Media digging in the wrong place

 

>> While every angle of speculation was let loose on the January First horrific event, the same energy has not been dedicated to some serious digging into the Nationalist Party’s wheeling and dealing<<

As a journalist who had once been rebuked for being too curious, I am seriously questioning whether I chose the right métier, since I do not share the morbid fascination, demonstrated by most with regard to the New Year’s Day tragedy in Malta.

To put overseas readers in the picture, two men were stabbed to death in an apartment where one of them lived with his wife and newly born twins. The wife belongs to a relatively high profile family. The media acted like ravenous vultures and speculation was rife while the police were not releasing anything.

I am much more curious to know about things, which are not nearly so assiduously delved into by the media due to conflicts of interest. For example, the controversial Nationalist MP Franco Debono is constantly quoted, but there are so many unanswered questions about what really went on behind closed doors.

Although Debono has persistently dominated the political news, I am certain that we are not getting the full picture. It is interesting that while every angle of speculation was let loose on the January first horrific event, the same energy has not been dedicated to some serious digging into the Nationalist Party’s wheeling and dealing.

Debono’s detractors are saying that his latest outburst, claiming, "The only way out of this political crisis is for Gonzi (Prime Minister) to step down," is due to his anger that he was not given the Justice Ministry and they have a point.

For example, why is he asking for the PM to resign over the divorce referendum now? He had been consistently saying, until Friday, before the announcement of three new Cabinet Ministers, "I have always been on the prime minister's side, since all the issues I proposed proved to be for the benefit of the people. And I will continue to be on the Prime Minister's side.”

So why this sudden volte-face? He has obviously been under tremendous pressure and has not handled the latest episode well. Handing a PBS (National TV station) reporter a secondary school report showing he was an excellent student, while refusing to comment is not in keeping with the behaviour of a man who has demonstrated remarkable ability in getting government to act on some of the affairs it had done nothing about.

There is no doubt that Debono has put a lot of work into justice reform and where it not for his consistent (not exactly sniping) threats, I am sure we would not have seen the changes, cosmetic as they are, we got on Friday.

What, in my opinion, broke the camel’s back for Debono, to the point of even calling the government “evil”, was when the newly appointed minister for that portfolio, Chris Said sent him a message, “telling me he wanted to seek my advice on reforms in the justice sector.”

Debono had originally said that he would withdraw his support for the government in parliament unless the ministerial responsibilities for justice and for home affairs are split, which, he had stressed, should logically be accompanied by legislative reform, and fundamental reforms.

He said that while the PM had declared his readiness to consider splitting the Home Affairs and Justice portfolios, there had not been agreement on which of the legislative reforms Debono had proposed would be carried out.

He claimed that the split in ministerial responsibilities should not only resolve the inherent conflict of interest between the two sectors but also herald the important reforms.

Before the PM’s new ministerial appointments on Friday, Debono defended himself from attacks of not being part of the PN team, “Let us not forget that the Criminal Justice Bill was recently presented in parliament behind the back of the parliamentary group, which was not informed about it. Where is the team spirit? Whoever demands team spirit should first show it himself,” he told The Times.

Asked whether he would accept a Cabinet post if it was offered to him, he said that such matters were the “absolute and exclusive” prerogative of the prime minister.

“I would take the decision when and if a request is made. But I will surely and definitely, in any case, not accept and will renounce to the raise in Cabinet remuneration since I do not agree with the way it was introduced behind Parliament’s back”, he said adding that this had not respected the dignity of Parliament.

The PM also rescinded the ministerial raise decided in 2008 in his Friday announcement.

"If someone is holding the prime minister hostage, that is surely not me. I really hope the prime minister is not being held hostage by a clique close to him, by individuals who think they can bully others, or by people who are offering protection by operating some network of terror, nurtured by inadequate press laws”, he told The Times (Malta).

I really would like to know more about this “network of terror, nurtured by inadequate press laws.” I tried to contact Dr Debono but have not had a response by the time I submitted this article.

He was not offered the Justice portfolio and all hell was let loose. Despite giving Debono credit for getting a slumbering, secretive government to make some small shifts, there are things that he needs to clarify.

He really needs to explain why he was prepared to put up with the “oligarchy” before Friday and he needs to be more specific about the PM’s “clique” and what they are up to.

He is, however, correct in his criticism that “errant ministers were not made to pay for their mistakes.” He picked out Austin Gatt, the minister responsible for the botched public transform reform, Joseph Cassar, who, Debono claimed abandoned plans for primary health care reform, and Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici, who was responsible for the justice and home affairs portfolios.

Yet, he left out Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Tonio Borg who was responsible for the prison when drugs sales were aided and abetted by the Corradino authorities and who ignored the Prison Board’s warnings on the situation at the time.

Main gist Published in The Malta Independent on Sunday with the title "Hell has no fury not only when women are spurned"