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2 maltatoday EXECUTIVE EDITOR Matthew Vella mvella@mediatoday.com.mt Letters to the Editor, MaltaToday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt Letters must be concise, no pen names accepted, include full name and address maltatoday | SUNDAY • 3 JANUARY 2021 There is no 'vaccine' for corruption Editorial WELCOMING the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine to Malta, Prime Minister Robert Abela this week ex- pressed the hope that: "Today we can start looking at a return to normality." With regard to the COVID-19 pandemic itself, one can only pray that Abela is indeed correct: even if his optimism remains dependent of the success of the vaccine itself, as well as its general uptake by the wider population. But COVID-19 is not the only sickness wreaking havoc in Malta at the moment. As 2020 draws to a close, indicators continue to point towards a deep institutional malaise that afflicts the country on a wide variety of levels. The latest twist in the Yorgen Fenech saga, for in- stance, is that the police are now probing messages exchanged in 2014 between Fenech and the Inland Revenue Commissioner, Marvin Gaerty, over some tax issues. As a result, Malta's tax chief is currently on police bail; and the Police are understood to have raided his home and car, as well as his Floriana office, to collect evidence. From this perspective, one must also question what sort of 'normality' we intend to return to, when (or if) the current health crisis is resolved. Certainly, it is not 'normal' for a country to have its tax commissioner out on police bail. Closing an eye at the possibility that the police are now being overzealous in their approach, after years of beating around the bush, this development suggests that the investigation must be serious enough to warrant interrogating the tax chief under caution. But this is not just about Gaerty and Fenech. Other senior public officials in other regulatory authorities have also been probed and questioned over claims of trading in influence; and this is not 'normal', either. The whole affair points towards a malaise in our system of governance that has been allowed to fester for decades. It also is part of the house of cards that could come tumbling down due to the intimacy of Yorgen Fenech within the workings of government, aided by the Muscat administration. In fact, the zealousness of these investigations could easily shear off the Abela administration of some of its more formidable government adminis- trators. One aspect of this is the proximity of business- people with public officials and politicians: a point raised separately by former PM Joseph Muscat when testifying before the Daphne Caruana Galizia public inquiry earlier this month. "Every government in the world, including Malta, has to be close to business. […] I wasn't just close to those businessmen, I was close to all of them," a defiant Muscat told the inquest; and naturally, in a small country like this, a certain degree of proximity is inescapable. These are realities that cannot be written off by well-crafted laws or high-flying statements. But when proximity leads to complacency, unfair treat- ment, and – worse still – corruption, it becomes a serious problem for society. And when this is aided and abetted by a government administration that harboured the notion of 'everything goes', the situa- tion becomes both dangerous untenable. Over and above the immediate urgency of the COVID-19 pandemic, then, we also need to start talking about a return to some form of institutional normality. And this would entail finally confronting a problem that has long been diagnosed, but for which no cure has ever been successfully imple- mented. Over the years, not enough checks and balances have been built into the system of governance to, at the very least, minimise the negative aspects of proximity. The changes and reforms that have been enacted of late – mostly under pressure by international reg- ulators – were generally a step in the right direction. But the next step is having people of integrity, who can truly ensure that the laws are not only upheld to the letter, but also in spirit. While respecting this country's social make-up, that more often than not allows for a certain level of political camaraderie, public institutions must also ensure that a level playing field exists for everyone… not just for those who know how to manoeuvre the levers of power. For this reason, corruption may even be a more serious national problem than COVID-19: even be- cause, while a vaccine now exists for the latter dis- ease, there is no known cure – short of a concerted national effort, of the kind that hasn't really started yet – for the former. 6 January 2011 Total ban on cigarette and tobacco adverts as from 1 January 2011 GOVERNMENT has banned adverts of ciga- rettes and all tobacco products from appearing anywhere, even in places where tobacco prod- ucts are sold such as vending machines, as from 1 January, 2011. In a statement, the Health Department said that according to legal notice 344 (2010), "no person may advertise or allow to be advertised on any object whether moveable or not any cigarettes, cigars, tobacco or tobacco prod- ucts." According to the same legal notice, the department added, "No person may sell or permit to be sold any other product except cigarettes and tobacco products from those automatic sales machines which are used to dispense cigarettes and tobacco products. In addition the sale from such machines is per- mitted only when these are continually super- vised." The department also said that according to a second legal notice – also coming into force on 24 April, 2011 – cigarette packets are now required by law to carry pictorial warnings of the health consequences of smoking. "All cigarettes packets which are placed on the market are to conform with the provisions of Legal Notice 302 of 2009 - that is all cigarette packets are to contain a pictorial warning," the department said, adding that retailers should ensure that their tobacco product wholesalers supply them with the correct packaging. The department also reminded the public that those responsible for any public-access premises ensure that nobody smokes any to- bacco product in enclosed areas therein, in accordance with Legal Notice 23 of 2010. "It is to be clarified that enclosed area means any space covered by a roof and enclosed by more than one wall or side, regardless of the material used for the roof, walls and sides, and regardless of whether the structure is perma- nent or not," the department said. This department warned all responsible persons – particularly the catering industry – "that areas enclosed on more than one side with even temporary plastic material consti- tutes an enclosed area." ... Quote of the Week "I didn't feel the needle, I didn't feel a thing." Virologist Chris Barbara after being given the Pfizer vaccine against Covid-19 on Monday MaltaToday 10 years ago