Ego Malta

As I slumped in the sofa, I wondered what was next. I zapped from One TV to TVM – both stations were focused on Franco Debono. 

But Debono obviously chose Xarabank.

He did so after having regurgitated the strongest words ever about PBS and Mr Bondi ever uttered in parliament. 

As I zapped, I caught a glimpse of the bumptious Chris Said saying that Arriva was a success story in Gozo. Some consolation, I thought.

The other day in Gozo, I drove past as a group of tourists braved the rain and wind next to a lonely pole that served as a bus stop and waited in vain for a bus.

I zapped again – this time to One TV – and listened to Robert Musumeci trying to sound like a lawyer (when he is not) and a philosopher (when he cannot be) while saying nothing of any consequence. 

I gave up and clicked to Godfather on Dubai One – nothing better than watching a classic film. And it was infinitely more entertaining and educational than the two discussion programmes.

We could do with some of Vito Corleone’s techniques.

Well Franco Debono – like JPO, Mugliett, Arrigo and Jean Pierre Farrugia before him – have been the centre of attraction this week.

What they have had to say is perfectly justified and right.

But the root to all their complaints lies in the way they have been treated – or rather, mistreated – by the Gonzi clan. 

Most of them would have continued to row the boat down the stream if they had been given the attention, the positions and opportunity to operate. Instead, they were pilloried by the bile brigade who wanted to force them out, and there is no doubt in my mind that this was carried out with the blessing of the Office of the Prime Minister.

The fact they were sidelined turned them into a nasty time bomb.

Yet when it comes to the crunch, they make a lot of noise but they never ever clutch their proverbial balls and cross the line, and Gonzi somehow continues to hobble on.

A pussycat with nine lives – by all means.

Indeed, as soon as the vote was over, Gonzi announced that he would ask for a vote of confidence, declaring that it would definitely pass. 

He knew – as we all knew – that Franco Debono had told him that he would vote in favour.

Really, we could all have been spared the spectacle but then, what better than Sodom and Gomorrah in parliament?

The last time we had such a scene was in 1998, but then we had someone who had the guts to take things to the edge. His name was Dom Mintoff.

The spectacle we have been assisting is most bizarre, with the way Austin Gatt has chosen to make a complete and utter fool of himself by defending the indefensible and backtracking on his word that he would resign proves to us that he is not the Charles Bronson he portrays himself to be.

In reality, he’s nothing but a lot of hot air.

Dr Gatt is now probably not only the most unpopular politician, but he is also the biggest liability for Gonzi.

Why he is such a liability has been illustrated several times over in this opinion column and repeating the same arguments would simply take up more precious space.

As a listened to the few words of Musumeci on Affari Taghna, I could not help thinking that the question of accountability continues to be ignored and repeatedly sidelined.

Austin Gatt cannot exculpate himself from being responsible for what happened.

When I listened to him yesterday, he talked about everything that suited his tunnel vision of the public bus reform.

He mentioned, for example, the hybrid buses, and bemoaned the fact that no one had congratulated him on this. He sounded like an insecure person seeking personal gratification for every step taken.

Gatt obviously did not hone in on the problem that we have with the choice of the kind of buses we have.

It goes back to the days of Charles Demicoli – one of the more illustrious political appointees at the Transport Authorities in the last 25 years – when he was at ATP and was responsible for accepting King Long buses from the private contractor, the Tumas Group of Companies. 

These Chinese buses which Gatt praised for being of unbelievable top standard are renowned not only for the number of times they break down but more importantly, for being unsuited to Maltese roads.

They are big, bulky and are the cause for nationwide traffic jams in every corner of Malta.  

Of course we cannot mention Gozo, because according to Chris Said – who is always chauffeured around – Arriva is a success story, but then Said needs to be reminded that the population of Gozo is equivalent to that of Birkirkara, with a slightly more generous footprint.

Now none of the politicians – either blue or red – dared raise the issue of King Long in fear of upsetting the private company that imported them. 

Well if they cannot say it, I will: King Long are more suited for Chinese footprints, such as the one in Tiananmen Square in Bejing. 

And so all the attack has conveniently been redirected onto Arriva, run by the Brits, and of course on the minister. 

Arriva undoubtedly has been run by British managers who should really be asked to return to the UK and stay there and dump their crappy strategic bussing knowledge on some London borough where people don’t simply write comments on a blog or letters in a newspaper but take to the street and run riot.

Now I have little respect for Austin Gatt. I do not care for his Mintoffian arrogance, I just think that he is buffoon who thinks that he should be treated with respect, just because he can laugh off his critics and walk like John Wayne and talk like a voice from The Exorcist.

I cringed as he described Jesmond Mugliett as his friend. The same Mugliett he defecated on in parliament when he wanted to demolish him. I waited for Mugliett to stand and say something – he said nothing.

The fact that Gatt is still around as a politician is a reflection of the Prime Minister’s frailty and limited political manoeuvrability.

The most incredible statement is Gonzi’s declaration that the buck stop with him.

The next thing we know is that nothing will change.

He really believes that just by saying sorry it is more or less enough.

Just like when he said sorry about the electricity bills or the decision on honoraria.

I guess it comes from his conservative Catholic upbringing, where forgiveness for one’s misdemeanours can be erased by simply asking to be forgiven.

Really, the Prime Minister’s democratic credentials are as impressive as those of Silvio Berlusconi, the philanderer, who spends more time reading the small print on his Viagra packets than solving his economic crisis.

If Franco Debono meant what he said he should vote his Prime Minister out of office, but he still believes that after Friday he can make a comeback in politics under the Nationalist banner.

I believe he is, in political terms, toast. Either that, or in serious denial.

I believe that the party machinery, together with Natalino Fenech’s TVM, Mario de Marco’s Times and of course the Independent and the bloggers will do their bit to dismantle Debono’s credibility.

He may not be stupid, but he has probably miscalculated the power of the PN machinery. A machinery that is greased by the keen and earnest desire to hang on to power.

Nothing will change in the next few months.

Gonzi will hang on until his last day. He is no different to any other politician, perhaps when time passes, people will give more credit to Alfred Sant for doing the noble thing and calling an early election in 1998.

Gonzi will hope to win in another five years. Because politics is not about policies and governance but about how to stay in power and keep others out.

To do this, they will squander public funds to give the impression that their time in government does offer dividends. Will they ever learn?