In his short life, Kurt Cobain left us many musical treasures, he can also be credited for uttering some very important quotes which shall be quoted for many years to come. One of these quotes is one that has inspired me to always be vociferous, challenging and always willing to stand up for what’s right. Kurt has told us that “The duty of youth is to challenge corruption.”
Today we’re living in a surreal situation. We live in a country where within 28 months we ended up living in a situation where everywhere you look at, is directly controlled or influenced by the inner labour core (from here onwards I shall refer to these as “Taghnalkollers”). Starting from the very, very top, we have ministers for everything. A huge cabinet, the best ever cabinet according to our prime minister. Surrounded around these ministers we have huge teams of ministry officials, helpers, informants, drivers etc. All of whom are politically appointed as positions of trust. Such positions of trust expand to dog trainers. Then we move on to government entities, in which everyone from the chairman down to the very last cleaner has been appointed by the government. After that we move on to the parastatal entities and even to the companies in which the government has a stake in. All surrounded by taghnalkollers, jobs for the boys everywhere you see.
Such an unbelaveble situation created a scenario where it also spills in the private sector. Nowadays you’ll hear business man discussing about a potential investment and halfway through the conversation they will question whether the company they are going in business with has been taghnalkollised (yes, it’s a verb now too!) The problem is that if it has been taghnalkollised all of a sudden the variables changed. All of a sudden a taghnalkollised venture will automatically be granted any permit that it requires, things move faster and rules can be slightly (and in some occasions obscenely bent) to accommodate the ultimate benefactor, thus to accommodate a taghnalkoller.
Due to the Joseph Muscat’s uncrouplous management of replacing everyone that isn’t an outspoken labourite with a taghnalkoller we ended up in a situation in which in order to move on in life you need to either be a taghnalkoller or else you know one that can help you. The status quo we live in today is so depressing that it’s even worse than the Mintoff’s dark days. Back in Mintoff’s regime corruption was wide spread, it was everywhere. Today Muscat managed to take it one notch further. Today corruption is the rule of the day. Everything you do, everywhere you do is tainted with corruption.
We’re stuck with a government that has a minister that while he was discussing his golden handshake with BOV, at the very same time he was involved in deal on behalf of the government with the same bank. Isn’t that conflict of interest? Isn’t that the very basic thing that we were thought to argue against? We are living in a time where the very same minister has been abroad with a contractor that at the very same time was negotiating an illicit deal at Castile to rob the Maltese of hundreds of thousands of euros in the Strada Zekka scandal.
We’re living in a country in which the government is willing to decrease the standard level of our universities to accommodate a consortium to give them a huge piece of virgin land to build a so-called University that includes a hotel and a large number flats. We’re living in a country in which the government decided to sell Enemalta to the Chinese after Joseph Muscat signed off many various lands to Enemalta thus making Enemalta a worthy entity. We’re living in a country in which the government gave 4.3 million Euros to a friend of his to vacate the very same premises that the government owed. These above mentioned scandals are only the tip of the iceberg, only a few of the scandals that are happening daily around us.
This brings me back to my opening quote. “The duty of youth is to challenge corruption.” I urge all the youths to stand together and shout against corruption. To challenge what’s wrong and to stand up to the counted. Malta deserve better, this is not what the Maltese were promised by Joseph Muscat in 2013. Joseph Muscat promised us a fair Malta, a Malta in which it doesn’t matter who you know but its important how much you know, Joseph Muscat promised us that we’ll live in meritocratic country, Joseph Muscat promised us that Malta will be Taghna Lkoll. For a moment, back in March 2013, I thought that Muscat’s perfect words would be delivered, for a moment I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, however that moment only lasted a few days. As of day 1 we started seeing these obscenities and the beautiful promises of a fair Malta faded away like morning dew.
This needs to stop! The government can’t continue ruining this country with corruption. Once again I urge the youths to take lead and be vociferous against anything that is not right. One voice will whittle away and will be lost however if we congregate together we can become a strong movement, a shining hope for this country!
