The Church's Justice and Peace Commission has hit out at the government for slashing funding for the Standards Commissioner by half in the budget.

The Office of the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life was allocated a budget of €759,000 for this year, but will only get €450,000 next year. The term of the commissioner, George Hyzler, expired last month and no one has been nominated to succeed him yet. 

The church's commission in a statement on Thursday said that the government needs to strengthen – and never undermine – institutions such as the Ombudsman, the Auditor General and the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life, whose role is to promote the values of transparency, accountability and good governance.

It said it was concerned that the 2023 budget allocation for the Office of the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life, when factoring in projected inflation, would see its funding slashed by nearly 50% when compared to the revised estimate for 2022.

"Such a decision, coupled with the unacceptable delay in putting forward suitable candidates for this role, does not augur well for the principle of good governance, without which the common good of society will always play second fiddle to the interests of the privileged few," it said.

Budget focus on those worse hit by the cost of living crisis

In its reaction to the budget, the commission praised the government for having, in the Budget, focused its limited resources on those who have been worse hit by the cost of living crisis.

It said, however, that in a context of greater financial constraints and the finance minister’s emphasis on the need to apply fiscal discipline, the government should lead by example by seriously curtailing the exorbitant number of direct orders and persons of trust.

"Such practices not only go against the values of good governance, but also help cement the deeply ingrained perception of a system which is not “fair” and which works for some and not for others. Such a perception, which often reflects reality, is deeply damaging to our society as trust is lost, collective participation takes a hit and cynicism sets in.," it said. 

The commission, in a statement issued by the Curia, said it appreciated that the 2023 Budget was heavily conditioned by multiple crises.

"Facing exceptional inflationary pressures, the commission commends the government for focusing its limited resources on those who have been worse hit by the cost-of-living crisis. The budget provides immediate relief to families and businesses that would otherwise be facing untold financial hardship," the commission said. 

"However, despite recent studies showing that they face poverty from the very start of their life in Malta, the Commission regretfully notes that asylum seekers did not receive a mention in the Budget speech."

Thankfully, the commission said, through its budgetary measures, the present administration seemed to have recognised that some segments of the population will always require more help than others. The budget includes a new cost of living adjustment mechanism to help those with a very low income. 

"However, this should not mean that we should resign ourselves to the existence of poverty. That a significant number of people in Malta are poor should never become a reality which is statistically and politically acceptable. The discussions, for example, on an increase in the minimum wage which guarantees a decent standard of living should not be prolonged indefinitely."

Care for the environment

It said the 2023 Budget fails to effectively tackle several chronic environmental challenges which are having a crippling impact on quality of life.

"With respect to proposals to ease traffic congestion, for instance, the Budget is short of carrot and stick measures which would encourage people to abandon their private cars in favour of alternative modes of transport. The introduction of a free bus service has still not been accompanied by a necessary change in routes and frequency. Unless the service becomes more efficient and reliable, this important and praise-worthy initiative will have limited success in terms of reducing traffic congestion."

In the case of energy and water consumption, the commission said the support in the form of subsidies being provided by the government should not serve to lull people into a false sense of complacency accompanied by a “business-as-usual” attitude.

"In the meantime, the government could consider this window of opportunity offered by the energy crisis to curb wasteful consumption of water and energy. In the long run, we should ask ourselves if an indefinite blanket energy and fuel subsidy which is projected to cost billions of euros over the next few years is sustainable, from both a financial and an environmental point of view. Would not some of these resources which are currently being used to subsidise lifestyles, which go over and above what is necessary to have a decent life, be better redirected towards schemes which improve, for example, energy efficiency in our buildings and reduce water-use in this country which is the most water-stressed country in the European Union?

The commission also observed that despite the need to start transitioning from a construction-centric economic model, the 2023 Budget contains no hints of what this alternative model would look like.

It noted that over a year ago, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana indicated the need to start transitioning away from the construction-centric economic model. Recently, he again acknowledged that the current economic model, built on the availability of thousands of foreign workers who are willing to accept working conditions deemed unacceptable by locals, was “unsustainable”.

"Unfortunately, the 2023 Budget contained no real fresh ideas and little to no hints of the kind of economic model which would replace the current one. In fact, the vision presented by the Finance Minister was rather a continuation of the present model, with all its strengths and weaknesses. The need for a new, long-term development strategy has now been felt for a long time by all stakeholders. However, major questions regarding this as-yet undefined strategy remain unanswered. Beyond the facile slogans linked to sustainability, what would it look like in reality? How will the transition happen? What effect will this economic transition have on the lives of the weaker members of our society?" the commission asked.

"Given the widespread impact such a strategy will have on present and future generations, the direction of travel chosen should not be introduced by stealth. In the recent past, major decisions with long-lasting effect on our society, economy and environment, such as, the citizenship by investment scheme and the partial privatisation of our hospitals, have unfortunately been introduced with little to no serious public discussion," it said.

A consensus-based and participative approach should, therefore, be applied in the process which will shape a long-term economic vision which prioritises the quality of life of the population, does not treat foreign workers as disposable assets, while respecting our environmental limits.  

See the commission's reaction in full here.