Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/257374
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 9 FEBRUARY 2014 9 Qormi mayor Rosianne Cutajar, a supporter of the reform, said that "by contracting thousands upon thousands of euros" in expenses for wardens from private compa- nies, the system had proved to be far from cost-effective. "Centralis- ing the system could result in sav- ing a large amount of funds, which could then be reinvested into the locality." Cutajar also said the LES should no longer be under the remit of the regional councils, the committees grouping local councils to contract out the private companies for war- den services. "Regional committees should assist local councils to ac- cess funds fro from the European Regional Development Fund Pro- grammes and carry out research projects into traffic 'black dust' or flooding," she suggested. Hamrun mayor Vincent Bonello also said the idea of using wardens to "educate citizens" and instill discipline had long been forgotten. "Wardens are no longer respected as they should be," he said. Birkirkara mayor Joanne Debono Grech agreed with this premise, stressing that wardens should serve as "educators, not tax collectors". And Samuel Azzopardi, mayor of Rabat in Gozo, said that the Gozo regional committee are yet to dis- cuss the government's proposals. "We have already outlined the fi- nancial difficulties the region is facing with the system presently in place. It's very important that the new unit is more efficient, less expensive and more resident- friendly." Azzopardi said the new system should ensure that regions are not "burdened with high costs" and also ensure that the protection of the environment is treated as a pri- ority. MIRIAM DALLI GREEN party Alternattiva Demokra- tika is sceptical about a Labour proposal not to cap parties' spending during elec- toral campaigns. The party was giving its official reac- tion to a White Paper on the financing of political parties, following an inter- vention by Labour deputy leader Toni Abela who electoral spending should not be capped. "What does Toni Abela have in mind with this proposal? Why doesn't he want party spending to be regulated?" AD chairperson Arnold Cassola said. The government's proposals are for a threshold for candidates during the general elections to increase from the present €1,400 to €25,000. In the case of candidates for European Parlia- ment elections, the proposed spend- ing threshold is that €50,000. For local council elections, a €5,000 capping is recommended. "We think these figures are too high: the threshold for local councils' cam- paign should be between €2,000 and €4,000, depending on the size of the locality; candidates for the general elec- tions should not be allowed to spend more than €4,000 while candidates for the European Parliament elections should not spend more than €20,000," Prof. Cassola said. The Green Party has long been calling for a party financing law, in the light of the close ties both the Nationalist and Labour parties have to big business. Cassola said AD welcomed the White Paper on party financing. "In principle, we agree with the line of thought being proposed. But we are also of the opin- ion that the details should be revisited in their entirety," he said. It is being proposed that the Electoral Commission acts as a regulatory au- thority, a role that AD however says is not suitable for the commission. AD's deputy chairman Carmel Ca- copardo said the Electoral Commission was composed exclusively of individu- als who enjoy the trust of the parties in parliament. "We do not wish to cast any doubts on the personal integrity of the members of the Commission. But we believe that the persons administering the regulatory authority should enjoy everyone's trust," Cacopardo said. Instead, any such regulatory author- ity should be under the responsibility of a yet-to-be-appointed Commissioner for Standards in Public Life, a proposal currently under discussion before a specially-appointed parliamentary committee. AD said it was unacceptable that the law imposed a "one-size-fits-all struc- ture" that views parties being led by a 'party leader' – AD pointed out that it was led by a chairman, while other green parties had co-chairmen, one male and one female, underling a differ- ent sense of authority from the "imposi- tion of one leader". The proposals for party financing also request parties to have a statute indicat- ing the responsibility for electoral nom- inations, party emblems, disciplinary procedures and more – a move which AD said went "overboard" by increas- ing bureaucracy. Agreeing that there should be a veri- fication of structures, Cacopardo said a party like AD – with an annual turno- ver of €15,000 – was not in a position to pay for an audit. The White Paper proposes the ap- pointment of a treasurer responsible of preparing the accounts for auditing and submitting these audited accounts for members' approval. "A political party with millions in turnover would find no difficulty in employing an auditor. But a party like AD is not in a position to pay for such an audit... if the regulator re- quires an audit, then it's the regular that should foot the bill," Cacopardo said. One of the White Paper's shortcom- ings is that nothing is said of loans that can become 'donations in disguise' for parties, and lack of regulation on the commercial activity of political parties which own TV stations, radio stations, and newspapers. AD also said the White Paper failed to address the public properties already in use by the political parties. Party financing pledge One of Labour's electoral pledges, the White Paper on party financing is proposing the regulation of a party's ac- counts and its donations by private in- dividuals or companies, its expenditure during electoral campaigns, the regula- tion of parties' statutes and their inter- nal structures and to ensure that money emanating from corruption does not fi- nance politics. The proposals aim to give the Elec- toral Commission the power to scru- tinise party finances and analyse how funds are acquired and disposed of by the parties. It also proposes an internal discipli- nary structure within political parties, so that members can avail themselves of a right to appeal in a law court on points of law. Every party would have to register its statute with the Electoral Commission, giving it the power to register a political party in whole or in part. Party treasurers would have to pub- lish the party's annual profit and loss account and financial statements. In an effort to increase transparency, these accounts would have to include all sources of entry, how transactions are carried out and the party's expendi- ture. The accounts would be handed over to the Electoral Commission and sub- sequently made public. In cases of financial discrepancies, the Commission would have the power to impose sanctions, ranging from fines to administrative sanctions. The Auditor General can also initiate any investiga- tions into the expenditure of parties. The draft proposal also suggested a procedure for liquidation of political parties. For the first time ever, a capping is proposed on private donations. Any do- nations over €500 would be registered in the party's accounts while donations totaling €10,000 or more would have to be reported by the party treasurer. Donations between €10,000 and €50,000 would have to be reported directly to the Electoral Commission alongside the name and the address of the party donor. Donations exceeding €50,000 from single donors are prohibited entirely; as are donations from non-Maltese sources, except for EU citizens or politi- cal parties of the same political ideology as the benefitting party. Donations should not be made with the expectation that the party returns some particular financial or political advantage to the donor and no state- owned entity should make donations. The White Paper is also proposing that the paltry amounts candidates are currently allowed to spend in an elec- toral campaign be revised upwards. The ceiling for general elections is set to increase from €1,400 to €25,000. The proposed ceiling for European elections is €50,000 while that for local elections is €5,000. Every candidate would be obliged to report any donation, sponsorship or financial aid exceeding €5,000 to the Electoral Commission. News Financing proposals ignore parties' commercial interests – AD Mayors give 'thumbs up' to a new local enforcement system