Robert the Weak

Robert I, popularly known as Robert the Bruce, was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. He led Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against England and is considered a national hero.

Malta has Robert the Weak, anointed by his corrupt predecessor as the new prime minister. From the very beginning of his tenure, he proclaimed that his will be a ‘continuity’ government. Yet he has tried to make us believe that the sun started to shine on Malta from January 2020, though everything pretty much remained the same.

The independent inquiry into the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia concluded that the  State was responsible for her murder, it failed to recognise the real risks to the journalist’s life and did not succeed in taking the reasonable steps to avoid these risks. But Robert the Weak can’t disown his predecessor.

The prime minister is too weak to remove Carmelo Abela from office. When rumours started circulating that a sitting minister was an accomplice in the HSBC heist in 2010, the prime minister told journalists there was no name mentioned. Now, three criminals who took part in the holdup have named Carmelo Abela, who was a bank manager at the time.  But Robert the Weak still won’t take action against his minister.

Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis was in regular contact with the man accused of murdering journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia – Yorgen Fenech – even after it was known that the businessman is the owner of 17 Black, the company through which Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi were to receive €5,000 each every day thanks to the Electrogas deal.

With more than 700 WhatsApp chats between them, the minister wants the Ġaħans of this rock to believe that he had no relationship or business whatsoever with Fenech. Yet in January 2019, after the courts did not accept then-opposition leader Simon Busuttil’s request for an inquiry about kickbacks being paid to Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi through 17 Black, Robert Abela and Edward Zammit Lewis held a press conference saying that Busuttil was “a threat to the rule of law” and that he should be ashamed on himself.

Just after the press conference Zammit Lewis sent the link of the press conference to Fenech followed by a WhatsApp message: “OK, my friend.” Zammit Lewis is now claiming that he has the backing of his prime minister.

As the country was still reeling from the shock of the news, Robert Abela went on his annual summer holiday in Sicily where he keeps his luxury yacht. Konrad Mizzi, Joseph Muscat, Ian Abdilla, Neville Gafa, Lawrence Cutajar, Peter Grech and la bella compania are still as free as birds as long as there is no sign of any action against them from the police commissioner.

Malta’s own Robert will not be honoured as a national hero.