“The person who is sinless should be the first to throw a stone”–John 8:7

It is deep-seated, an accepted practice in our society, that cash or in kind tokens swap hands in exchange for votes and favouritisms of all sorts.  Alleged cases of corruption are not labels affixed to political parties exclusively. However, evidently, such cases only surface and make news if certain monetary thresholds are surpassed in our political scenario.

Alleged cases of corruption have been handled differently by the leading political parties. The PN in office referred claimed cases of corruption to the competent authorities; the PL, as yet, is perceived to give protection to the persons allegedly involved in such cases.

While political mud-slinging is intuited as an effective tool to discredit the political opponent, perpetrators of alleged cases of corruption should not be allowed to exploit this political tug-of-war,gaining unfair protection. Alleged perpetrators of corruption should not be sheltered in any political grouping.

Loosely defined, corruption is a discreet action aimed to  provide a good or a service to a third party so that he/she can influence certain actions which are of benefit to the corrupt, a third party, or both in which the corrupt agent has authority.

Institutional corruption may be described when there is a systemic and strategic influence that undermines the institution’s effectiveness, diverting it from its purpose orweakening its ability to achieve its objective by diminishing either the public’s trust in the institution or the institution’s inherent trustworthiness.

In the 90s, manipulate brought about a nationwide Italian judicial investigation into alleged cases of institutionalised corruption. The manipulite investigations led to the collapse of the then leading Christian Democrat and Socialist parties. These investigations probed tangenti– kickbacks – paid by Italian and foreign companies bidding for large government contracts. At one point, more than half of the members of the Italian Parliament were under indictment.

Hopefully, what has been whispered and rumoured for years in Malta is an ice cube in hotwaters, and not the tip of an iceberg. Without going into the merits of the alleged cases of corruption currently surfacing, wherein ministers, parliamentary secretaries, senior public officers, regulatory authorities and entrepreneurs are under the magnifying glass for their actions, some of which are reported to be highly irregular and bordering on corruption,government cannot remain silent.

Irrespective of one’s political party allegiance, a strong national vocal call should be sent to government. This should be a priority amongst otherurgencies. Corruption is a gross social injustice, which fuels further bribery, fraud and corruption.  If not addressed at source, corruption will become a huge financial liability to society, impacting negatively on law-abiding citizens. Corruption, if allowed to manifest, would be an extra cost for the taxpayer to carry. The failure to address alleged cases of corruption expeditiously is not only sending bad vibes in our society but is also propelling negative messages to the local law-abiding business community and foreign investors.

The current revelations of suspected corruption are undermining the level of trust in our institutions. These are exposing public institutions, funded from taxpayers’ money, as serving as accomplices in alleged cases of corruption. Trust and confidence in our institutions should be restored, safeguarded and treasured. They are structured to give maximum protection and provide the necessary checks and balances in a democratic society. Such institutions should not be undercut.

In this regard, a full-scale magisterial inquiry should be commissioned, with well-defined terms of reference.Alleged cases of corruption cannot be ignored, hoping that these will go away. Nonetheless, I cannot stress enough that the findings of any suchinquiry should not be disregarded or shelved once the inquiry is concluded.

While, it seems that various pieces of legislationand regulatory institutions are in place to monitor and curb corruption, they do not function autonomously, not even remotely. Enforcement was and still islacking,turning the blind-eye seems more likely to be the order of the day.

Political appointees in various institutions are leading us nowhere. While the role of politicians is very important to set course for these Islands, it is the duty of the independent bodies to watch over any alleged cases of corruption. On the other hand, it is wrong and completely out of place if people are crucified before the blind-folded ladyfinds good reason to put people involved in alleged cases of corruption behind bars, or set them free.

“They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slavesof corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved”. Peter 2:19

 

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