Opposition leader Adrian Delia proposed that Parliament approves the establishment of an ad hoc Parliamentary Committee made up of five persons, two of whom to be appointed by the Opposition. This Committee should work on studying the reports published by Greco, the Venice Commission and the Council of Europe, that put Malta to shame. This Committee should aim at analyzing thoroughly the reports published.
When speaking at the end of his speech to Parliament, Adrian Delia said that this Committee should be established within three months to ensure that action is taken, as we need to do all that is possible to ensure transparency in the way our country is run. He said that we need to take steps on what is being proposed by Greco, because we cannot keep having these reports putting us not amongst the best in Europe, but in the league of the most corrupt.
Adrian Delia reminded what Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had said in January of 2013; that corruption is tax imposed on citizens, but today he is not doing anything to stop it. Statistics show that under a Socialist Government, the price of corruption adds up to 725 million euro a year, which is not paid by government, but by the citizens – those who need to survive on a low salary and those whose business is facing problems.
He said that our government shows his stand against corruption through Minister Konrad Mizzi, who was found to have a secret company in Panama, but he held his position, unlike politicians in other countries.
Adrian Delia said that the Greco report is fundamental to our democratic structures. He said that Minister Owen Bonnici held that changes must be made in a structured manner, but then he put the blame on the Opposition for this report.
Our role is not to protect government, but to protect the country, insisted Dr. Delia. The Opposition is functioning and it is functioning effectively. It is useless for the government to keep blaming the PN for the outcome of these reports. He stressed that the problem stands with the government, because there is a problem and the government is not addressing it.
The Opposition Leader also replied to Minister Helena Dalli who in her speech blamed the PN for the doings of her government. He asked whether Malta, under successive PN governments, was ever criticized by international agencies in this manner. He said that democracy is eroding away, so much so that the Attorney General chose not to publish the magisterial Egrant report.
He held that the Attorney General keeps defending that which cannot be defended and this is, without a doubt, the dirtiest government which is restraining those who have an obligation to speak.
Adrian Delia said that Transparency International said that Malta is one of the most corrupt countries in the world; in fact, in January of this year, Malta fell to the 51st position even though government boasts that Malta is the best in Europe, if not the world.
Dr. Delia said that Malta was classified as the biggest loser in all this. Although we have all the legal systems in place, Malta under a Socialist administration turned out to be a hub for scandals.
The Government was criticized for how contracts are awarded, because this Socialist Government has no procedures and direct orders are often given by Ministers with a conflict of interest. He concluded that Malta is the only country with a Minister mentioned in the Panama Papers that hasn’t yet resigned.
Dr. Delia also referred to other reports which indicate that workers are underpaid, referring to those workers who are paid just €400 a month. The reports are referring to Malta as ‘Big Losers’ because the country moved back by 14 places in the global ranking.
Dr. Delia also said that corruption is so widespread across society that even well-respected foreigners who have lived in Malta for years, have also expressed their concerns on the state of corruption in the country. The country report by the European Commission was damning in its concluding statements regarding corruption and justice inefficiency.
Adrian Delia pointed out that the rule of law was not being respected by the Government itself.. The Moneyval report also stated that the “Economic Crimes Unit and the Police are understaffed”.
The Government knew this was coming and had plenty of chance to prepare itself. For the first time in history, the country failed the test, even though this never happened in 25 years under PN administration. Finance Minister Edward Scicluna would be better off to see how to sort these things out rather than blaming PN for leaking the report just because this was published in local newspapers.
Dr. Delia also said that Minister Scicluna should focus on salvaging the situation for businesses and if this is not sorted by July, the country will be black-listed by the Council of Europe. If the country is black-listed this would send a message for people not to consider future investment while jeopardizing present ones.
Dr. Delia also said that this is criticism which the Government is bringing on itself. The Venice Commission report ruined Malta’s reputation and the report was not requested by the Government, as it is suggesting, but by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
The Greco report is full of criticism on the collapse of the institutions, culture of fear, that partisan politics is prioritized over what is just, that the Police corp is controlled by the Government and the Police Commissioner is frequently changed, said Dr. Delia in his concluding remarks.
