This country and its prominent persons with many hats are just plain ridiculous and offensive

I think it’s about time that editors in general took a decision on how these things should be reported. Gavin Gulia is Gavin Gulia is Gavin Gulia. Luciano Busuttil is LUciano Busuttil is Luciano Busuttil. Franco Debono is Franco Debono is Franco Debono.

They are not different people depending on which hat they happen to be wearing on that particular occasion.

Gavin Gulia is chairman of the Malta Tourism Authority 24 hours a day, even when he is the bathroom or defending clients in court.

Franco Debono is president of the Law Commission 24 hours a day, even when he is having one of his frequent off-days or strutting in and out of courtrooms.

Luciano Busuttil is chairman of the Malta Sports Council 24 hours a day, even when he is being ridiculous on Facebook or arguing a case for drug-dealers.

We can’t have this anymore. It’s just not on. It’s bad enough that it’s being done. The least that newspapers should do is force the issue – at least a debate about the issue – by defining these individuals for what they really are.

Last week the chairman of the Malta Tourism Authority and the chairman of the Malta Sports Council (the latter is also a member of parliament) defended a couple of drug-dealers in court and the newspapers reported that their defence counsel was made up of “lawyers Luciano Busuttil and Gavin Gulia”.

No, no, no – “their defence counsel was made up of the chairman of the Malta Tourism Authority and the chairman of the Malta Sports Council, who are lawyers”.

This country will not move on unless newspapers help push it forwards. We can’t rely on politicians of whatever stripe to do anything about this absurd situation because they all have a vested interest in maintaining it and will seek to justify it. They prop each other up on this matter at least, otherwise the Opposition should be among the first to rip into this complete absurdity.