Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1398274
Ralph Cassar 12 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 1 AUGUST 2021 OPINION IT is clear that the main take- away from the report by the Board of Inquiry established in the wake of the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Gali- zia is that the Mafia exists. Now when 'the mafia' is men- tioned the first thing that prob- ably comes to mind is Southern Italy, but even there the mafia is not simply a criminal organ- isation in some remote village, but a whole system controlling or even replacing the state and its institutions. It is also as a cultural mindset that allows such an organisation to take root and prosper. A ma- fia means having people legis- lating in their organisation's in- terests instead of the country's interests. Something which the report dwells upon, but seems to have been given little attention dur- ing the debate in Parliament on the same report, is the close- ness between big business and politics. Of course when I say 'closeness to politics' I mean to those who devised a politi- cal system which over the years strengthened their grip on pow- er, made people dependent on their largesse, and constantly propagated the message that there will always be crumbs and maybe a piece of cake left over if we let these so-called 'entrepre- neurs', or rather parasites, have it their way. The report emphasises a sense of impunity in institutions. That is, the confidence that some people have that they will get away with anything. A sense of impunity does not come out of thin air. Over the years the rotten system, and made-to- measure legislation, has allowed big donations to PL and PN to be passed off as 'adverts' on the One and Net TV channels. The system has closed an eye to party employees' salaries to the tune of hundreds of thou- sands of euros yearly, being paid for covertly and illegally by big business. PLPN candidates and MPs on the state payroll get away with doing campaigning work instead of sitting at their taxpayer-funded desks. Shady contracts have been awarded, kickbacks and graft galore on fuel and new hospitals (includ- ing Mater Dei). We have had MPs stash mon- ey away abroad to avoid pay- ing their fair share towards the public coffers and a leader of the Opposition avoiding tax- es for years without any par- ticular strong reactions either than the usual Tweedledee and Tweedledum shenanigans. We even have 'national consensus' – read: PLPN in the same bed together – about selling Mal- ta as a centre for international tax theft by multinationals and shady companies. They have even reached a 'consensus' about selling passports. Be- cause you know, we really need our country to be associated with the kind of people who are after an EU passport... One thing leads to another. Unfortunately, in this particu- lar case it led to so many closed eyes, to so much impunity, that a journalist was assassinated. A few days ago we called for the immediate implementation of the legislative and procedur- al recommendations contained in the inquiry's report, starting with the development of new laws and institutions to combat the Mafia. We also renewed our long standing demands for 100% transparency of the links be- tween politics and business, that the huge loopholes in par- ty financing laws be addressed, that political parties should not use private companies to cir- cumvent the law. That's called money laundering. The country also needs more investigative journalism. The legal regime for freedom of in- formation requests must be strengthened to prevent offi- cials from hiding information. We reiterated our call for the strengthening of whistleblow- ing legislation, to ensure that it is effective. The effective regulation of lobbying through clear specific legislation is es- sential. There must also be a root and branch reform of the institutions involved in the in- vestigation and prosecution of high-level crime – it is clear that Malta's investigative insti- tutions have failed and continue to fail in respect of the investi- gation and prosecution of high level crime and corruption. Finally it is essential that we see the shouldering of respon- sibility at all levels from all players identified as having par- ticipated or acquiesced in creat- ing the climate and conditions that ultimately led to Caruana Galizia's assassination. This in- cludes accountability from the heads of regulatory authorities identified in the inquiry's report as having been pliant. May everyone reflect on the serious and purposefully de- signed weaknesses of the Mal- tese state, as detailed in the in- quiry report. A mafia mentality Ralph Cassar is Secretary General, ADPD – The Green Party It is clear that Malta's investigative institutions have failed and continue to fail in respect of the investigation and prosecution of high level crime and corruption