The myopic vision of the political parties currently represented in Parliament is not only leading to institutions not being able to function well but these are being effectively castrated. ADPD-The Green Party spokespersons said this at a press conference in Valletta this morning referring to the proposed amendments to the Standards in Public Life Act.

ADPD Public Relations Officer Brian Decelis said the proposed amendments to the Standards in Public Life Act will make it easier for the Government to avoid being faced with ‘uncomfortable’ reports published by the standards’ office – this may happen once the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life is appointed solely by the Government. This may lead the appointed person to feel at ease to choose not to investigate breaches of such standards or not to investigate in detail.

The Ombudsman has recently complained that 35 reports presented for Parliament’s attention between 2020 and last year have been completely ignored by Parliament. These reports are presented to Parliament after being previously referred to the Office of the Prime Minister which either refused to take the necessary action, and also after being ignored by the Civil Service or the entity involved.
We should all be concerned by what the Ombudsman declared when faced with this lack of action. In comments to the Times of Malta he said that this state of affairs showed the members of parliament’s failure to appreciate the role of the Ombudsman and that through their inaction, citizens are feeling more aggrieved by being ignored also by Parliament.

Instead of seeking to strengthen the institutions Government is proposing a mechanism that will enable it to appoint whoever it deems fit as Commissioner for Standards in Public Life without seeking a wide consensus. This is a slap in the face of all institutions, concluded Decelis.

ADPD – The Green Party Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo said that the way in which the nominations for these institutions are made showed the myopic vision of the political parties currently represented in Parliament. Many a time only persons within their own circles are proposed at the exclusion of others who may be able to give their beneficial contribution to the country. Indeed civil society should also have a role in such appointments. Government has also delayed the appointment of the Ombudsman for more than a year to allow it to be able to ‘barter’ it with that of the Commissioner of Standards in Public Life, a role that has become vacant thanks to the Prime Minister’s macchiavellian manoeuvres.

Even where there had been consensus regarding such appointments in the past, their reports and recommendations many a time were either ignored or quietly forgotten about. It has only been thanks to public opinion that we have had resignations such as that of the Minister for Gozo Justyne Caruana and Parliamentary Secretary Rosianne Cutajar, in spite of clear reports about them. We are also currently seeing this happen with respect to Interior Minister Byron Camilleri where the Prim Minister failed to take the immediate action to remove him for failing to take timely action to dismiss the Director of Prisons.
On paper the proposed amendments to the Standards in Public Life Act are presented as an anti-deadlock mechanism when the required two-thirds of Parliamentary approval is not met. However, the proposals are seeking to remove the primary objective of the current law, that of seeking the widest consensus possible for the appointment of the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life by Parliament.
It is not sufficient that the nominee is a person of integrity. The fact that they may not be acceptable for the Opposition may be a sufficient enough reason once there are valid reasons. This also puts the onus on the Opposition to be accountable and to act in a responsible manner too.

The aim behind the two-thirds of Parliamentary approval is for the widest possible consensus to be attained in the appointment of the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life. Removing this requirement undermines the whole process, leading to the institutions being effectively castrated, concluded Cacopardo.

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Istituzzjonijiet ikkastrati

Hija il-viżjoni mijopika tal-partiti preżentament fil-Parlament li qegħda twassal biex l-istituzzjonijiet  mhux talli ma jitħallewx jaħdmu imma talli qed jiġu effettivament ikkastrati. Dan qaluh il-kelliema ta’ ADPD-The Green Party f’konferenza tal-aħbarijiet fil-Belt Valletta dalgħodu b’riferenza għall-emendi proposti għal-liġi dwar l-Istandards fil-Ħajja Pubblika.

L-Uffiċjal għar-Relazzjonijiet Pubbliċi ta’ ADPD – The Green Party Brian Decelis qal li l-emendi proposti għal-liġi dwar l-Istandards fil-Ħajja Pubblika se jagħmluha iktar faċli biex il-Gvern ma jiffaċċjax rapporti skomdi minn dan l-uffiċċju – dan għaliex Kummissarju għall-Istandards fil-Ħajja Pubblika jista’ jibda jinħatar bl-approvazzjoni tal-Gvern biss. Dan jista’ jwassal lill-persuna li tinħatar li tħossha komda li tagħżel jew li ma tinvestigax inkella ma tinvestigax bir-reqqa każi ta’ ksur ta’ dawn l-istandards.

Diġà kellna l-Ombudsman preżenti li ilmenta li 35 rapport li ressaq għall-attenzjoni tal-Parlament bejn l-2020 u s-sena l-oħra ġew kollha injorati għal kollox mill-Parlament. Dan wara li qabel kienu diġà ġew riferuti lill-Uffiċju tal-Prim Ministru, li jew irrifjuta li jieħu azzjoni dwarhom jew inkella dawn ġew injorati mill-amministrazzjoni pubblika jew l-entità involuta.

Kulħadd għandu jkun ippreokkupat dwar dak li qal l-Ombudsman meta iffaċċjat b’dan l-atteġġjament. L-Ombudsman qal f’kummenti lit-Times of Malta li dan l-atteġġjament juri nuqqas ta’ għarfien mill-membri parlamentari dwar ir-rwol tal-Ombudsman u li din in-nuqqas ta’ azzjoni min-naħa tagħhom qiegħed ikun ta’ dannu kbir għaċ-ċittadini li jkunu intlaqtu ħażin għax issa qed jinjorahom il-Parlament ukoll.
Minflok ma ra kif jissaħħu l-istituzzjonijiet il-Gvern ippreżenta proposta għal mekkaniżmu li bih, fil-każ tal-Kummissarju għall-Istandards fil-Ħajja Pubblika, jagħti l-jedd li l-Gvern jappunta lil min irid hu u hekk jelimina l-ħtieġa għal kunsens wiesa’. Dan huwa daqqa ta’ ħarta kbira lejn l-istituzzjonijiet kollha, temm jgħid Decelis.

Iċ-Chairperson ta’ ADPD – The Green Party, Carmel Cacopardo, qal li l-mod kif jitressqu n-nominazzjonijiet għal dawn l-istituzzjonijiet juri l-viżjoni mijopika tal-partiti preżentament fil-Parlament. Ħafna drabi huma jressqu ismijiet ta’ dawk fiċ-ċirku tagħhom bl-esklużjoni ta’ oħrajn li jistgħu jagħtu l-kontribut siewi tagħhom lil pajjiż. Anke s-soċjetà ċivili għandu jkollha rwol f’dawn il-ħatriet. Rajna ukoll li l-Gvern ittratiena li jaħtar Ombudsman ġdid għal iktar minn sena biex ikun jista’ ‘jinnegozja’ din il-ħatra flimkien ma’ dik tal-Kummissarju dwar l-Istandards fil-Ħajja Pubblika, kariga li sfat battala sforz il-manuvri makkjavelljani tal-Prim Ministru.

Anke fejn kien hemm qbil dwar dawn il-ħatriet fil-passat, ir-rapporti u ir-rakkomandazzjonijiet tagħhom xi drabi jiġu injorati inkella jinstab mod kif jitmewwtu. Kienet biss l-opinjoni pubblika li wasslet għal riżenji bħal tal-Ministru għal Għawdex Justyne Caruana u tas-Segretarju Parlamentari Rosianne Cutajar minkejja r-rapporti ċarissimi li kien hemm dwarhom. Dan issa qegħdin narawh iseħħ ukoll bħalissa fil-konfront tal-Ministru tal-Intern Byron Camilleri fejn il-Prim Ministru naqas milli jieħu l-azzjoni immedjata biex dan jitneħħa meta ma ħax passi fil-ħin biex jitwarrab id-Direttur tal-Ħabs.

Uffiċjalment l-emendi proposti għal-Liġi dwar l-Istandards fil-Ħajja Pubblika kellhom l-iskop li jħollu l-problema f’każ li ż-żewġ terzi ma jintlaħqux (anti-deadlock mechanism). L-emendi proposti qed ifittxu li jeliminaw l-oġġettiv ewlieni tal-liġi eżistenti. Dan hu li, għalkemm il-Kummissarju tal-Istandards fil-Hajja Pubblika hu approvat mill-Parlament, il-ħatra tiegħu għandha tgawdi l-kunsens wiesa’.  
Li l-persuna nominata tkun persuna ta’ integrità mhux biżżejjed. Il-fatt li mhix aċċettabbli għall-Oppożizzjoni tista’ tkun raġuni suffiċjenti sakemm ikun hemm raġuni valida għal dan. Imma anke l-Oppożizzjoni hi kontabbli u għandha l-obbligu li taġixxi b’mod responsabbli!

L-iskop kollu li l-ħatra tikseb l-approvazzjoni ta’ żewġ terzi hu li jinħoloq l-iktar kunsens wiesa’ possibbli meta jinħatar Kummissarju għall-iStandards fil-Ħajja Pubblika. Li titneħħa din il-ħtieġa għall-kunsens iwassal biex ikun imminat il-proċess kollu. Dan hu parti minn eżerċizzju biex l-istituzzjonijiet ikunu effettivament ikkastrati, temm jgħid Cacopardo.