High standards of conduct in the public service are critical for democratic governments. Standards in public life matter for our democracy, economic prosperity, and international standing. Many ordinary people and potential foreign investors feel strongly about the importance of perceived fairness and low levels of corruption and believe that those in public office should do their best for the country.
The scandal relating to the wife of former tourism minister Clayton Bartolo and Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri shows severe weaknesses in the legal and political framework intended to uphold high standards in public life. While parliament’s Standards Committee endorsed the standards commissioner’s report that found the two ministers guilty of abuse of power, it could not agree unanimously on an appropriate sanction for this serious breach of ethics.
The Standards Committee was split on party lines. The Speaker just gave a “stern warning” to Minister Camilleri. Bartolo was forced to resign in light of a scandal exposed by Times of Malta and pay back the extra public money his wife received for a top-paid job she did not do.
This slap on the wrist by the Standards Committee is inadequate and will continue to lead to a decline in confidence in government and public institutions. It will also have implications for the legitimacy of government and public institutions.
Upholding high standards in public life is not an optional extra to be dealt with when time allows. Ethical standards go to the heart of how the country is governed, decisions are taken, appointments made, contracts awarded, and the relationship between politicians and the public.
Equally important, rows about poor standards and abuse of power are a major distraction from the things the government must focus on, such as dealing with a struggling public health system, chaotic traffic management, overdevelopment, and endless industrial disputes in the education sector.
Most people know what high standards in public life should look like. Is it too much to demand politicians and leaders who do not dabble with corruption, who do not give jobs and favours to friends, cronies or family members, and who take decisions in the country’s interests, not their own?
The opposition is correct in pressing for the resignation of minister Clint Camilleri. Saying sorry is just not enough when you hold a top public office. Politicians are rightly judged by what they do, not by just what they say.
The present framework to ensure high ethical standards in public life needs to be overhauled as it does not meet most people’s expectations of accountability. Reforms in appointing people to the standards regulator must aim to maximise independence. For the rules on standards to bite, they must be overseen and enforced by independent bodies with their own staff and resources. This cannot happen if the bodies running the investigation or making decisions are dependent on the government they are meant to oversee.
The opposition is correct in pressing for the resignation of minister Clint Camilleri. Saying sorry is just not enough when you hold a top public office. Politicians are rightly judged by what they do, not by just what they say
Similarly, changes are needed in the way public appointments are made, especially concerning persons of trust. Ethics regulation must be strengthened not only because of its ability to identify and sanction wrongdoing appropriately but also because it allows the majority to prove they are playing by the rules, as well as offering protection against anti-political attempts to tar all public figures with the same brush.
It is also the right time to enact legislation to make ethical standards regulation legally enforceable. Such legislation does not need to be long and complex and does not need to be politically controversial.
However, it must be good enough to make upholding high ethical standards in public life credible.