"Don't worry, be happy" says Robert Abela

Gavin Muscat

It seems as if the casual and apathetic attitudes that have been criticised in the past months have gotten to Prime Minister Robert Abela whose recent statements seem to enforce his populist views. At first, it was only fair that we wait and see how he performs his role as prime minister. After all, he had just taken the hot seat from the supposedly resigning Joseph Muscat and in the first months of his tenure, he had to face a pandemic that was totally unexpected.

However, his statement about how the hypothetical concept of the second wave of a pandemic has not gone down well with health workers and citizens. Abela brushed off the questions about the second wave and claimed that the only waves that he could see were in the sea. It seems as if Abela needs to brush up on his history. 

The icing on the cake was the announcement that people who had been fined in the past months for gathering in groups larger than two (and then four), would be refunded and he went on to say that these people were not criminals but had made genuine mistakes. The announcement was met with backlash from a large amount of people who felt that the work of the health authorities and the police had been completely wasted. Personally, while I may agree that these people are not criminals, there is simply no logical reason to refund the fines. 100 euro is not a large enough amount that would cripple a person financially but it should have served a rightful punishment for those who chose to ignore the rules. 

In conclusion, it seems as if arrogance is back on the political menu and only time will tell whether Robert Abela will be able to gain more trust from the Maltese people who have been worried sick if the pandemic gets worse. 

The death of Maltese journalism?

Gavin Muscat

An unexpected pandemic was certainly something that would have impacted nearly every industry in the world and for the first time in decades, Malta has faced one of its toughest challenges yet. Newly elected Prime Minister Robert Abela has had to face a worthy opponent in his first months and his performance has garnered mixed reviews.

However, there is no doubt that the nation will be able to pull itself out of this mess but one industry that may not survive the battle is the local journalism industry. Newspaper sales have obviously decreased due to the pandemic and the advertising rates, which were already lacking, have been diminished as companies have been forced to put their focus on other areas for now.

Plans have already been announced to include financial aid for media organisations but much more has to be done in order to ensure that the media outlets are left with no resources when the pandemic fades away. The lack of trust from the average Maltese reader presents a problem that no amount of money may solve and unfortunately, the numerous conspiracy theories that litter Facebook and poison the minds of our elderly are of no help to true media outlets. 

The appointment of medical figurehead Charmaine Gauci was seen as a great move as her presence seemed to calm the masses who were cooped up in the houses. Her responses to the incoming questions from hearty reporters were rather enigmatic at times and it was clear that she was not able to disclose anything she wanted but in these conditions, it seems as if we will look back on her occupation as therapist for your Maltese family quite well.

It may difficult to admit it for some people but the need for quick journalism has never been this sought for in the past. The worries of readers were quite prominent on local social media and it has got me thinking whether it would be right to assume whether journalism has proven itself to be an essential service during the COVID-19 pandemic. John Lorinc thinks so...