I, like many others have followed what has been going on in the Cyrus Engerer saga for these last couple of weeks and I must admit that I got myself spinning right round. Consequently, I thought I should share some reflections of my own.
1. The way Edgar Galea Curmi, Head of the PM’s secretariat dealt with the issue does not bother me at all. Initially I reacted the same way as many people had done, that is, asking whether Galea Curmi should have called the Commissioner Rizzo. In many other countries this might have led to people raising eyebrows, but let’s face it we are a different breed altogether. The way I see it, as long as no pressure has been placed on the police to administer the case in a different way from that expected in such circumstances I have no problem with the Head of the PM’s secretariat consulting with the Commissioner – I’m sure he is doing this all the time with other key persons in various establishments. Nonetheless, I am sure it is high time that procedures are in place to guarantee transparency (we are a developed and modern country rught?!).
2. It comforts me to know that we have access to people high up the ranks that are there to listen and possibly act. Politicians, from the Minister right down to the Local Councilors all have to assume a role of ‘customer care’. At some point in time ‘all or most’ have sent an email, met up or spoke to some politician on the phone on an issue close to heart, a service to be rendered, a promotion that needs to be confirmed, advise on how to have ‘their’ loved ones admitted to an old people’s home and the list goes on.
3. More often than not we applaud MPs and people in the political front line that are close ‘to the citizens’ – and this means that Ministers and all those in decision making positions are being chased to ensure that something they feel they a have a right to happens. Having secretariats that are person centered, I admit, has its risks – but it is also an asset I am ready to gamble with. Advocating and brokering on behalf of the people makes perfect sense – putting pressure and changing the course of action to make it go your way is a definite no go.
4. The timing issue is beyond recognition. I very much doubt if political parties had an interest in messing this up for Cyrus. Possibly an individual within a Party or somebody who wants some mud to stick – that I can see. Nothing beyond that to me.
5. Somebody please tell me where the leakage came from. Was it the Court registry, the Inspector, the administrative staff at the Police headquarters? Somebody needs to point this out to me. Whilst I do not know Cyrus or any of his exploits I still think that Cyrus in front of all of Malta is now guilty up to his nose, his reputation tarnished, his political career in the balance and this once rising star has turned into a falling meteorite.
6. Whether Article 518 of the Criminal Code and article 39 (4) (c) (ii) of the Constitution have been breached or not will get us into a legal squabble. The truth of the matter is whether it is acceptable for journalists to leak/share such documents even if situations are at a stage of investigation? The way I see it, journalists have a right to inform, to investigate, to make known but what interest does anyone have on how Cyrus positioned his wide angle? I really find that distasteful, bad journalism and gives way to a dangerous precedent.
Read also: Saving Private Lives
Ghandi xi Nghid 
Andrew, the way I see it is that this country needs a clear shake-up to ensure transparency. I find it hard to believe that there is no collusion between government, judiciary and the public administration. All this comes from colonial times where we had innocent people hanged and other scandals that Britain, the cradle of democracy, ignored in the name of imperialism. There are certain quarters in this country who learned the lessons from the ex-colonizers and use the same tactics against its own people. That is pure power. Remember how the courts were used immediately after 1987 to punish all those people who were not obedient to the new powers. Remember all the leaks given to certain sections of the press to demonise certain people who did not conform. That is the catch phrase, conform or die (metaphorically).
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