Last Monday the Times of Malta informed us that an Albanian man was jailed six months for offering a €20 ‘bribe’ to an immigration officer. The man placed the €20 note in his brother’s passport, which he then gave to the officer hoping it would grease the way for his brother’s entry into Malta.
A casual observer from Mars, upon reading this report, would praise our country to the highest heavens. Finally, I have found a country with a zero tolerance to corruption, he or she would have said. If a person who offers a paltry sum as a bribe is sent to prison, what would happen to a person whose accountant asks a big-moneyed bully, who had been awarded a mega-contract, to monthly deposit thousands of euros in the secret company of his client?
The Martian observer would be somewhat more than surprised to be informed that, in the latter case, nothing has happened.
He would be shocked to know, for example, that big contractors can illegally, and with full impunity, dump hundreds of tons of construction debris in a prime site at the Ta’ Qali Park.
This is not considered to be a problem as the government would, subsequently, gladly clear the mess at the expense of the ordinary plebs.
The reasoning goes that, since the contractors, with great generosity, create jobs for the plebs, the latter should deferentially show their appreciation towards the magnanimity of the big contractors by picking up the tab for clearing the mess.
This distorted way of reasoning goes on and on. Why should the police bother with such ‘minor’ misdemeanours such as probably tainted contracts or with FIAU reports highlighting possible money laundering by PEPs or with building permits granted in a dubious manner or the selling of visas, the Martian would be peremptorily told.
He would also be reminded of the old Latin maxim: trivial matters are no concern of a high official (praetor). And for those who have an ornithological bent, the government apologist could quote another maxim: the eagle does not catch flies.
In this beloved country of ours a €20 bribe is more important to the praetor than sums whose first digit is followed by multiple zeros!
Our country has unfortunately joined the league of those countries where money is the measure of all things
Our country has unfortunately joined the league of those countries where money is the measure of all things. The tandem of big-moneyed bullies with political figures is enormous. Robin Hood, instead of hunting the big barons, is hunting for the barons.
But the rot extends to several sectors of society. Some are happy with crumbs, others are happy with raking in millions.
But both are ready to bend rules, corrupt, steal, ravish the environment and make compromises with their consciences to get the crumbs or the millions.
There is such a collective craving to make money at all costs that corruption at so many different levels has become the order of the day, much more than ever before.
Mammon the supreme idol
“Money is in charge! Money is in charge! And all the things that are at his service, at the service of the idol, command,” said Pope Francis on September 22, 2013, in a speech to the World of Work.
The Pope then mentioned some of the consequences of such a takeover.
“To defend this idol, everyone gathers in the centre and the peripheries fall. The elderly fall because there is no place for them in this world! Some people talk about this habit of ‘hidden euthanasia’, not treating them, not taking them into account. ‘Yes, let’s forget it.’ And young people, who find neither work nor dignity, fall.”
There is such a collective craving to make money at all costs that corruption at so many different levels has become the order of the day
I recently interviewed Bishop Mario Grech. He was very concerned at the way the greed of some is making so many old people suffer. He said that a number of homes for old people do not provide an adequate and dignified service even though good money is paid.
The owners, said the bishop, cut corners to increase their profits at the expense of the quality of life of the residents. He also complained that there are families who keep their old relatives as if in a prison, denying them almost all contact with outsiders lest they be tempted to change their wills.
As if to prove Bishop Grech right, the National Statistics Office just published a report saying that old people and women (particularly single parents) are in greater risk of poverty than the rest of the community. Our economy is a booming one. But, on the other hand, the number of people at risk of poverty is increasing.
According to the NSO statistics in 2018, the number of people at risk of poverty is 3,000 over 2017.
The number of people earning less than €6,000 in 2018 is 3,400 more than it was in 2017. One in every five is either at risk of poverty or social exclusion.
Finding comfort in the statistic because this percentage is less than the EU average is an insult to the poor and a sign of great insensitivity.
Truth be told, the same study showed that the number of people suffering severe material deprivation was, in 2018, a few hundred less than the previous year. But the gap between those in the upper bracket of income and those in the lower bracket is increasing. The rich are becoming richer and the poor are becoming poorer.
No trickling down
A big part of the problem is greed and institutionalised corruption. But another part of the problem is that the right-wing neo-liberal view of the economy, with its trickle-down mantra, has become mainstream in Malta.
This assumes that economic growth will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world.
Pope Francis in his Apostolic Exhortation Joy of the Gospel (2013) rubbishes this theory:
“This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralised workings of the prevailing economic system.”
He continued to lambast it in a follow-up interview with Eugenio Scalfari of La Stampa:
“The promise was that when the glass was full, it would overflow, benefitting the poor. But what happens instead is that when the glass is full, it magically gets bigger and nothing ever comes out for the poor.”
Our politicians and economic planners should do well to heed the words of the Pope.
No to luxurious dinners
The Church gives a lot towards the welfare of society but she also receives a lot. Her organisations give charity as well as receive it. Pope Francis in a 2009 video recorded for Caritas Argentina makes it clear that not all donations should be acceptable. His are golden words of advice in this regard.
“Several years ago, we attended luxurious dinners to raise funds for Caritas. Jewellery and all kinds of expensive items were actioned off. This is a mistake. This has nothing to do with Caritas.”
In line with this pontifical advice, the Church in Malta should perhaps have a clear and published policy stating which donations are to be accepted and which are to be refused.