We’ve seen people getting paid €55,000 out of our taxes for a job that no one really knows about, and had those people openly support a political party.

We’ve seen property change hands under dubious circumstances. We’ve seen the documents available to us that show, at the very least, mechanisms for one massive tax dodge. So why is it that Muscat still enjoys the trust of the majority of the electorate?

First we are told that there is nothing wrong with having companies in Panama, only to hear that the whole story of Egrant is made up by a Russian spy in paint the PM in a bad light even though he previously said there was nothing wrong with it.

While there is evidence that intelligence agencies did say Russia was up to something in Malta, it is difficult to believe that they had planned to send a spy months before getting angry with Malta over something Muscat didn’t want to do but did due to pressure from other countries. Yes, it should be a very simple black and white, open and shut case. Unfortunately it isn’t.

When I read the statistics published showing that Muscat has a higher trust rating, I scratch my head in disbelief. How on earth can you trust Muscat? The man has simply lost the plot. The man who doesn’t want to show up in front of the committee to prove his innocence doesn’t look so innocent in the process, and yet still he is ‘trusted’.

I have thought long and hard about why this might be the case, and nothing came up. Nothing, that is, until I started talking to other people. Their opinions are not shared by me at all. However, it was interesting to listen to them speak, and by listen I mean listen intently. As they spoke about their concern with Dr Busutill, I started to identify something far more sinister lurking beneath

There seems to be some sort of confusion with the meaning of the word ‘trust’. There are two meanings, in fact. Both closely linked and yet very different. The first is based on compassion and discretion. Like trusting someone not to tell a secret, it is about having faith that someone will not betray you. That’s what I understand by the word ‘trust’, and no I do not trust Muscat.

But the second one is slightly more telling, and I believe needs to be clarified. The word ‘trust’ can also be used when you are confident someone will be able to do something. For example, you trust the surgeon will know how to operate, or not trusting someone without a pilot’s licence to fly a plane.

The latter is not born of suspicion and shadiness. The person in question may be a very good person indeed. However, it is their abilities to do something correctly that are being brought into question. And I believe it is this meaning that is being understood when people answer the question “Do you trust Dr Busutill?’ 


Still, even with that definition it is an open and shut case right? Wrong, because now we must look into what it is that makes people think someone is capable of being a leader rather than whether or not they tell the truth. People’s idea of what leadership differs from person to person, but also from culture to culture.

As I listened to people talking about ‘trust’ and ‘leadership’ I understood what it was that is giving Muscat this lead: chauvinism. People in Malta think bolshiness, arrogance, roughness and your ability to throw your weight around as being typical ‘male’ qualities someone expects from a leader.

There are so many different leadership styles, all equally effective. But the one expected by many in Malta is not one you will find in a self-help book mainly because it is sexist and derogatory. It’s not their fault.

Often we hold irrational biases and opinions that are wrong without knowing. But I think it is about time we pointed this out. Maltese people are often guided by outdated ideas of masculinity.

You can see this in the way Glenn Beddingfield uses homophobic terms to taunt and tease Dr Busutill, trying to bring his sexuality into question when no one cares and it shouldn’t be an issue anyway.

People buy into the Labour Party’s propaganda which pushes the image of Dr Busutill as being ‘weak’ because it is fuelled by the sexist and chauvinistic ideas about masculinity in Malta, which sets itself off from the perceived ‘shame’ of being a woman. That’s right, the most feminist government in Malta’s history rides the wave of chauvinism to get ahead.

Simon Busutill is a perfectly capable individual. No one needs a rough, rude, and arrogant man to lead them. You need dependable and logical people. People who know what they are doing and undnerstand how to get things done. Muscat is none of these things.

Remember, you don’t ask to see the pilot in order to trust that they can fly the plane. You just need to know they are qualified to do so. No one needs a manly man to carry out surgery, just a competent doctor. Say no to chauvinism, and if someone asks if you think Dr Busutill is trustworthy, tell them that he is.