Quite a few political and online commentators seem to think that the Opposition and civil society’s fight against bad governance and corruption is an end in itself. Yes, the upholding of the rule of law should be an end in itself; it should be an objective that every country that respects liberal, democratic values feels proud to uphold.
But governance does have significant repercussions beyond the moral sphere, and in particular to Malta’s reputation. Our economy is strongly dependent on foreign direct investment: while the 300 days of sunshine may be a lovely push in the right direction, business persons ultimately don’t base their investment decisions on the weather. In a complex formula which includes a number of factors, a country’s reputation is a critical variable.
We – and our children – will be paying a significant price for the damage done to our reputation in the past months and years, as investors claw back on their investment, putting economic growth and jobs in jeopardy. I was left incredulous during my weekly house-visit appointments to learn that the local branch of a foreign company decided to remove the word ‘Malta’ from its name as it had become a burden for it to trade and do business internationally.
The Economist described us as “a flawed democracy”. “Mired in corruption”, quipped Transparency International. “A mafia state” was the description offered by the Times of London. This is Labour’s legacy – a legacy that new Prime Minister Robert Abela has only a few months to attack head-on before it becomes too late and entrenched in the collective mentality of our peers.
Cosmetically changing titles or faces will not do the trick
This necessitates quick but strong action. Cosmetically changing titles or faces will not do the trick. The situation is serious, and to my mind, there are a number of key decisions that if taken can start to deliver a modicum of respect towards this country.
These include:
The publication of the full contract with the Electrogas consortium for the building of the new gas-fired power station, including the power-purchase price agreements. I can still vividly remember attaching a hardcopy transcript of this ghost deal to my suit jacket while speaking in Parliament, broadcast live nationally, to prove a point. It looked as if I was wearing my striped PJs given the substantial redacted text which made it impossible to effectively scrutinise the deal.
The immediate arrest of Keith Schembri, who, rather incredibly, continues to roam around the world despite the serious allegations with regard to his involvement with and closeness to suspects in the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, as well as in a number of high-profile money laundering cases, remains at large.
The calling of a thorough investigation of former senior minister Konrad Mizzi, involved in practically every shady deal spearheaded by Joseph Muscat, and owner of Panama-based company Hearnville that was meant to receive €5,000 daily from 17 Black, owned by Yorgen Fenech.
Not to mention the complete scrappage of the Vitals hospital deal: a filthy agreement that has taken critical health infrastructure away from the Maltese.
No further appointments of government backbenchers in executive positions to ensure and respect Parliament’s constitutional role to scrutinise the executive arm. This has become close to impossible given that almost all government’s members of Parliament have been appointed to Cabinet, making it the biggest in history.
The appointment of a truly independent police commissioner to be approved by two-thirds of the House. Writing in the Times of Malta, Andy Ellul opined that it is expected that the police commissioner toe government’s electoral programme. This corrupt mentality is a pretext that justifies our current predicament: having a puppet police commissioner in the hands of the politician. Justice should serve no politician, except the common good.
The setting up of a fair process for independent appointments to the judiciary. I am confident that should such tough, necessary steps be taken, international institutional partners, businesses and media will start to take us seriously once again, allowing us to start on the long road to recovery that is badly needed.
This will not only allow us to gradually heal the wounds and divisions sowed during the past years, but hopefully ensure that the upcoming generation will not be made to pay a price that it certainly doesn’t deserve to.
Ryan Callus is an Opposition member of Parliament.