Editorial 07/07/2002

Never a dull moment

This country is not renowned for having a culture of resignations. Temples may be defaced, files can go missing, customers can be treated badly and nobody, anywhere in authority shoulders responsibility for the misdeeds that go on. The word ‘resign’ is as alien to the Maltese context as blistering heat is to Antarctica.

In this scenario it is inevitable that when a resignation of some sorts is announced it creates a media flurry.

Nobody was expecting Mario Cutajar’s sudden departure from the General Workers’ Union. It came as a summer surprise. Not that Mario Cutajar’s personal clash with Tony Zarb was not public knowledge. There was evident friction between the two, but nothing on the horizon pointed toward a sudden rift.

To make matters more complicated no official reason was given for the resignation. This is another lacuna of Maltese culture. We have no resignation culture and when it does happen a silly excuse is given, if at all. It would be puerile to believe that the media will not pounce on such a move and hiding the facts will only contribute to speculation.

This week MaltaToday journalists were all frantic trying to get in touch with Mario Cutajar, Tony Zarb, Tony Coleiro and other union people to probe deeper into the resignation ‘mystery’.

They did talk to us but they kept the cards close to their chest with a ‘no comment’ reply characterising each telephone conversation.

Alas, with Mario Cutajar’s departure, given his very close relationship with Labour leader Alfred Sant, it seems that the union would distance itself more from the Labour Party. Ever since Tony Zarb’s election to the union’s highest post the union has had a love-hate relationship with the Labour Party.

Despite his militant background Tony Zarb tried to veer the union toward a less militant and more moderate standing when first elected in 1998. The moderation effort coupled with the union’s wait-and-see attitude in the EU debate did not go down too well with the Labour Party still bitter about its premature exit from government.

Inevitably the union had to face internal pressures - secretaries wanting a more militant approach that would only go down too well with the Labour Opposition and others who understood that the country was going through a period of change that required a strong but flexible union.

The GWU’s internal differences were exposed in March last year when the La Salle controversy erupted. Tony Zarb had to face the tune of two different sections in the union with conflicting positions on the La Salle issue. It was the union’s moderate wing that won the day then.

We may never know the full truth behind Mario Cutajar’s resignation. The union has certainly lost one of its brain boxes. But if Mario Cutajar’s resignation has all to do with the MLP-GWU saga it may equally have been prompted by fierce turf battles between the central administration and the section secretaries.

After all this summer may not be that dull. Who will make the next move?