This is the government of rule of law, good governance and checks and balances applied to everyone, because no one is above the law, Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis wrote in an article about the judiciary that appeared in this newspaper this week.
If this government truly wants to ensure accountability and transparency, Prime Minister Robert Abela should instruct all government MPs to forthwith fill the questionnaire sent to them by the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life last month.
Opposition leader Bernard Grech should do likewise; in fact it seems Nationalist MPs have been “directed” to comply.
Standards Commissioner George Hyzler has asked all MPs to provide details about their own and their families’ assets, including spouses or partners. However, a number of parliamentarians, particularly on the government side, are reluctant to do so.
Some insist they already make an adequate declaration to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and others claim the information sought would amount to an invasion of privacy and even a “fishing expedition”.
Hyzler rightly says the information he is after is only meant to help him make a better assessment on the truthfulness of the annual declarations of assets that MPs are in duty bound to make by law.
The Standards in Public Life Act lays down that the commissioner has the duty to examine and, if necessary, verify, MPs’ declarations relating to income, assets and other interests or benefits of whatever nature.
In a ruling in May last year, Speaker Anġlu Farrugia pointed out that it is only the Standards Commissioner who is authorised to conduct such verification.
It, therefore, follows that the commissioner should ensure he is in a position to be able to fulfil his duties. And, given the intricate web of connections and layering methods used to hide ill-gotten gains, no stone should be left unturned to ensure every cent declared comes from legitimate sources.
Asking all MPs to give confidential information to the standards commissioner for the purposes of his own verifications cannot and should by no means be construed as casting a bad light on them or their spouses/families. Indeed, it is no more than another safeguard and, also, a clear sign by MPs themselves that they are fully accountable and transparent.
In its quest for transparency, this newspaper had to seek court redress for the names of evaluation committee members dealing with a public project contract to be published on grounds of public interest.
In this case, it is not the spouse’s or partner’s assets that is of public interest but whether a politician sitting in parliament could be channelling illicit gains to a close family member and only the standards commissioner can verify that.
Such verification has become a necessity because of a state of affairs that, to a large extent, was brought about by politicians themselves who knew, or strongly suspected, that not all was well but remained silent.
The absence of transparency and lack of accountability are breeding grounds for corruption and abuse of power, as has become amply clear. The level of openness being demanded by citizens who feel enough is enough is the least to be expected from MPs who voted to promote and safeguard standards in public life and from a government that preaches that checks and balances should apply to all.
No-nonsense compliance with the commissioner’s request would signal that both the prime minister and leader of the opposition are earnest in their quest for better governance.