Angels and demons

As the election campaigns of all contesting parties unfold, we are starting to get an idea of what each party has in store in their quest to convince the electorate that it is the best choice one could make.

From the first parting shots, the Labour Party made it very clear it intends showing what "new" Labour is by painting the darkest picture possible of the party in government rather than showing, in detail, what it will be doing if elected on March 8.

You do not have to be a genius to realise that Labour cannot attack the Nationalist Party on a good number of fronts: the economy is strong, foreign investment is coming and unemployment is the lowest in years. Investment in education, the environment and health has never been so high. I am sure that Labour's strategists and spin doctors had some problem coming up with their line of attack. That is why Alfred Sant's party has decided to rubbish and demonise its opposition rather than going into detail of what it will do once in power.

Knowing that mudslinging is their forte, they have based their campaign on the corruption issue stressing that a new Labour government will not tolerate corruption. But they have already made a mess out of this part of their campaign. They are "using" individuals who used to support the Nationalist Party but claim to have lost their trust in the party. This strategy could have worked in countries like the US, Australia or even the UK, however it cannot work in Malta where it's so easy to discover facts on people. The truth is that these turncoats probably have decided to switch allegiances not out of conviction but because this government has taken the necessary steps to punish all those who break the law, irrespective of their political beliefs and social status. Of course, they will never admit the real reasons behind their anger and antagonism, because it will probably embarrass them.

Perhaps one should be reminded that it was a Nationalist government which, when first elected to power in 1987, began to build the necessary structures in the country to ensure that corrupt practices and bad governance are detected at the outset and those involved punished or censored. Wasn't it a Nationalist government that set up the Commission Against Corruption? And wasn't it a Nationalist government that instituted the Ombudsman, the Auditor General, the Public Accounts Committee?

Could this Administration do more in this respect? Of course, it can! I am sure it would be in the government's interest to fine-tune the existing structures aimed at scrutinising candidates for certain positions, for example. I am informed that the use of parliamentary committees for this purpose has already been tried and tested.

The government, any government for that matter, would do well to detect any potential conflict of interest before appointing persons to certain positions in order to avoid problems later on. Furthermore, the operators and operations of institutions that are prone to corrupt practices should continue to be watched closely and constantly reviewed both internally and externally.

Now, the same Labour Party which keeps on harping on "conflict of interest" and ħbieb tal-ħbieb (friends of friends) is the one which, not long ago, sent its officials to Dubai to discuss possible collaboration between the two countries. It so happened that while the MLP delegation was there, a number of contractors, whose political leanings are quite known, were also visiting that same country. Which makes you wonder whether these contractors will be having a role in a Labour government run by a party that has already declared will be a party for Labourites.

Twenty years seems like a long time ago. However, one should never forget which party was in government when colour television sets were imported by Labour-leaning individuals who made thousands of liri in profit with the blessing of their government. At that time, ministries used to play a central role not only in policy-making but also in determining who got a TV set or not! This is just one example of the numerous instances of institutionalised corrupt practices blessed by a Labour government. And, just in case you are already uttering that this is now history, please remember that among those posing as the players of the "new" Labour team, there are politicians who were part of that awful government, including their leader who served as party president!

Mr Bonnici will be contesting the general election on behalf of the Nationalist Party.

info@charlobonnici.com