Gideb fil-politika

Li fil-politika, interna u esterna, jintużaw il-gideb biex jinkisbu vantaġġi tattiċi, ġieli strateġiċi, hu fatt. Jintużaw kemm minn fuq nett, kemm mis-saffi “medji” ta’ organizzazzjoni politika li jimmuntaw l-ħidmiet kontra l-avversarji.

F’pajjiżna l-PN kien sal-lum perċimes f’dan l-aspett tal-operat politiku, bil-barka jekk mhux ukoll bl-inizjattiva ta’ min kien fuq nett. Imbagħad xibka ta’ kuntatti privileġġjati fost professuri u prelati, avukati u persuni fl-oqsma tal-qrati, tan-negozju u taċ-ċivil, kienu jaraw kif jgħattu u jilleġittimizzaw. Forsi waħda mill-akbar kisbiet tal-amministrazzjoni preżenti Laburista tinsab f’li xaqqaq din l-omertà.

Pereżempju, ħadd barra l-kamp Laburista ma kien ikkritika lil Eddie Fenech Adami meta f’xandira televiżiva lejliet il-vot referendarju dwar sħubija fl-Unjoni Ewropea, stqarr li jien kont żammejt lil ibnu milli jidħol l-università. Għamilha f’mument meta kien prattikament impossibbli li twassal iċ-ċaħda lill-poplu. U kienet gidba sfaċċata.

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DATI

Kieku l-aħħar elezzjoni saret fi żmienha, ir-rapport tal-investigazzjoni ġudizjarja fuq il-każ tal-Egrant xorta kien jixxandar wara li tkun inżammet. Fil-frattemp, il-magna ta’ propaganda tal-PN kienet tibqa’ tfajjar l-akkużi u timmonta t-tmaqdir lill-gvern minn barra l-pajjiż matul kampanja elettorali mtawla.

Imxiet hekk wara li tilfet l-elezzjoni b’marġini rekord. Aħseb u ara kieku kienet għadha qed tistenna elezzjoni riesqa. Kull allegazzjoni kienet tingħata widen, kull invenzjoni ssir verità u min jivventa l-aktar, jispiċċa l-akbar qaddis… waqt li l-investigazzjoni tkun għadha għaddejja.

Kienet deċiżjoni mill-aktar għaqlija tal-Prim Ministru Muscat li jsejjaħ elezzjoni bikrija, anke jekk b’hekk issagrifika sena mill-mandat ta’ tmexxija li diġà kellu. Imblokka l-opportunità ta’ taħwid l-imħuħ li kienet infetħet u li l-Oppożizzjoni żgur kienet tapprofitta ruħha minnha bla skruplu ta’ xejn.

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DUMAS U HOLMES

Sirt naf b’Jean d’Aillon meta sibt f’ħanut ir-rumanz storiku u polizjesk tiegħu “Il-konġettura ta’ Fermat” imqiegħed fi Franza tal-ewwel nofs tas-seklu sbatax – bid-didektiv Louis Fronsac bħala protagonist. Dwaru, d’Aillon kiteb sensiela ta’ rumanzi fejn l-intriċċi storiċi jitħalltu ma’ misterju li jrid jinħall malajr malajr.

Inħarġu fl-Ewropa numru ta’ rumanzi tat-tip ta’ Fronsac, f’linja mal-moda li issa ilha tinfirex mill-Iskandinavja sal-Greċja u usa’, ta’ thrillers polizjeski u stejjer moderni tad-didektivs… uħud b’xeħta “storika”.

F’“Fermat”, d’Aillon idaħħlek fl-intriċċi tal-qorti rjali Franċiża, dominata mill-Prim Ministru tar-renju, l-kardinal Mazarin. Il-kodiċi li jintuża biex jintbagħtu l-messaġġi sigrieti lir-rappreżentanti tar-re spiċċa f’idejn l-għadu. Fronsac imur għand il-matematiku magħruf Fermat biex jgħinu jilqa’ għal dil-problema. In-nisġa donnha taħlita ta’ Alexandre Dumas u Sherlock Holmes. Ma tibbrillax imma teċċella fid-dettalji tal-ħajja ta’ kuljum f’Pariġi, erba’ mitt sena ilu.

English Version – Lies and politics

It is a fact that in the conduct of politics, both internal to a country or externally, lies are used as a tool to secure tactical, and sometimes strategic, gains. They are deployed both by the top echelons of a political organization, as well as by its “middle” strata which are tasked to mountattack activities against adversaries.

To date here in Malta, the PN has been robust in this aspect of political operations, with the blessing of those at the top, when indeed they did not actually trigger the initial impetus. In their wake, a network of privileged contacts among professors and prelates, lawyers and persons involved in the courts, business and the civil service, would take action to create camouflage for what was going on and to legitimise. Perhaps one of the biggest achievements of the present Labour administration has been to fracture this solidarity.

For instance, no critical voice was ever raised outside the Labour camp when Eddie Fenech Adami claimed that I had prevented his son from entering University, and this at the end of a televised debate on the eve of the referendum on Malta’s entry into the EU. He did it just when it was practically impossible to communicate a denial to the people at large. And it was an outright lie.

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Dates

If the last election had been held when it should have been, the report of the magisterial enquiry on the Egrant case would still have then been pending. Meanwhile, the PN’s propaganda machine would have continued to fire accusations and to mobilise anti-government allegations from abroad, all this right through an extended electoral campaign.

This is how the PN proceeded since, after having lost an election with a record margin. Just imagine how it would have acted while awaiting an election. Every allegation would have been given right of way, every statement would have become the certified truth and whoever made the most outrageous claims, would have been considered holier than the holiest… even as the judicial investigation developed in camera.

Prime Minister Muscat made a very wise decision when he called for an early election, even if this meant he would be sacrificing a year of the governing mandate he had already won. In this way, he blocked any opportunity for the Opposition to confuse people, which it would have certainly exploited to the full, with no scruples at all.

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Dumas & Holmes

I got to know about Jean d’Aillon when I discovered in a shop one of his historical-cum-police novels “The Fermat hypothesis”, set in early seventeenth century France. The protagonist is Louis Fronsac, a detective about whom d’Aillon has written a series of novels in which historical intrigues mesh with a mystery that needs to be solved as soon as possible.

In Europe quite a number of novels in the Fronsac mode have been published, in line with a fashion that has for some time beenspreading from Scandinavia to Greece and beyond, one that highlights police thrillers and modern detective stories, some with a “historical” background.

In “Fermat”, d’Aillon introduces us to the intrigues within the French royal establishment, dominated by the kingdom’s Prime Minister Cardinal Mazarin. The codes being used to transmit messages to the King’s negotiators have been penetrated by the enemy. Fronsac visits the renowned mathematician Fermat to ask for his help in countering this problem. The plot feels like a mix of Alexandre Dumas and Sherlock Holmes. It is not tops but the description of details in the everyday life of Paris four hundred years ago is excellent.