Alternattiva Demokratika – the Green Party this morning presented its proposals for more transparency in all levels and spheres of Government.

Speaking at a press conference in front of the Office of the Prime Minister in Castille, Valletta, Prof. Arnold Cassola said, “Alternattiva Demokratika in parliament will work to ensure that Freedom of Information, Data Protection and whistleblower rights are defined appropriately and entrenched in the Constitution. It is quite startling that the PN has not made any reference in its electoral programme to the Whistleblower’s Act, which is so vital to uncover misdeeds, both in the present and in the past.

“In the many years they have been in Parliament both PN and PL have not enacted this law, thus risking that the big scandals regarding bribery from oil companies, which are being uncovered today, remain unresolved.”

“As regards public funds, the Auditor General should maintain his discretionary powers, he said.”

“AD is also proposing that the prescription period on acts of corruption be lengthened so that the State can recover some of the money taken illegally from the people. Even the political parties have to be controlled by means of a law that regulates the financing of political parties, which regulates the present jungle of millions of euros that at the moment PN and PL are getting from private speculators who finance the two parties, and who will get back their money with interest when one of either PN or PL is in government.

“In order to stop this abuse, AD in Parliament is proposing a law that obliges political parties to make public the name of all those that give over 5000 Euros donation in a year, whilst donations of over 40,000 Euros should become illegal. The threshold for spending of individual candidates should go up from 1600 to 4000 euros,” Prof. Arnold Cassola concluded.

Carmel Cacopardo, AD Deputy Chairperson said that “it appears that the conclusions of the Commissioner for Data Protection where it was recommended that the Electoral Commission did not need a list of the names of patients in hospitals save for the last week before the elections, will be ignored.

“In the coming days, the Electoral Commission will distribute updated information on patients in hospitals and residents in Old People’s Homes to political parties.Alternattiva Demokratika has already refused the first of these lists because it believes that political parties do not need such lists. The Electoral Commission’s failure to follow the recommendations of the Commissioner for Data Protection means that the PN and PL will ride roughshod over everyone in their quest for votes.”

Carmel Cacopardo also spoke about transparency in the private sector because it is not only the state which has to be transparent. “The electoral programme of Alternattiva Demokratika speaks about private enterprise (industry and business) and its obligation to inform the public about its operations.

“Within the context of Corporate Social Responsibility, nowadays there are many organisations which publish reports on a regular basis in which they give details of their impact principally (although not exclusively) on the community where they operate. So far in Malta it is only two companies which do this:Bank of Valletta and Vodafone which published two editions of their reports. Each of these publications is a positive contribution but in every case there is room for improvement in the political direction as well as in the content of the reports”.

Carmel Cacopardo concluded, “In its electoral programme AD insists that it is essential that this is extended to all companies listed in the Stock Exchange as well as to Parastatal Corporations such as Enemalta and the Water Services Corporation together with those companies in the private sector which employ over 1,000 workers.. It is important to underline that environmental reporting is as important as financial reporting and thus should also be subject to a process of verification.”

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