EDITORIAL | Sunday, 15 July 2007

Fighting Corruption

In an opinion poll conducted by this newspaper two weeks ago, the majority stated that they believed Alfred Sant was more committed to fighting corruption than Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi.
This revelation should ring alarm bells in Nationalist Party circles, especially on the eve of an election likely to be dominated by allegations of sleaze. These findings contrast sharply with the established trend that Lawrence Gonzi is more popular than Alfred Sant. As the election looms the Nationalist Party’s trump card has persistently been Gonzi’s charisma, as opposed to the lack of trust in Alfred Sant. These latest poll findings risk throwing a spanner in the Nationalists’ electoral works and should trigger some soul-searching among PN strategists. There is little doubt that the recent corruption cases at the maritime and transport authorities have left their mark on people’s belief that corruption in this country is rife.
As things stand, the corruption issue risks becoming the prime electoral issue. The position of the Prime Minister has become far more vulnerable following his refusal to accept Jesmond Mugliette’s resignation. His credibility is, in fact, at its lowest ebb since he assumed the highest office in the land. Such a reaction has simply shifted all attention away from the minister and on to Dr Gonzi himself. By brushing off this issue as something minor, the Prime Minister risks confirming the majority’s opinion that he is not fully committed to fighting corruption. Had he been, he would have dismissed his minister instantly. Such decisions are the litmus test for any Prime Minister; His guiding light should be what is right. In saving his minister he has placed political expediency before good governance, with implications for all to see.
There are a number of measures which need to be taken for the public to regain their trust in this administration. Members of the cabinet need to understand the concept of political accountability. A minister is not only accountable when he himself commits a wrongdoing. His accountability extends even to wrongdoings committed in his department and without his knowledge. Political accountability means assuming responsibility when things are committed under one’s watch. Failure to appreciate the meaning of this concept can have fatal consequences.
The audit trails in all departments need to be strengthened and red lights flashed in the earliest stages of wrongdoing. Once wrongdoings surface the minister should immediately go public. This should happen independently of any investigations carried out by the police. Failure to do so – as was the case with Communications minister Censu Galea over the MMA bribery scandal – risks running the Minister into the mire.
The offices of both the Ombudsman and certainly of the Permanent Commission Against Corruption ought to be strengthened and in the latter case made more transparent.
The roles and appointments of politically appointed chairmen need to be rethought, if not altogether changed. Once the chairman of the transport authourity, in full agreement with his board, contradicted his minister and once the Prime Minister refused the resignation of the minister, the chairman has no choice but to reconsider his position. The trust between him and the minister has clearly broken down. If the minister is retained, the whole board need not be prompted to pack their bags.
The whole issue of presidential pardons needs to be revisited. People were surprised to hear that such a pardon has already been granted to the first wrongdoer involved in the transport saga. This was done without the public being informed. Is this lack of transparency commendable? What is stopping the government from announcing forthwith that no pardons will be granted, and certainly not in any cases related to the transport saga? The very silence on this issue reveals just how cut off the administration has become form tenets of good governance.

Quote of the week
“Just a couple of weeks ago, however, the minister had asked Astrid Vella, from the environmental NGO Flimkien Ghal Ambjent Ahjar, to broker an interview with a “journalist of her choosing” and Ms Vella referred the offer to The Times.”
- A news report in The Times, Friday July 13