proclaiming that they’re “not like those trashy people with nothing better to do than post updates all the time.”

Do you know any politicians with these traits? I seem to know quite a number – not just Maltese politicians but others in various parts of the globe, as well.

This is not a naming and shaming piece, so I refrain from passing any more comments.