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MT 14 May 2017

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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 14 MAY 2017 23 T he Independence Constitution we were handed by the British back in 1964 had one big f law. Most of the powers which used to be exercised by the Governor ended up being vested in the Prime Minister, with very little effective checks and balances. And since we are still a country with a very strong tribal and familial view of politics, the only effective check on the Prime Minister, Parliament, has rarely stood up to its duty. MPs behave as if their loyalty is more to the Party, however wrong its position is, than to the Constitution and their electorate. And the fact that most of the electorate actually expect that sort of behaviour doesn't help at all. This has led us to a situation where democracy has been reduced to a vote every five years with a totalitarian rule in between. We simply get to choose who the leader wielding absolute power is going to be, and hope for the best. The truth is that we never really cried out for this to change because we never had a power-abusing Prime Minister who reached the depths Muscat has. But we now have. We have a Prime Minister who used his powers to order magisterial inquiries at his behest and when he felt the coast was clear, who ordered different types of inquiries depending on who the accused is, who has seen five different Police Commissioners simply because he needs a puppet who acts only on his instructions, who ignores all standard procedures to appoint his friends in the Army's top brass, who forces Permanent Secretaries to resign from their civil service posts as if the word permanent means nothing, who hands over millions of our hard-earned money to bail out his business friends, who hands over public property for the benefit of his party, and who allows drug- traffickers to walk free because their parents spoke to his ministers. This has led to a complete breakdown of our institutions. The people do not feel safe any more, because the institutions and the authorities which are supposed to protect them from the abuses of government, have been hijacked by the government itself. That's why Simon Busuttil's first priority is to restore trust in our country's institutions. And that's why the first document the Nationalist Party published two years ago was on Restoring Trust in Politics (good governance). Because that's the most important foundation of a democratic society. Everything else has to be built on that. To ensure this, we need to have the top posts of these institutions to be appointed by two-thirds of Parliament and not by the Prime Minister. This will guarantee their impartiality and allow them to work, act and investigate without fear or favour. We also need a Magistrate with investigative powers able to start investigations on his own initiative, without requiring anyone's instructions. We also need to reintroduce the prohibition for MPs to sit on boards of supposedly independent authorities, a law which this government removed. How can an authority be independent and serve as a check on government if it is headed by the government's own MPs? Same should apply to the employment of MPs' direct relatives in ministerial secretariats and positions of trust. Nepotism should no longer be the norm. These are some of the fundamental changes Busuttil is promising to introduce. Yes, the first measures he's promising to implement are the ones curbing his own power. Because he's not after acquiring power, but after restoring trust in our country and its institutions. Yes, we need to finally fully embrace the European norms and values of a functioning democracy, and make our country fool-proof from any future Muscat who might try to hijack our country for the benefit of his and his friends' pockets. This is what this election is about. It is about addressing our country's most fundamental f laws, and getting the democracy we all deserve. Mark Anthony Sammut is a PN candidate running on the 4th district Mark Anthony Sammut We need to reintroduce the prohibition for MPs to sit on boards of supposedly independent authorities O ver 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? Malta has changed tremendously over the past decades. In some ways, for the better. In others, less so. There is a big difference between development and overdevelopment. The latter is a direct result of weak institutions. Most people in Malta do not want our unique country to turn into a concrete jungle, but their democratic vote is undermined by the way our institutions work. It is fair to say that as long as you know the right people, laws have a tendency of being pliable. Put another way – Malta has the right loopholes for the right people. Even when no loopholes exist, people can still get their way. Money speaks loudly; people listen. In a nation where developers can buy inf luence due to weak party financing laws, it was impossible until now to vote for somebody who is truly committed to cleaning up the system and protecting the environment. At least not without voting for an alternative that shies away from the tough negotiations and compromises required in political life. That is why the Democratic Party is needed. It is needed to restore true democracy, plain and simple. One of the party's principal tenets is meritocracy. It is about making sure that nepotism has no place in Maltese politics. As outsiders, we are completely free of the tribal network keeping the Nationalist and Labour parties in chains. Both the PL and PN are terrified of reform, because they know it will weaken their position. They can never achieve reform alone, let alone reform our institutions. However, with the Democratic Party aiming for meritocratic reform for all, it will create an even playing field. The last coalition of sorts was the compact between the Constitutional Party and the Labour Party. The Democratic Party's desire to improve the constitution makes us a worthy successor to that progressive government. The pill of reform is bitter to swallow, however, for the Labour voters who know that they have been betrayed by Muscat. They may want to reform and protect the Labour Party, and see keeping Muscat in government as a lesser evil compared to voting for Forza Nazzjonali. This distrust is most likely cultural and has been inherited. It is also understandable, given that the Nationalists have made a lot of mistakes. As they are today, a lot of people still do not trust them. However, with the Democratic Party forming a joint manifesto with them and keeping them in check, we are the best hope for those who wish to see a change in the playing field. Nobody in my family has ever been involved in politics before, but I got involved because I recognise this opportunity for Malta comes once in a generation. The Democratic Party can help make the major parties that people love as good as they deserve to be. Timothy Alden is a PD candidate for the 8th and 9th districts Timothy Alden Both the PL and PN are terrified of reform, because they know it will weaken their position. They can never achieve reform alone, let alone reform our institutions FOUR UNDER FORTY Opinion

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