ADPD – The Green Party, in a press conference on Saturday, said that transparency, accountability, and good governance should be the fundamental to the way politics is done in our country. Together with the role of the General Auditor, the Ombudsman and the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life are essential in assuring that these values, critical for every democracy, are protected and observed by the public institutions of our country.

Samuel Vella, Deputy Secretary of ADPD and the Chairperson of the youth wing, said that the investigations that have been conducted these last few years reveal how “rampant the problem of nepotism is when it comes to the public sector. How many times are we going to hear about the abuse of power, such as a Minister giving a phantom job to a partner?”

He highlighted the cases of Justyne Caruana and more Clayton Bartolo. “The resignations of these individuals were not immediate, and only handed in after much foot-dragging; this certainly does not reflect well on the safeguarding of democracy and the rule of law in our country.”

“It is the duty of the Prime Minister to take decisions on the severity of the punishment for the unethical behaviour of his Ministers,” said Vella. “Rosanne Cutajar spent some time in political purgatory as an independent member of parliament, and now it appears that she has been absolved of her sins; she has now rejoined the party in government.”

Vella pointed out that “Justyne Caruana resigned, but was soon given another role. Amanda Muscat refunded the money paid in excess, whilst Rosanne Cutajar was not asked to return the money she received for her bogus appointment.”

“These resignations, although necessary, are not enough,” he said. “These are serious cases that should be subject to police investigation. Rosianne Cutajar, Justyne Caruana and Clayton Bartolo were never interrogated by the police. The consequences were only political; nobody was ever investigated.”

Vella argued that “these people are still going on with their daily lives as if nothing has ever happened. It was up to the Prime Minister to decide on the course of action in relation to these serious offences, based on criteria only known to him, as if nothing had ever happened, and at the same time presenting arguments that were far from convincing as if to play down the serious of his Ministers’ behaviours.”

Samuel Vella concluded by saying, “the Prime Minister is consistent in his defence of the criminal actions of his MPs. To add insult to injury he speaks as if these MPs are the victims.”

Sandra Gauci, ADPD chairperson, said that the Prime Minister is “ridiculing the investigations and conclusions of the General Auditor and the Commissioner for Standards of Public Life. The Prime Minister’s reactions to these criminal offences are inconsistent.”

She went on to say that, “the three of them had given a phantom job or received such a role. How can one trust a Prime Minister who is inconsistent in the way he acts toward such illicit behaviours? This is not a serious way to govern a country, and the manner in which they were treated is certainly not a credible means of treating people who stole from the public purse.”

Gauci further questioned this attitude, “when you see the casual attitude towards the theft of public money, how can one understand why the government is dragging its feet about the MCAST collective agreement that expired nearly three years ago? What kind of mindset must the Prime Minister have to have a collective agreement that MCAST educators deserve? Not only educators have protested, but even students, the latter who are now facing the consequences of these unjustified delays.”

She added that, “even students have come to understand the predicament of MCAST staff and have shown solidarity with them. But it seems that the powers that be and those who could do better to address the situation have failed to understand the issue. They have not yet understood the damage that these delays are causing.”

“Neither MCAST staff nor MCAST students have the peace of mind they deserve. Lecturers cannot do their work well because they are not being treated well, whilst the students are also facing uncertainty as they are not being given the work necessary for their educational journey. There is the need to arrive at an agreement that will be of benefit to all, and that cannot depend on the mood of the moment. Let’s take a mature approach to the situation,” Gauci concluded.

Photo: AD

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