Fil-ġlieda kontra l-abbużi fis-settur pubbliku, ADPD lest juża r-referendum abrogattiv
ADPD lest juża l-għodda tar-referendum abrogattiv biex inħassru liġijiet li jinkoraġixxu u jipproteġu l-abbuż fis-settur pubbliku jekk dak li qiegħed jikkonsidra li jwettaq il-Prim Ministru jseħħ. Iċ-Chairperson ta’ ADPD-The Green Party Sandra Gauci qalet dan meta kienet qegħda tindirizza konferenza tal-aħbarijiet quddiem il-Parlament dalgħodu flimkien mas-Segretarju Ġenerali ta’ ADPD-The Green Party Ralph Cassar.
Dr Cassar irrefera għal dak li qal il-Prim Ministru Robert Abela l-Ħadd li għadda fejn qed jikkunsidra kif se jagħti protezzjoni lill-uffiċjali pubbliċi biex ir-reati kriminali li jagħmlu, ħadd ma jkun jista’ jfittixhom b’passi kriminali personalment.
Jidher li issa, għal Robert Abela, addio kontabilità u addio governanza tajba. Hu ovvju għalfejn Robert Abela tkellem b’dan il-mod. Għax l-abbużi diversi li hu allegat li saru f’diversi Ministeri bdew jiġu investigati minkejja li l-Pulizija ma’ għamlet prattikament xejn dwar dan. Hemm Segretarji Permanenti u persuni oħra imlaħħqin fis-settur pubbliku li qed jiġu investigati dwar abbużi li hu allegat li għamlu jew li ippermettew li jsiru meta kellhom l-obbligu li jżommuhom milli jsiru.
Uħud minn dawn l-investigazzjonijiet huma lesti. Il-fatti dwarhom huma magħrufa. Hemm investigazzjonijiet oħrajn li għadhom għaddejjin. Fejn l-allegati abbużi ma jirriżultawx, ma hemmx bżonn ta’ protezzjoni, għax hemm il-Qrati li jipprovdu biżżejjed protezzjoni diġà.
Imma fejn l-allegati abbużi jirriżultaw, dan kollu jfisser li Robert Abela jrid jipproteġi l-abbuż fis-settur pubbliku. Anzi, nazzardaw ngħidu li l-abbuż se jkun inkoraġġit għax issa dan se jkun protett bil-proposta ta’ Robert Abela. Proposta li għad irridu narawha, għax s’issa għad ma nafux eżatt x’inhi, għajr dak li qal Abela fl-attività politika f’Kordin il-Ħadd li għadda.
Iċ-Chairperson ta’ ADPD-The Green Party Sandra Gauci qalet li l-abbuż għandna niqfulu, kuljum. Hu tajjeb li fejn hemm suspett ta’ abbuż dan ikun investigat mill-Pulizija. Imma jekk il-Pulizija ma tagħmel xejn, il-ligi tagħti d-dritt lil kull wieħed minna biex dak li nafu u li jkun qed inissel suspett ta’ abbuż jinġieb għall-attenzjoni tal-Qrati biex dan ikun investigat.
B’dak li qal Abela, dan kollu hu mhedded. Abela jrid li jekk il-Pulizija ma jagħmlu xejn, ma jsir xejn u kollox jibqa’ għaddej. Irid li meta abbuż ikun sar fis-settur pubbliku, jkun qisu ma ġara xejn. Dan mhux aċċettabbli f’soċjetà demokratika. L-abbuż, isir fejn isir, hu ta’ ħsara u qatt ma jista’ jkun ikkunsidrat li hu fl-interess tal-pajjiż.
Il-pajjiż ma jimxix ‘il quddiem bl-abbużi, imma b’rispett sħiħ lejn il-liġi. Dejjem u bla ebda eċċezzjoni. B’dak li qed jgħid Abela addio kontabilità u addio governanza tajba.
ADPD-The Green Party lest juża l-għodda tar-referendum abrogattiv li permezz tiegħu nistghu inħassru liġijiet li jinkoraġixxu u jipproteġu l-abbuż fis-settur pubbliku jekk dak li qiegħed jikkonsidra li jwettaq il-Prim Ministru jseħħ.
M’għandix dubju, kompliet tgħid Gauci, li hemm oħrajn li jaħsbuha bħalna. Aħna lesti nikkooperaw ma min irid jaħdem magħna f’din il-ġlieda.
Il-kontabilità hi responsabbiltà ta’ kulħadd. Kull min għandu l-awtorità hu responsabbli għal għemilu. Mhux biss il-politiċi. Inkunu lesti, biex niġġieldu kontra l-abbuż fis-settur pubbliku, temmet tgħid Gauci.
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In the fight against abuse in the public sector, the Greens are ready to call for an abrogative referendum
ADPD-The Green Party is ready to call for an abrogative referendum to annul any laws that aid and abet abuse in the public sector, should the Prime Minister consider laws to protect abuse and their enablers in the said sector. ADPD-The Green Party Chairperson Sandra Gauci announced this while addressing a news conference in front of Parliament this morning together with Greens’ Secretary General Ralph Cassar.
Dr Cassar referred to what the Prime Minister Robert Abela said during a political event last Sunday, during which he said that he wants to change the law such that public officials who abuse their position of power would not be criminally liable in their personal capacity.
“It now seems that Robert Abela is waving goodbye to accountability and good governance. The reason for such an announcement is obvious. It is because of calls for the investigation into numerous allegations of public officials in various Ministries, following inaction by the Police. There are Permanent Secretaries and other public officials that are currently being investigated for alleged criminal misconduct or for closing a blind eye to alleged criminal acts that they were duty-bound to prevent.”
“Some of these investigations have been concluded. The facts are known. There are other ongoing investigations. If there is no misconduct, there is no need for protection, because the courts already provide the necessary protection at law.”
“However when the alleged abuse is proven, it means that Robert Abela is keen to defend criminal acts in the public sector. Robert Abela shamefully wants to encourage and cover up criminality in the public sector. We still do not know what the changes to the law are exactly since these have not been published yet. All we know is what Abela said during a political event in Corradino last Sunday.”
ADPD-The Green Party Chairperson Sandra Gauci said, “We must stand up to abuse of public office. Abuse of public office is the abuse of democracy. It is true that the Police are also tasked with investigating any suspicion of abuse and lawbreaking. However, the Police are often inactive in such cases. The law grants every one of us the right to bring to the attention of Magistrates any suspicion of abuse to be investigated.”
“What Abela has said poses a threat to this right. Abela wants the Police to remain inactive and allow any abuse to go unhindered. Moreover, he wants any criminal abuse in the public sector to be ignored. This is not acceptable in a democratic society. Any abuse, wherever it occurs, is harmful and can never be considered of benefit to the national interest, whatever Abela says. The country cannot move forward where there is abuse in the public sector, but only when the law is respected, always and without exception. Abela is essentially proposing doing away with accountability and good governance.”
“We at ADPD-The Green Party are ready to use the means available to call for an abrogative referendum by which we can annul any laws that encourage criminal misconduct by public officials, if this is what the Prime Minister is planning to do.”
“I have no doubt”, continued Gauci, ”that there are others who are of the same opinion. We are ready to cooperate with those who would like to work with us in the fight for accountability and good governance.”
“Accountability is everybody’s responsibility. Every single individual in authority is responsible for their own actions. Accountability is not only for politicians. We must be ready to fight abuse in the public sector”, concluded Gauci.
