MaltaToday previous editions

MT 14 May 2017

Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/823773

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 21 of 63

22 T he problems with good governance have been long coming. They have now come to a head. It is an institutional problem, with an all-powerful Prime Minister controlling all appointments. Parliament, which is supposed to be the highest institution of the country has been relegated to a mere rubber stamp. The lack of good governance has been evident in environmental and planning issues, with purposely designed weak rules and regulations full of holes. The ties of the big business lobbies to the parties in Parliament have exacerbated the situation. The first change that needs to be made is to put the right people in the right positions based on their knowledge, skills and what they can offer to society. We need people in institutions who truly care about the wellbeing of the country. The wholesale use of 'positions of trust' is an abuse. There should be public hearings in front of a Parliamentary Committee who vet appointments to important public institutions. This will go some way in ensuring that the right and competent people are appointed. Appointments should be made by Parliament, again this will go some way in breaking the ' jobs for the boys' system. People placed in 'positions of trust' should be limited to those in ministers' secretariats. The problem in Malta is that institutions have been designed purposely to serve the interests of the 'winner takes it all' system. MPs are allowed to keep their private practices, which leads to huge conf licts of interest. We have legislators who in the evening legislate in favour of their clients' interests. We have witnessed stories of huge amounts of money in 'donations' supposedly with no strings attached masked as adverts, according to the donors themselves. We have witnessed politicians with secretive accounts. The whole system is designed to encourage such things. There are those with retainers from big business. An overhaul is needed now, more than ever. The parties in Parliament will not make any real changes, they have their finger in the pie. T hroughout these four years a Labour government has legislated on matters relating to good governance where others have failed to do over the past 25 years. It was this government which made a law that regulates the financing of the parties. Political parties are fundamental in a democratic society as they represent people's political interests. The new law has managed to treat all political parties in the same manner, providing equal treatment to all political parties, irrespective of their size. The crux of this law was the transparency of financial administration and donations of large sums of money, in which case anonymity is excluded. We also removed prescription for politicians when they are accused of corruption cases. The reason behind such removal is to raise the standards in politics, showing intolerance towards political corruption. It is a clear sign that honest politics are crucial and are being valued in our society. This allows the state to proceed against any politician that is held responsible for a corrupt act in order to recover any material objects obtained as a result of political corruption. What's more we implemented this law right at the beginning of the legislature. Another initiative was the law granting Whistleblower protection to employees, both in the public and private sector, when they report cases of corruption or illegal practices committed by their employers. This has made Malta one of the few Member States in the EU with such a mechanism. With regard to the judiciary we have worked, through the Justice Ministry, on a constitutional reform regarding the appointment of members of the judiciary. Through this law we have ensured the independence of the judiciary since those who express an interest in becoming magistrates or judges are evaluated by an independent sub-committee within the Commission for the Administration of Justice composed of the Chief Justice, Attorney General, Auditor General, Ombudsman and President of Chamber of Advocates. This was created together with another sub- committee responsible for holding disciplinary proceedings against members of the judiciary who breach the code of ethics. Other initiatives were also taken to reform the justice sector and ensure that procedures are simpler. These have resulted in the lowest level of pending cases, ensuring a more efficient justice sector. Additionally, borne of our belief that journalists are the watchdog of a democratic society and democratic processes, we have started work towards strengthening their freedom of speech. We believe that freedom of speech is essential in a democratic society and journalists have an important role in keeping citizens informed and public figures in check. In fact, we put forward a bill which aims to remove criminal libel and increase the threshold when journalists are held responsible in civil libels. We also put forward the option to have mediations in order to ensure faster proceedings which involve less costs, yet are still effective. All these initiatives and improvements came about following rounds of discussions and contributions made by citizens and stakeholders in their respective fields. Through these work processes we have created a model of collaboration and contribution, that leads towards achieving the best possible outcome. We acknowledge that there is still a long way to go but all these initiatives are sure to be a step in the right direction. We remain committed to listen to the people and to continue on this way forward and ensure that transparency and good governance are continually enhanced. Owen Bonnici is minister for justice and is a PL candidate on the 3rd and 5th districts maltatoday, SUNDAY, 14 MAY 2017 Opinion FOUR UNDER FORTY Every Sunday, MaltaToday is asking the youngest candidates in the general elections a question that is central to the ongoing political campaign Over the course of the last legislature we witnessed what many see as the failure of the Labour Party's meritocratic pledge and a crisis of leadership in the police corps and other institutions important for the proper functioning of our democracy. Problems with good governance and transparency have been a perennial issue in Maltese politics and this seems to have gotten worse over the past four years. What changes do you think need to be made to the way our institutions work in order for this to change going forward? Owen Bonnici Danika Formosa All these initiatives and improvements came about following rounds of discussions and contributions made by citizens and stakeholders in their respective fields The problem in Malta is that institutions have been designed purposely to serve the interests of the 'winner takes it all' system

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of MaltaToday previous editions - MT 14 May 2017