The Law Commissioner: it’s no longer funny, not that it ever was

Unless our politicians are happy to encourage the fast-growing belief that Malta is nothing but a corrupt joke, the Opposition should get cracking and ask some serious questions in parliament about the government’s Law Commissioner.

Journalists, politicians and due-diligence firms all over Europe (and in some cases, beyond) are keeping an eye on what’s going on here, and the days when stories were printed only by physical newspapers and stayed in Malta are long gone.

To people outside Malta – and, to those Maltese with their head screwed on right – Franco Debono is not Franco Debono, a circus act or caged monkey who nobody dares poke no matter how obscenely bad his behaviour is. He is the Maltese government’s formally appointed Law Reform Commissioner.

It is absolutely inconceivable that a senior government official, appointed directly by the Prime Minister to high office with grave responsibilities, would behave like this in any other civilised country. It is still more inconceivable that the press and politicians – government and Opposition – would simply ignore the horrendous behaviour on the basis that “Oh, it’s Franco Debono and we all know he’s disturbed.”

He’s not Franco Debono. He’s the Law Reform Commissioner. The Opposition and the press have got to get a grip and begin demanding answers from Muscat on what he plans to do about his Law Reform Commissioner. And if the other members of the government had any backbone, they would do the same. But there isn’t one spine between the lot of them.