Usually, somebody intentionally stays away from an event to make a statement, especially an event to which they have been invited or which is in their interest to attend. When the Nationalist Party boycotted parliament in the early 1980s it was to protest for having the right to govern snatched away from it. One can only conclude that the reason why no government representative was present for the launch of new proposals to improve standards in public life was because they do not like them. Or, as independent activist Arnold Cassola put it during the event, they want to make it clear that, since they are in power, they can do as they please. This was yet another practical example of how, under Labour, the institutions work to Labour’s tune. The absence was not excused by an OPM spokesperson’s reply to questions by Times of Malta: the commissioner had passed on to the government reports detailing recommendations by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and discussions had been held with OECD officials. The proposals, launched by the standards commissioner in public life together with the OECD and the European Commission, are primarily aimed at strengthening...