Union chief: “Panamagate draws black cloud over Malta…this is a government of crises”

Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin boss Josef Vella has written in the Union’s weekly publication that the Panamagate scandal has drawn a black cloud over Malta.

It is the latest and greatest in a run of scandals, he said, “with one crisis following rapidly on the heels of another”.

“New revelations being made every day,” he said. “Even the way the facts of this case are coming to light in itself denotes a crisis…This government is characterised by crises.”

“How long can we go on like this?” he wrote. “What impact will this have on Malta? We must understand that this will not have only a direct impact on politics, but it will also dent people’s faith in politicians. It will have an effect on industry, the economy, the job market and investments – they are all inter-linked.”

The union chief warns that events in Malta are being monitored closely outside Malta. “Investors do not materialise out of thin air. They generally spend quite a long time observing what is happening in the country before deciding to invest. A good environment for investment is not created simply with facts and figures. It is important that we stay out of the news as much as possible. When these crises are reported in the news day in day out, they draw a black cloud over the island that does not do us much good in terms of attracting investment.”

The Prime Minister: his is a government characterised by crises and scandals.