No ‘ifs’ or ‘buts’, Mallia must go

As the minister responsible for Home Affairs, Manuel Mallia is responsible for the same police force which finds itself investigating its own members over a series of alleged illegalities related to the shooting incident involving the minister’s driver Paul Sheehan, including the deletion of parts of an arrest report and allegations of tampering with evidence.

The police is already prosecuting the minister’s driver in the case, which may drag on for months, complicated as it is by the delay in Sheehan’s arraignment. 

During the next weeks and months the police will be expected to work in full serenity. By staying on as minister, Mallia would make the atmosphere less and less serene.

If Mallia remains minister the police force will face a massive public perception problem, for any case related to this investigation will be overshadowed by Mallia’s towering presence as the minister ultimately responsible for the police force. This could lead to public scepticism on any step taken by the police force to establish criminal responsibility in this case. 

It could also fuel conspiracy theories that further destabilise the institutions of the country. For ultimately the police will find themselves investigating a case which directly impacts on the fortunes of the minister, under whose remit they fall.

The only way to avoid this situation is for Mallia to resign and for a new minister completely unconnected to the incident to take over.

The board of inquiry composed of three retired magistrates may establish if and who was directly responsible for the alleged cover-up of facts on the night of the incident. But it is the Prime Minister who has to establish whether Mallia carries any political responsibility for the sheer fact that a person in his trust acted in a way which the PM himself described as “disgusted”.

Moreover over the past days, Mallia has continued to bask in the public spotlight, addressing a public consultation meeting, which was turned into a show of support for the minister. 

From purely rational considerations, the Prime Minister’s choice is one between sacking Mallia from the Cabinet entirely or taking the police portfolio from him and keep him on as a diminished minister. 

The latter option would still be questionable as it would give the impression that PM still considers Mallia as worthy of his trust; but it would at least relieve the police force from an embarrassing situation which is eroding public trust in the institutions.

The alternative scenario, that of Mallia being kept in his post, is simply unthinkable, as it would mean months of public speculation and partisan jostling on whether the actions of the police force are meant to establish truth or to rehabilitate the name of the Home Affairs Minister.