In a press conference in front of the offices of Transport Malta in Lija this morning, ADPD-The Green Party spokespersons emphasised that Maltese politics is riddled with clientelism: politics based on handouts, instead of politics based on rights. Unashamedly we have the Prime Minister Robert Abela, as well as members of parliament and Labour ministers gaslighting the public by playing down the seriousness of the driving licence scandal with their statements, trying to frame what is clear and rampant clientelism as normal and simply ‘being close to people’.

Ralph Cassar, ADPD-The Green Party Secretary General and candidate for the European Parliament said that: “If we were in a normal country, with a government and a parliament that really want to strengthen democracy, resignations would have been coming in thick and fast, starting with Minister Ian Borg, and all the officials, including in the so-called ‘customer care units’ of the Ministries involved in this clientelism conspiracy. But Abela’s Government prefers such handouts. He wants people to be indebted to his party for being favoured over all others.”

“What used to be done over the phone is now being done unashamedly on ‘chats’ like Whatsapp which fortunately ended up in the hands of the journalists who are exposing the manoeuvres of Abela and his friends. Anyone who wants a political system based on good governance and what’s right and fair, and government institutions and agencies that treat everyone the same cannot but be outraged by what has been reported both about driver’s licences, but also about the benefits for severe disability scandal, and even about how the Airmalta saga ended. The link between all these stories is clientelism, the rot that has ruined this country. A country where patronage, clientelism and favouritism trump fairness and good governance.”

“The fact that the Ministries have ‘customer care’ offices, both now and even during previous administrations, full of supporters appointed in the private secretariats of the Ministers clearly shows that the system of clientelism has been rotting the Maltese political system and turning it into a system of patronage and nepotism. Citizens are not ‘clients’ – they are citizens who have a right to public services in a legitimate way and not through some patron ‘saint’! It is not the job of Ministers to have ‘customer care’ units. Regular public service officials should be the one coordinating and delivering public services to citizens, without partisan interference.”

“People need to understand that if they remain hostage to the system of clientelism perpetuated by the PL and the PN over the years things will not change. Vote differently if you want things to change. Only then will the other parties understand. Rosianne Cutajar was right when she said, about her friends, that everyone is pigging out. The problem is that she was part of the problem too, seeking to pig out as well,” concluded Cassar.

ADPD-The Green Party Chairperson and candidate for the European Parliament Sandra Gauci said: “Prime Minister Robert Abela should be ashamed of trying to turn the discourse about clientelism in driving licences by saying that what happened is something normal. Robert Abela is trying to normalise clientelism instead of changing the political system to one where everyone is treated the same. People should be able to obtain what is theirs by right and not through favouritism.”

“The messages exchanged over WhatsApp among Transport Malta officials, several Labour supporters in the secretariat of the Ministry of Transport, Minister Ian Borg, supporters, delegates and Labour canvassers in Transport Malta, the Ministry for Gozo and that of Transport, and even in PBS and in Castile confirm that there is a whole conspiracy to dish out favours. Instead of a politics based on rights we have a politics based on patronage,” argued Gauci.

Gauci continued, referring to the Whatsapp messages revealed by Times of Malta, that phrases like ‘this one came from OPM’, ‘take care of them’, ‘make a note against his name, you understand me haha’, ‘keep a notebook just for these things’ show that those involved were well aware that they were engaged in a ‘favours for votes’ secret scheme. They knew they were using their political influence to grant favours. It is disgraceful that the Prime Minister tries to cover this up and is not man enough to admit that this is pure and unabashed clientelism: a corrupt abuse of political power. She insisted that Robert Abela has the strength to change the way politics is done but instead he tells us that for him this conspiracy of favours is normal.

“It seems that it is acceptable for Robert Abela that people who are not yet able to drive are, because of their loyalty to Labour be granted a car licence! It is worth reminding the Prime Minister that a car is also a weapon if used incorrectly. In fact according to NSO figures in 2022 we had 28 deaths on the roads, 19 deaths more than the previous year. We also had 1,341 accidents in which people were injured. One shudders to think that some of those deaths and accidents are the result of institutionalised clientelism with the blessing of the Prime Minister,” concluded Gauci.

***

Il-klijenteliżmu l-marda ta’ dan il-pajjiż

F’konferenza stampa quddiem l-uffiċċini ta’ Transport Malta f’Ħal Lija dalgħodu, kelliema ta’ ADPD-The Green Party saħqu li l-politika Maltija hija mnawwra bil-klijenteliżmu: politika bbażata fuq pjaċiri, flok politika bbażata fuq drittijiet. Bla mistħija ta’ xejn il-Prim Ministru Robert Abela, kif ukoll membri parlamentari u ministri Laburisti fuq il-ġurnali u bid-dikjarazzjonijiet tagħhom qed jippruvaw inaqqsu mis-serjetà tal-iskandlu tal-liċenzji tas-sewqan u jdawwru dak li huwa ċar li huwa klijenteliżmu sfrenat għal sempliċiment ‘li jkunu viċin in-nies’.

Ralph Cassar, Segretarju Ġenerali u kandidat għall-Parlament Ewropew ta’ ADPD qal li: “Kieku qegħdin f’pajjiż normali, bi gvern u parlament li vera jridu jsaħħu d-demokrazija kieku ilhom li taru l-irjus, ibda mill-Ministru Ian Borg, u l-uffiċċjali kollha, inkluż tal-hekk imsejjħa ‘customer care’ tal-Ministeri involuti f’din il-konfoffa ta’ klijenteliżmu. Imma l-Gvern ta’ Abela jippreferi l-pjaciri, u mhux id-drittijiet. Irid imexxi bil-pjaciri u mhux billi jirrispetta d-drittijiet.”

“Dak li qabel kien isir bit-telefon issa qed isir bla mistħija ta’ xejn fuq ‘chats’ bħall-Whatsapp li b’xorti tajba spiċċaw f’idejn il-ġurnalisti li qed jikxfu l-maskra ta’ Abela u sħabu. Min irid sistema politika bbażata fuq is-sewwa u istituzzjonijiet u aġenziji tal-gvern li jitrattaw lil kulħadd l-istess ma jistax ma jkunx irrabjat b’dak li ġie irrappurtat kemm dwar il-liċenzji tas-sewqan, iżda wkoll dwar il-benefiċċji għal diżabilià severa, u anke dwar kif spiċċat s-saga tal-Airmalta. Il-ħolqa bejn dawn l-istejjer kollha hija l-klijenteliżmu li marrad pajjiż. Pajjiż immexxi bil-pjaċiri, u mhux b’rispett lejn id-dritt.”

“Il-fatt li l-Ministeri għandhom uffiċini għall-‘customer care’, kemm issa u anke fi żmien gvernijiet preċedenti, mimlija partitarji appuntati fis-segretarjati privati tal-Ministri juri biċ-ċar li s-sistema tal-klijenteliżmu ilha sew tnawwar is-sistema politika Maltija. Sistema ta’ patrunaġġ u nepotiżmu. Iċ-ċittadini mhux ‘klijenti’ – huma ċittadini li għandhom dritt għas-servizzi pubbliċi b’mod leġittimu u mhux permezz ta’ xi qaddis. Mhux xogħol il-Ministri li jkollhom ‘customer care’ – huma uffiċċjali tas-servizz pubbliku li għandhom jikkoordinaw u jwasslu s-servizzi pubbliċi liċ-ċittadini, mingħajr indħil partiġġjan.”

“In-nies hemm bżonn jifmhu li jekk jibqgħu ostaġġi tas-sistema ta’ klijenteliżmu perpetwata mill-PL u l-PN tul is-snin l-affarijiet mhux se jinbidlu. Ivvutaw differenti jekk tridu l-affarijiet jinbidlu. Hekk biss jifmhu l-partiti l-oħra. Rosianne Cutajar kellha raġun meta qalet, dwar sħabha, li kulħadd jitħanżer. Il-problema li hija kienet parti mill-problema wkoll, u ppruvat titħanżer hi ukoll,” ikkonkluda Cassar.

Iċ-Chairperson ta’ ADPD u kandidat għall-Parlament Ewropew tal-partit Sandra Gauci qalet: “Il-Prim Ministru Robert Abela imissu jistħi jipprova jdawwar id-diskors dwar il-klijenteliżmu fil-liċenzji tas-sewqan billi jgħid li dak li ġara hija xi ħaġa normali. Robert Abela qed jipprova jinnormalizza l-klijenteliżmu minflok ibiddel is-sistema politika għal waħda fejn kulħadd hu itrattat l-istess. In-nies ma teħtieġx pjaciri, imma drittijiet.

“Id-diskors li sar fuq Whatsapp fost uffiċċjali ta’ Transport Malta, diversi persuni Laburisti fis-segretarjat tal-Ministeru tat-Trasport, il-Ministru Ian Borg, partitarji, delegati u canvassers Laburisti f’Transport Malta, l-Ministeru għal Għawdex, tat-Trasport u saħansitra fil-PBS u f’Kastilja jikkonferma iswed fuq l-abjad li hemm konfoffa sħiħa biex isiru l-pjaċiri bil-moħbi. Flok politika ibbażata fuq id-drittijiet għandna politika ibbażata fuq il-pjaċiri,” sostniet Gauci.

Gauci kompliet li frażijiet bħal ‘din ġiet mill-OPM’, ‘ħu ftit ħsiebhom’, ‘agħmel nota fejn ismu, tifhimni haha’, ‘żomm notebook għalhekk biss’ juru li dawk involuti kienu jafu sew li qed jagħmlu affarijiet li mhux suppost isiru. Jafu li qed jużaw l-influwenza politika tagħhom biex isiru l-pjaċiri. Huwa ta’ għajb li l-Prim Ministru jipprova jgħatti x-xemx bl-għarbiel u ma jammettix li dan huwa klijenteliżmu: abbuż korrott tal-poter politiku. Hija insistiet li Robert Abela għandu s-saħħa li jbiddel il-mod kif issir il-politika iżda minflok jgħidilna li jrid iħalli kollox l-istess.

“Jidher li huwa aċċettabbli għal Robert Abela li nies li għadhom mhux kapaci jsuqu jkollhom liċenzja ta’ karozza! Ta’ min infakkru lill-Prim Ministru li karozza hija wkoll arma jekk użata b’mod mhux korrett. Infatti skont iċ-ċifri tal-NSO fl-2022 kellna 28 mewt fit-toroq, 19-il mewt aktar mis-sena ta’ qabel. Kellna wkoll 1,341 inċident li fih weġġgħu persuni. Mingħajr ma trid taħseb jekk xi wħud minn dawk l-imwiet u inċidenti humiex frott il-klijenteliżmu istituzzjonalizzat bil-barka tal-Prim Ministru,” konkludiet Gauci.