The epitome of champagne socialism – Joe Azzopardi

Reacting to criticism by former Malta Labour Party and Partit Laburista heavyweights about  ‘blatant corruption’, ‘fraud and money laundering’, ‘massive deception’ and ‘social injustices’, Robert Abela solemnly declared that he is a Socialist and censored the claim that his party is ‘representing first and foremost the interests of big business’.

Socialism is a social and economic doctrine that calls for property and natural resources to be publicly, rather than privately, owned. According to the socialist view, individuals do not live or work in isolation but cooperate with one another.

Furthermore, everything that people produce is, in some sense, a social product, and everyone who contributes to the production of a good is entitled to a share in it. Society as a whole, therefore, should own or at least control property for the benefit of all its members.

This conviction puts socialism in opposition to capitalism, which is based on the private ownership of the means of production and allows individual choices in a free market to determine how goods and services are distributed.

Socialists complain that capitalism necessarily leads to unfair and exploitative concentrations of wealth and power in the hands of the relative few who emerge victorious from the free-market competition — people who then use their wealth and power to reinforce their social dominance.

Because such people are rich, they may choose where and how to live, and their choices, in turn, limit the options of the poor. As a result, terms such as ‘individual freedom’ and ‘equality of opportunity’ may be meaningful for capitalists. Still, they can only ring hollow for working people, who must do the capitalists’ bidding to survive.

Our premier’s lifestyle is far from socialist. Here are some examples:

In 2017, Robert Abela and his wife bought a villa in Żejtun, named Ċinja, after the previous owner secured a regularisation permit. The property was acquired for €600,000 just a few months after it was regularised by the Planning Authority and freed from restrictions for its sale due to several illegal alterations, including the doubling of its size.

The agreement with the previous owner stipulated that the Abelas would only purchase the property if and when all illegalities were sanctioned.  The Planning Authority sanctioned all illegalities and gave the green light in July 2017 against the payment of a small fine. The sprawling fully-detached 2,270 square metre property includes endless gardens, a pool, and a large property built in an Outside Development Zone. Robert Abela was counsel to the PA at the time.

Investigations carried out by The Shift News confirmed that the Abelas paid only €30,000 in tax as there was no inspection carried out by Inland Revenue architects to assess if the Abelas had under-declared the value of the property.

This could be a case of tax evasion. No agent fees were paid because the Abelas purchased the property directly from the owners.

In July 2022, the Abelas applied for permission to demolish the existing villa and animal enclosures and construct a new villa having a basement garage and an overlying residence, a pool and landscaping on the more than 2,200 square metre property.

Robert Abela is the proud owner of a luxury yacht, an Azimuth 50 Fly, a prestigious brand estimated to have a value of between €300,000 and €900,000. He keeps the Baloo III at Marina Ragusa in Sicily. The yacht costs up to €20,000 a year to maintain, including berthing, maintenance and upkeep.

Such a boat usually consumes some 200 litres of fuel per hour of use. It is a mystery why our prime minister chose not to berth his yacht in Malta and travel with the catamaran whenever he felt like an ice cream.

More examples of a champagne socialist?

Prime Minister Robert Abela and his wife Lydia recently filed an application with the Planning Authority to convert their farmhouse in Xewkija into a large residence with seven double bedrooms, a pool, wine cellar, spa and gym facilities.

When, not if, the Planning Authority issues the permit, the Abelas will construct an underground gym, wine cellar and pool and additional rooms so that every bedroom will have an en suite bathroom. Not a family summer retreat, more like a boutique hotel.

As Winston Churchill once said, “Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance and the gospel of envy.”