Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1507175
9 EDITORIAL BusinessToday is published every Thursday. The newspaper is a MediaToday publication and is distributed to all leading stationers, business and financial institutions and banks. MANAGING EDITOR: SAVIOUR BALZAN EDITOR: PAUL COCKS BusinessToday, MediaToday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN9016, Malta Newsroom email: bt@mediatoday.com.mt Advertising: afarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt Telephone: 00356 21 382741 7.9.2023 I n a strongly-worded statement earlier this week, the Chamber of Commerce did not mince its words about the impact of the latest social benefit abuse racket. "Politicians and public officials who make headlines for the wrong reasons, are putting in disrepute the entire politi- cal class and the public service, including those who are doing a good job in their areas of responsibility," the Chamber said. It continued: "When the personal conduct of individuals who abuse of their power deviates from what is rightfully expect- ed by the law-abiding, hard-working and tax-paying citizen, it has far-reaching ef- fects on everyone, including businesses." The latest revelations were not new. In- deed, the former MP involved, Silvio Grix- ti, had resigned in December 2021 when the fraud was uncovered. What we learnt now was the extent of the fraud and how it was a well-crafted scheme that 'benefitted' hundreds of constituents with a potential theft of €2.1 million from public coffers. Grixti's involvement in providing fraud- ulent medical certificates with falsified doctors' signatures to enable constituents claim benefits they were not entitled to, just adds insult to injury. Charging the claimants and ensuring the State recovers the millions of euros spent is just one aspect of the equation. What honest citizens expect is for the master- minds of this scheme to be charged as well… and have the book thrown at them. These include customer care officials who knew that something was wrong and simply tagged along. The culture of 'doing favours' may benefit singular individuals but does no favours to the rest of society. This leader expects the police to take action against all those involved in this racket. Impunity will only serve to make a mockery of the law and the basic tenants of respect and justice that bind society. From a business perspective, such cor- rupt schemes destroy the notion of a level playing field. Even this racket, which in- volves social benefits and has no appar- ent link to the business community, does have an impact on the world of productive work. Writing off people and making them el- igible for a severe disability benefit, au- tomatically pushes them out of the work force and into the grey economy. This im- pacts businesses' ability to source local la- bour and puts a burden on public finances. The Chamber put it eloquently and we cannot but endorse its statement: "The monies being squandered through such rackets could be better used to support those who really need help and to address issues which are leading to the country's deterioration such as the traffic situation, the lack of investment in utility infrastruc- ture, the shabbiness and proper waste management." But beyond the search for justice, what is needed is a concerted effort to stamp out systemic abuse and eradicate rackets based on pjaċiri. The Chamber has proposed the full digi- talisation of government services with re- al-time applications' tracking. Undoubtedly, digital systems will help introduce accountability, transparency and more importantly, traceability of de- cisions. These systems should be fully au- ditable by the National Audit Office. Public procurement processes must also be reformed to ensure efficiency, trans- parency and fairness. The Chamber has also proposed that the use of side letters to modify public contracts after they have been awarded should be banned and a clear procedure put in place (possibly re- quiring parliamentary reference) if con- tract variations are needed in very specific cases. Additionally, the number of people hold- ing positions of trust should be limited and clearly defined. But most importantly, politicians and public officials have to understand the responsibility they shoulder in adminis- tering public funds for the greater good. If State benefits or systems are not ade- quate in addressing certain problems, it is the politician's role to push and propose changes that benefit everyone and not the select few, who have the audacity to go begging for favours. Malta deserves better. Malta deserves better