Greatly overworked pair of hands

It's been a turbulent couple of weeks, with the goings on in parliament taking centre stage in the news. With all the hoopla that we have had to contend with, one would be forgiven for thinking that our politicians equate running the country with a game of Monopoly, with one-upmanship being the strategy of choice for almost every player.

It started off with the motion against Austin Gatt, with Franco Debono taking centre stage in his efforts to command the spotlight. It then continued with the vote of confidence called by the Prime Minister on Tuesday.

The government won the confidence vote and the prime minister hailed the result as a clear sign that the government is stable and enjoys the confidence of the people. However, one would be silly not to wonder just how realistic an assessment of the situation this is.

Frankly, when I look at the government benches several adjectives spring to mind - however stable is not one of them. The backbench closely resembles a pot of simmering stew which occasionally boils over. Clearly, the prime minister has several trouble makers on his hands and he seems to be constantly manoeuvring in order to keep the peace.

I can't help but wonder exactly how much of Lawrence Gonzi's time all these shenanigans are taking up. Here we are, with Greece on the brink and Italy teetering on the edge, with the eurozone in the middle of a major crisis and the European Commission nagging us to reduce our deficit - and our prime minister ends up wasting his time babysitting and placating backbenchers who choose to throw a tantrum.

The man on the street cannot help but wonder exactly what is happening at governmental level. Lawrence Gonzi's much touted "par idejn sodi" have been greatly overworked of late, juggling recalcitrant backbenchers and now also taking on the leadership of the public transport task force. The image that emerges is that of a prime minister who does not trust the people around him to do a good job, ending up having to take care of all the important stuff himself.

Clearly, the prime minister was not joking when he told US Ambassador Molly
Bordonaro that the team of people who had been elected on the PN ticket offered a limited talent pool for him to form a cabinet made up of ministers who together form an effective and cohesive government.

This does not bode well for the country, since however good Lawrence Gonzi may be and however firm his hold on government, he is one man and one man alone. He simply cannot do it all himself.

***

Maximilian Ciantar really needs someone to pull him aside and give him a harsh talking to, because clearly his parents are not up to the task.

The man had a lucky break. He got away with a paltry 16 months in jail after running over two young girls in Attard - a crime that was aggravated by the fact that he was driving without a licence and speeding at over 100 km/hr in an inhabited zone. To top it all, he did not even have the decency to stop after mowing them down.

Apparently his jail term was reduced for good behaviour, a decision that appears to have overlooked the fact that last year, the troubled young man set his cell on fire after a failed heroin delivery - which makes me question exactly how badly other prisoners are behaving in Corradino.

In addition to being given a 'Get out of Jail' card he also had his ten year driving ban reduced to six months, which is, quite frankly, a joke. No wonder the parents of Sarah Marie and Rebecca Marie Falzon - the two 11-year-old victims - called the decision "farcical and an insult to society".

However this was not good enough for Ciantar, who apparently was not willing the wait a few more months before jumping behind the wheel and taking a chick for a spin. In fact this week, Mr Ciantar was caught driving a pink Toyota Vitz that belongs to his father, once again without a licence and insurance and in clear contravention of his driving ban.

So just one week after leaving prison, Ciantar finds himself once again behind bars.

Frankly I hope that he will stay there for quite a while, since clearly this young man is a danger to society.