Joseph Muscat: History will certainly not forget

Arnold Cassola is Chairperson Momentum

Labour Party International Secretary John Grech, in a opinion piece last August, waxed lyrical about Joseph Muscat’s achievements. His article forms part of the concerted efforts by Joseph Muscat afficionados to whitewash the perception of their invictus hero.

Grech concluded his article by stating: “History doesn’t remember slogans. It remembers results.”

And indeed, history does not forget. That is why no matter the number of whitewashing articles, posts and manoeuvres by the Muscat acolytes are uploaded, they will not be able to wash away the very serious situation Joseph Muscat got himself into. Indeed, history remembers results and does not forget.

Let me just refresh the memories of Muscat’s disciples on some of the events which, in any democratic country, would spell the end of a politician’s career and trigger off a speedy summons in front of the country’s law courts.

Before Muscat got to know that Yorgen Fenech was suspected of being the mastermind of Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination:

• In 2014, Joseph Muscat and Edward Zammit Lewis holidayed at the Evian Les Bains Hilton in France owned by Yorgen Fenech. Muscat’s failure to answer the question whether he stayed for free at the hotel answers it all. Prime ministers of democratic countries are not supposed to accept such gifts from business people they are supposed to be regulating.

• In December 2014, Joseph Muscat accepted an expensive Bulgari watch from Yorgen Fenech. The watch was worth €20,000. Accepting gifts from people who may have an interest in your decision making goes against the ministerial code of ethics. In democratic countries, prime ministers would be immediately kicked out for such behaviour.

• In 2015, Muscat travelled together with Yorgen Fenech to the Pilatus boss wedding in Firenze, both staying at the Roccoforte Hotel.

• On 6 December 2017, Muscat opened a private WhatsApp group between himself, Yorgen Fenech, and Keith Schembri. This was one day after the arrest and arraignment of three hitmen in Caruana Galizia’s assassination.

After Joseph Muscat got to know that Yorgen Fenech was suspected of being the mastermind in Caruana Galizia’s murder, around August 2018:

• In January 2019, Muscat invited to his birthday party the suspected assassination mastermind and continued to socialise and party with him.

• In February 2019, Muscat accepted as a gift from Fenech, three Petrus wine bottles worth at least €5,000.

• Muscat’s bodyguard, Kenneth Camilleri, revealed that when in 2019 he informed Muscat that Keith Schembri had sent him to calm down the killers, Muscat answered ‘aħjar ma nkun naf b’xejn’ (‘it’s better of I know nothing’).

• The cherry on the cake to all the above came in December 2020 when Keith Schembri swore under oath that he “never did anything behind Joseph Muscat’s back”. Similarly, Konrad Mizzi swore: “I always got the go ahead from the prime minister; I consulted with him and information was given to Cabinet. For every major decision, the prime minister was informed and he gave the go ahead. I sought his direction.”

The acolytes of the delinquent Joseph Muscat can continue with their whitewashing exercise but it is all useless because as the PL international secretary rightly stated: “History remembers results... and history never forgets.”