Fil-bidu tal-konferenza stampa li saret illum is-Sibt 15 ta’ Frar, Sandra Gauci appellat lill-persuni kollha ta’ rieda tajba jieħdu sehem fid-dimostrazzjoni organizzata minn Repubblika u Occupy Justice, bis-sehem ta’ Graffitti, fost oħrajn tal-Ħadd 16 ta’ Frar fl-4pm il-Belt Valletta. It-toroq biex issir ġustizzja għandhom jinfetħu mhux jingħalqu kif irid il-gvern. ADPD-The Green Party jappoġġja d-dimostazzjoni.

Wara r-rapport li ħareġ din il-ġimgħa minn Transparency International, irriżulta li Malta kompliet tinżel aktar ‘l isfel fejn tidħol il-korruzzjoni. Dan jikkonferma dak li aħna, li ngħixu hawn fuq din il-blata, ilna nafu: li l-korruzzjoni hawn Malta laħqet livelli li ftit rajna bħalhom. Tħalliet tikber bħal kankru u saret qisha xi ħaġa li ndrat minn kulħadd. Il-korruzzjoni ġiet normalizzata. Is-sitwazzjoni hi serja tassew! Dawn qaluh kelliema ta’ ADPD-The Green Party waqt konferenza tal-aħbarijiet quddiem il-Qorti.

Id-Deputat Segretarju Ġenerali ta’ ADPD-The Green Party Mario Mallia qal li l-fatt li f’sena prattikament ninżlu għaxar postijiet fil-klassifika ta’ Transparency International huwa riżultat ta’ kemm l-istituzzjonijiet mhux qegħdin jaħdmu għax raqdu jew traqqdu. Qishom illuppjati! L-għassa li suppost trid issir qed tiġi mhedda b’kull mod. Minflok ma nsaħħu l-istituzzjonjiet li suppost joffru serħan tal-moħħ liċ-cittadin, dawn qegħdin jinħatfu bl-aktar mod skwallidu u bla mistħija ta’ xejn. Spiċċajna fis-65 post wara pajjiżi bħall-iRwanda u l-Għarabja Sawdija u donnu ħadd mhu sorpriż b’dan. Kollox jindara.

Meta għandek kummissarju tal-pulizija li ma jintervjenix avolja jkollu rapporti quddiem li juru biċ-ċar li kien hemm korruzzjoni, tixħim u xogħolijiet fantażma; meta għandek Avukat Ġenerali paraventu għal min jikser il-liġi, minflok taħdem għall-ġustizzja; dawn huma fost l-aktar affarijiet li ħarbtu s-saltna tad-dritt f’pajjiżna u ġabuna f’pożizzjoni li għandha tħammrilna wiċċna u tħeġġiġna biex nissieltu sabiex ikollna xrara ta’ normalità f’pajjiż fejn l-impunità saret parti essenzjali tal-istil ta’ ħajja. Dan ifisser li l-vittmi tal-inġustizzja aktar minn qatt qabel, ftit se jkollhom ċans li jsibu lil min jiddefendihom.  F’dan il-pajjiz, trid tfendi għal rasek, għax l-istituzzjonjiet out of order, temm jgħid Mallia.

Iċ-Chairperson ta’ ADPD-The Green Party, Sandra Gauci irreferiet għall-Abbozz ta’ Liġi 125 bħala konferma ta’ kemm il-Gvern qiegħed joħloq xkiel għat-trasparenza. Dan se jkun musmar ieħor fit-tebut tas-saltna tad-dritt f’Malta. Jekk dan jgħaddi mill-Parlament, iċ-ċittadini jkollhom arma anqas biex jiġġieldu l-korruzzjoni. Infatti din il-proposta se taqta’ qalb kull min fil-passat talab inkjesti
maġisterjali. Infakkarkom illi kieku ma kienx għall-inkjesti maġisterjali mitluba minn NGOs jew ċittadini privati, qatt ma konna se nkunu nafu bi skandli bħal tal-Vitals. Tgħid hemm aktar skandli x’jinkixfu, biex il-Gvern għandu din il-ħeġġa kollha biex din il-liġi tgħaddi bla dewmien?

Flok ma għandna gvern li ma jibzax mill-iskrutinju u li jkun responsabbli ta’ għemilu, għandna gvern li jivvinta modi ġodda biex jaħbi mill-poplu dak li qiegħed isir baxx baxx. Imma qiegħed isir aktar ċar li hemm grupp ta’ persuni li jitqiesu ‘l fuq mil-liġi u qegħdin jagħmlu minn kollox biex il-liġi ma tilħaqhomx. Jekk din il-liġi tgħaddi, se tkun abbuż sfaċċat ta’ poter u xejn aktar għax se tagħti carte blanche lil min qiegħed fil-poter biex ikun jista’ jisraq mingħajr l-ebda xkiel. Din kien jonqos, ġaladarba l-Kummissarju
tal-Pulizija u l-Avukat Ġenerali ma juru ebda ħeġġa biex jaġixxu kontra l-korruzzjoni.

Aħna ta’ ADPD-The Green Party niggarantixxu li meta inkunu fil-Parlament dawn l-affarijiet mhux biss niġġilduhom imma nipproponu aktar mezzi ta’ skrutinju fuq min imexxi. Il-kontabilità u t-trasparenza huma s-sisien ta’ stat demokratiku. Hi l-kontabilità u t-trasparenza bis-serjetà li tagħti garanzija ta’ serħan tal-moħħ liċ-ċittadini li min qiegħed imexxi,  qiegħed jagħmel dan fl-interessi taċ-ċittadini kollha u mhux ta’ xi erbgħa tal-qalba. It-trasparenza u l-kontabilità għandhom ikunu s-sisien li fuqhom għandu jitmexxa pajjiż u aħna tal-ADPD naħdmu biex dan iseħħ, temmet tgħid Gauci.

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The institutions have been anaesthetised

The publication of the Transparency International Report earlier this week has revealed that Malta’s rating has continued to drop to a record low.  This confirms what we have known for a long while, mainly that corruption in Malta has reached levels that we have not witnessed before.  Corruption has been allowed to grow like a cancer and has now become something that we have got used to.  Corruption has become normalised.  The situation is very serious! This was declared by ADPD-The Green Party during a news conference in front of the Law Courts in Valletta.

Greens’ Deputy Secretary General Mario Mallia said that the fact that the Transparency International classification rating for Malta has gone down 10 places reveals how much the institutions are truly not working because they have either been allowed to fall into a stupor or have been numbed. They certainly come across as under anaesthesia. Any monitoring which is necessary for ensuring transparency in their operations is under threat.  Instead of strengthening the institutions that are meant to reassure citizens, these institutions are now being hijacked in the most disgusting and shameless manner.  We have fallen behind countries like Rwanda and Saudi Arabia and it seems that nobody is surprised.  We have become used to it.

When you have a Police Commission who does not intervene despite reports presented to him proving that there is corruption, bribery, and phantom jobs, and when you have an Attorney General acting as a
shield for those who break the law instead of working for justice, you have some of the greatest threats to the rule of law.  This has brought us to the current situation which is extremely embarrassing, and this encourages us to fight against the culture of impunity which has been normalised in our country, so much so that it has become a lifestyle choice.  This means that victims of injustice, now more than ever, will not have much opportunity to be defended.  In this country, you have to fend for yourself, because the institutions are out of order, concluded Mallia.

Greens’ Chairperson Sandra Gauci referred to Bill 125 as confirmation of the government’s desire to put in more obstacles in the quest for justice and transparency.  This is a nail in the coffin of Malta’s rule of law.  If this passes through, citizens will have lost an important tool to fight corruption.  In fact, this proposal will discourage anyone who has asked for a magisterial inquiry.  Keep in mind that if it hadn’t been for the magisterial inquiries initiated by NGOs and private citizens, we would have never learnt about the Vitals scandal to give an example.  With the government so keen to have this law in place, it makes one wonder how many more scandals are waiting to be discovered.

Instead of a government which does not fear scrutiny and taking responsibility for its actions, we have a government that comes up with different ways to hide what is happening under the radar.  But it is now becoming clear that there is a group of people who are considered as above the law, and are doing everything to ensure that the law protects them.  If this law passes, it will be a clear abuse of power and nothing more, because it will give those in government the power to steal from the people without any qualms.  With a Police Commissioner and Attorney General who have no interest in working against corruption, this will be the final nail in the coffin.

ADPD-The Green Party guarantees that once we are in Parliament, we shall not only fight these things but also propose ways of putting those in government under scrutiny.   Accountability and transparency are the foundations of a democratic state.  It is accountability and transparency that reassure all citizens that they are being governed by politicians who have their interests at heart, and not the interests of the few.  Transparency and accountability should be the foundations upon which the country should be governed,  and we will work to ensure that this occurs, concluded Gauci.

Sandra Gauci also said that ADPD-The Green Party supports tomorrow’s demonstration in Valletta organised by various NGOs.