Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1101649
OPINION 26 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 7 APRIL 2019 THE GRECO report, published a few days ago, exposed the seri- ous institutional deficiencies in our country. The report is one condemnation after another, highlighting a systematic and complete take-over of the institutions, that are meant, on paper, to protect the national interest but have ended up pro- tecting the "highest government officials". Our state institutions were hijacked, in a planned move that clearly saw its inception before the Socialists were elected in 2013. Once elected, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat moved at lighting speed, to take over any institution that could limit his executive power. Nearly all institutions became an exten- sion of the political arm of government. Most institutions were subjected to the whim of Castille. The Office of the Prime Minister remote controls nearly every institution in our country, including the police, attorney general and the FIAU. The GRECO report states that the country institutions "suffered from a lack of courage, account- ability and real means to ac- complish their duties. There is also a clear perception in Malta that political support currently prevails over the enforcement of the law and the general inter- est". There are, of course, excep- tions. The Auditor General and the Ombudsman have not capitulated. Neither have our Courts. However, with regards to the Court, their future impar- tiality has been put in question with the appointments made by this government. Sixteen out of seventeen judicial appoint- ments were given to people with links to the Labour Party. Judge Giovanni Bonello said that our country needs fifty years to rid itself of this predicament, by which time, the people who car- ried out this hijack would have escaped any sanction. Judge Giovanni Bonello saw the elephant in the room and he made it a point to tell every- one about it. In its report, the GRECO confirmed what the Opposition I now lead has been highlighting for the past years. Unfortunately, several people in Malta, for one reason or another, choose to ignore these serious issues concerning our democracy. For far too long, the Opposi- tion was nearly a sole voice speaking about the deteriora- tion in our country's democratic credentials. It did this at the expense of being labelled nega- tive. It did this at the expense of its members being person- ally attacked with made-up stories, with half-truths spun to give credibility where there was none. The tactic of repeat- ing lies until they are believed was employed. This strategy is just another part of the bigger plan to remove any forms of accountability on the powers that be. This 'socialist' government has the hallmark of past socialist administrations. It is unable or unwilling to distinguish between what belongs to the Party and what belongs to the State. It is incapable of respecting the boundaries between what belongs to the people and what belongs to them. In their minds, everything and everyone in this country is property of the pow- ers that be. How did we get to this stage? What happened to the voices that stood up in the past to protect our environment? How did this government manage to censor the voices of those who in the past spoke out so pub- licly against censorship? What happened to that large majority who voted for meritocracy, ac- countability and transparency? Why have so many voices gone silent. There isn't a simple an- swer to this question. And to a certain extent, what the country needs most at this stage is not an academic exercise to deter- mine what went wrong. What we need are solutions to fix the serious problems undermining our democracy. If we fail to act, others will act on our behalf. Our country is being threatened with economic blacklisting. There are those in Europe who want to sanction Malta politically. The National- ist Party, the Party that fought to give an equal voice to Malta in the European Union, can never and will never agree to have that voice silenced. We be- lieve that we, as a nation should solve our own problems. It is within our power to do what is right, to fix what is wrong. And we can start doing that in the upcoming elections on May 25. The country needs to send a clear message to this Socialist government that the elephant in the room is no longer invisible. That we are no longer to ignore the truth which is staring us in the face. This is the people's country and the people need to claim it back. Even you have a voice The country needs to send a clear message to this Socialist government that the elephant in the room is no longer invisible. That we are no longer to ignore the truth which is staring us in the face. This is the people's country and the people need to claim it back Adrian Delia Adrian Delia is Leader of the Opposition and the Nationalist Party and shadow minister for justice and good governance 26 CAREER OPPORTUNITY Lands Authority is seeking applications from interested persons to fill the following position: Senior Manager Information Technology Jobplus Permit Number – 229/2019 ESSENTIAL Qualifications Qualified with a degree in computing or equivalent qualification with minimum 10 years experience in ICT and Systems Administration specifically; Attended specialised courses and / or attained specific certifications. Interested persons are kindly requested to submit a letter of application and a detailed CV only by email, as one pdf document to: hr.la@landsauthority. org.mt by Monday 8th April 2019. Emails are to indicate the position being applied for and the name of the applicant in the subject. Applications will be acknowledged and treated in strictest confidence. For more information visit the link below: WE ARE RECRUITING https://landsauthority.org.mt/about-us/careers/ Knowledge of ICT related application and experience is a must. Experience