The National Audit Office’s recent report on “The Government’s rescission of restrictions on the site of the Fortina Hotel” was meant to be a serious document. Instead, it turned into a reckless mix of half-baked assumptions and insinuations designed to damage both a private investor and a Government that acted fully within the law.
And, as always, hovering like a desperate moth around any flicker of controversy, came Arnold Cassola “tal-bajd barra”. The self-styled prophet of moral purity, rushing to Facebook with his finger raised in yet another sermon against developers and development.
But Cassola’s hypocrisy stinks.
For years he has pretended to be the only man in Malta with principles, yet behind the shouting lies a bitter, irrelevant politician who has been rejected by voters time and time again. His latest obsession? Demanding a boċċi pitch right where the Fortina development now stands.
Yes, in 2025, in one of the most expensive stretches of real estate in the country, Cassola’s grand vision is a boċċi pitch. Let’s be honest – hardly anyone plays boċċi anymore, but in Cassola’s fantasy Malta, investors should be kicked aside so he can roll a ball in Sliema. That’s not policy, that’s delusion.
But here’s the question Cassola dodges every time:
Professor, have you ever bought, sold, or invested in property yourself?
Because if you have – and many suspect you did – then you’re no different from the very developers you vilify. That makes you not just a failed politician, but a hypocrite of the worst kind.
If transparency is your favourite word, then live by it: publish every property you own or have owned, every deal you’ve cashed in on. Show us you’re clean. But of course, you won’t – because you prefer to lecture others while hiding your own record.
The truth is simple: Cassola is not a guardian of morality. He’s an irrelevant has-been, clinging to headlines, desperate for attention, and obsessed with tearing down rather than building up. Malta deserves better than his tired hypocrisy.
