Repubblika expresses deep concern and dismay at Prime Minister Robert Abela’s statement that businesses operating with illegal structures will still qualify for public storm-damage funds, because – in his words – “being in line with the law will be treated as a separate matter” when livelihoods are at stake.
This statement signifies a grave breakdown of the fundamental principles of governance.
When the Prime Minister tells the country that the rule of law is less important than electoral convenience, he is no longer acting as the guardian of the public interest but as the head of a clientelist system, where public funds are used to reward those who break the law.
Let us be clear: people’s livelihoods matter. But the law exists precisely to ensure that livelihoods are protected fairly, safely, and sustainably. If businesses operate illegally, whether by building without permits, ignoring planning rules, or evading regulatory controls, that is not an act of survival; it is an act of unfair competition against those who follow the rules.
A government that permits illegal activities to thrive has already failed. A government that then funds them with taxpayers’ money worsens that failure.
The Prime Minister’s argument falls apart under even the simplest test of logic. We do not provide state benefits to criminals because they have families to support. We do not fund unlawful activities with public money. Yet, that is precisely the principle now being advocated for illegal businesses.
This policy punishes law-abiding enterprises twice: first, by making them cover the costs of compliance; second, by forcing them to fund, through their taxes, the rescue of competitors who have broken the law. This is not compassion. It is institutionalised unfairness.
Even more troubling is the political motive behind it. With an election approaching, the Prime Minister is openly daring anyone to oppose him, because he knows that those who benefit from this misuse of public funds will feel indebted to him. That is the very essence of clientelism, turning taxpayers’ money into electoral support.
The message aimed at society couldn’t be more destructive: Break the law, ignore permits, dodge regulation, and when disaster occurs, the government will still cover your losses.
So, what are laws actually for?
Repubblika asserts that emergency aid should be allocated only to those in genuine need, not to illegal operations. Any public assistance must depend on full adherence to the law. The state should safeguard honest businesses, not subsidise those that undermine them.
The storm caused damage. But it is the Prime Minister’s words that are causing lasting harm to the rule of law, fairness, and public trust in Malta.