Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/611961
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 6 DECEMBER 2015 9 News READ THE GOSPEL OF JESUS For free Gospels by post ~ send an SMS on 79280325 www.tecmalta.org/blata.htm proposals to restore trust in politics and register all meetings they hold with lobbyists. The PN also takes issue with Joseph Muscat's decision to avail himself of a €7,000 allowance ac- corded to politicians who use their own personal car as official minis- terial car. "He set a bad example," Busuttil says, "calling into question his moral authority to impose ad- equate discipline on the use of pub- lic funds." To that end, ministers and parlia- mentary secretaries will have to fly in economy rather than business class for official travel (unless it's long haul, it specifies…); accom- panying delegations abroad will be kept to a minimum, spouses and children travelling will not be financed by the State; and a ban on all ministers and the PM using their personal car as an official car. Ministers will have to deliver a detailed declaration of assets within 15 days of their deadline to the Cabinet; and forbid the use of private email addresses for the conduct of ministerial work. The new rules will also oblige MPs who get to know, or who have reasonable suspicion, that another MP has committed an abuse of power or an illegal act, including corruption, to report the matter to the authorities on pain of criminal punishment. And a new unit is being proposed for the Permanent Commission Against Corruption to investigate cases. The document also suggests that MPs would no longer be accorded parliamentary immunity from civil libel in parliament. Media rules, public relations With public service broadcast- ing forever in the grasp of po- litical control, a reality not dis- similar to that under former PN administrations, the PN's new document is now proposing a BBC-style set-up in a bid to wrest away the influence of the govern- ment from the appointment of directors and editors at the PBS. It loftily says it will "guarantee once and for all" impartiality in public broadcasting by securing the freedom of PBS to operate at arm's length from the govern- ment's political influence; review the composition of the Broad- casting Authority to reduce the influence of the political parties – but not remove their appoint- ees; and introduce a legal media balance requirement for political party TV stations, which so far enjoy a free-for-all when it comes to BA rules on impartiality. It also says it will commit min- isters to reply to questions from the media "in a spirit of transpar- ency and in the shortest possible time"; ban public appointees and secretariat members from hold- ing part-time jobs in the party media; publish an annual report of all spending on adverts in the media; and ensure public ap- pointees "speak and behave in a manner that befits the national character of the position they oc- cupy." Ministry for citizens' rights Busuttil says he has not aban- doned his idea for a citizens' rights ministry which he claims will fight clientelism by ending people's de- pendence on ministerial largesse. "It will not compete with or limit access to the Ombudsman, but if anything, ensure that citizens are given adequate services from public administration in the first place." The ministry will provide a "one- stop-shop for complaints from citizens in relation to services pro- vided by the public administration" and see that they are well served by the relevant public authority in good time. The ministry will li- aise with other ministries "to put a stop, once and for all, to situations where people are sent on a wild good chase from one department to another." Apart from that, the PN wants to introduce a law for propositive referenda – Malta so far only al- lows abrogative referenda, and a petitions committee in parliament to receive and consider petitions from the public. Public property… and some settling of dues? It would have been remiss of the PN not to hit out at Labour's asset- rich party: it wants to challenge the ownership of its party clubs in court in the light of the new party financing laws, and force the PL to return to the original owners any properties requisitioned under former administrations that are now being used as party clubs. The PN also says that, if elected, the State will recover from the La- bour Party "any damages that the Courts ordered it to pay to the dis- possessed owners of property abu- sively or illegally used as local po- litical party clubs" and stipulate a deadline within which parties must either purchase at market value the public property they are using, or pay rent at market rates or return it back. +1/%*#ŏ10$+.%05 4,.!//%+*ŏ+"ŏ *0!.!/0ŏĢŏ!/%*#ŏ+"ŏ.!)%/!/ *2%00%+*ŏ0+ŏ/1)%0ŏ.+,+/(/ŏ"+.ŏ0$!ŏ!/!ŏ+"ŏ .!)%/!/ŏ0+ŏ$+1/!ŏ )%*%/0.0%2!ŏþ!/ŏ+"ŏ0$!ŏ +1/%*#ŏ10$+.%05ŏ%*ŏ(0 !"ċčŏ ĥĀĀāĥĂĀāĆ $!ŏ+1/%*#ŏ10$+.%05ŏ*+0%ü!/ŏ0$0ŏ/!(! ŏ 4,.!//%+*ŏ+"ŏ *0!.!/0ŏĨ ĩŏ +1)!*0/ŏ).'! ŏ ė ĥĀĀāĥĂĀāĆŏĢŏ!/!ŏ+"ŏ.!)%/!/ŏ0+ŏ$+1/!ŏ )%*/%0.0%2!ŏþ!/ŏ+"ŏ0$!ŏ+1/%*#ŏ10$+.%05Ęŏ 3%((ŏ!ŏ.!!%2! ŏ%*ŏ0$!ŏ4,.!//%+*ŏ+"ŏ *0!.!/0ŏ+4Čŏ /%010! ŏ0ŏ0$!ŏ+1/%*#ŏ10$+.%05ČŏĂĂČŏ .%-ŏ%!0.+ŏ(+.%*%Čŏ(+.%*Čŏ5ŏ*+0ŏ(0!.ŏ0$*ŏ ā āĀċĀĀċ)ċŏŏ+"ŏāć0$ŏ!!)!.ŏĂĀāĆċ ŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏŏ *0!.!/0! ŏ,.0%!/ŏ)5ŏ/1)%0ŏ.!-1!/0/ŏ"+.ŏ (.%ü0%+*/ŏ%*ŏ3.%0%*#ŏ0+ŏ0$!ŏ+1/%*#ŏ10$+.%05ŏ 5ŏ/!* %*#ŏ*ŏ!)%(ŏ+*ŏ ,.+1.!)!*0ċ$Į$ċ#+2ċ)0ŏ5ŏā/0ŏ!!)!.ŏĂĀāĆċŏŏ $!ŏ ŏ +1)!*0ŏ)5ŏ!ŏ +3*(+ ! ŏ".+)ŏ 33 333ċ$+1/%*#10$+.%05ċ#+2ċ)0ċŏ $!ŏ+1/%*#ŏ10$+.%05ŏ.!/!.2!/ŏ0$!ŏ.%#$0ŏ0+ŏ .!"1/!ŏ*5ŏ+û!.ŏ!2!*ŏ0$!ŏ)+/0ŏ 2*0#!+1/ċ Main takeaways from the PN's good governance package • Introduction of electronic voting and overseas voting • Appointment of the President of the Republic by two- thirds of the House • Introduction of propositive referendum law • MPs can choose full-time parliamentary role • No MPs on government boards or public authorities • Detailed declaration of assets for ministers and spouses • Ministers cannot retain private practice while in office • Lobbyists' register to be introduced with Commissioner of Public Standards • Two-thirds majority to appoint highest public officers such as police and army chiefs • Public service chiefs and ambassadors scrutinised by the House committees • Mandatory 50% quota for women in public appointments • No parliamentary immunity from civil libel for MPs • Creation of citizens' rights ministry