MARTIN SCICLUNA – FROM HERO TO ZERO IN PN EYES – insulted and vilified for writing the truth
Once upon a time the highly-respected academician Martin A. Scicluna B.Com, FCA, FRSA, C.Inst.Mgt., Doctor of Laws (Hon Causa) was awarded Hero status by the Nationalist Party because he criticised the Labour Government where he felt criticism was due – and he had every right and reason to do so. The mainstream of PN tide then, was “you see – even Martin Scicluna is saying it now which shows how right we are”.
However, the PN has become like the Gladiatorial Arena at the Coliseum in Roman times. One is a Thumbs Up Hero today and a Thumbs Down Villain the next. And what has caused Martin Scicluna to plunge from Hero to Zero status in PN eyes – he merely wrote the truth in an article published by “The Times of Malta” on Wednesday, 9th May.
My first main surprise was that this newspaper actually accepted to publish the article. Then again, Scicluna has an excellent academic background and is a regular contributor so they either carried it with a heavy heart or otherwise it was a fleeting aberration.
The gist of the article was reality and it completely unmasked the falsity of the Nationalist Party and the sham PN affiliation to what Scicluna termed a “pseudo-political grouping” with reference to shambolic Civil Society and Occupy Justice.
His first reference to this “grouping” was its elitist nature, being made up of “the more articulate strata of Maltese society educated privately or at the best Church schools.” To boot I would also add these are people who think they are beyond reproach, above the common herd of humanity, have a Divine Right to govern and have a copyright on intelligence.
Using clear, explicit and hard-hitting vocabulary, Scicluna referred to what he called “the weaponisation” of Caruana Galizia’s death being given dangerously international impetus through “the so-called “Daphne Project”, regardless of the consequences for Malta’s reputation or the possible effects on its economy and people’s livelihoods.”
This he stated “is political opportunism of the most demeaning kind and it is time to call this unrepresentative pseudo-political grouping out on it.”
He then went on to deal with the alleged corruption by Keith Schembri, Konrad Mizzi and Michelle Muscat’s alleged “egrant” and asked where Civil Society and Occupy Justice were in the past when “Investigative Journalists had exposed in 2015 concerning secret HSBC Geneva bank accounts, with over €600 million held by Maltese account holders contrary to Malta’s tax laws.”
“Much has been made by this pseudo-political grouping of this Government’s (alleged) corruption, but where were their voices when earlier corruption occurred? They claim to seek justice, but are selective about which crimes should be pursued.”
He then went on to comment that “Among the more prominent names were people closely associated with the last Nationalist Government,” and he listed them as “former Enemalta Chairman, Tancred Tabone ($10 million), petro-chemist Francis Sammut ($3.8 million), businessmen Anthony Cassar ($2.1 million) and Francis Portelli ($1.9 million). All have been charged, inter alia, with money laundering and corruption, which they deny. Former Nationalist Minister Ninu Zammit was also exposed as holding $3.2 million in an undeclared account in Geneva.”
All these, he wrote, have been “airbrushed” by the shambolic groups. In other words, you do not justify alleged wrong-doing by quoting other wrong-doing, but for God’s sake, if you have a locker full of dirt and corruption, look at your own house and don’t throw stones when your own house is made of glass.
Scicluna’s final paragraphs were equally strong and straight-forward with no punches pulled.
“As importantly, the investigative journalists involved in the Daphne Project should be alerted to this recent form of earlier corruption and asked to uncover the truth by exposing the names of those who cheated the Maltese Exchequer in this way. If not, their attachment in practice to the principles which the Daphne Project and the pseudo-political activists ostensibly stand for will be seen as aimed simply at undermining Malta’s reputation and sowing domestic discord.
“These activists weaken Maltese solidarity. They claim to be fighting for “truth and justice”. But in reality they are hypocrites who claim some great cause in the name of “justice” for Daphne’s death, but ignore through their misguided campaign the corruption committed, probably by people they and I know, in the years leading to 2013.
“They have undermined people’s trust in well-founded institutions and the rule of law.
“Moreover, through their hypocrisy and double standards they have damaged equality before the law and the right to a fair trial – values which not long ago even in Malta would have been considered sacrosanct.”
Well, what can I say? This is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth and full kudos to Martin Scicluna for echoing what many of us (I in particular!) for many months have been saying and writing and that those failing to “see” the truth are hypocritical and malicious and are only “milking” situations to try and win political points.
Full kudos to Scicluna too for having the guts to be truthful, as well as to speak his mind without fear or favour. His status has now of course plunged to ZERO with the PN but that does not dent the inner glow of knowing that one is honest and saying what has to be said – above all, in the interests of one’s country and therefore the whole population and its livelihood against those who are totally indifferent to this and take the path of malicious destruction and treachery for their own egotistic aspirations.
ALBERT JEROME FENECH
