When I spoke in Parliament last Tuesday about the government’s new Bill for Standards in Public Life, I could not shake off my mind what Jo Cox had said a few weeks prior to being brutally murdered at the height of the Brexit campaign.
The Labour MP had emphasised that “Politics is not a game. Words of hate have consequences.” Although I stopped short of mentioning Jo Cox in my speech, I felt compelled to reiterate my strong belief that personal intimidatory attacks in the House or elsewhere, go diametrically against the very purpose of serving the nation at its highest institution.
Inner strengths
Although experience has by now taught me to rise above it, it is striking that some friends have pointed out some similarities between Jo Cox and me. “You’re also a 41-year-old mother of two, fully immersed in the political field among the most vulnerable in society,” they told me. As for me, however, I am always determined to make a difference and have never shied away from political confrontation.
Delivering results is the best way to silence baseless criticism, and an inner strength to never allow it to affect one’s duties and actions. No amount of anonymous letters and other threats have ever deterred me from carrying out my duties. Albeit unwarranted, such intimidations can only enhance and invigorate my determination to forge ahead with what both sectors within my remit expect of me and deserve.
Legislation for good governance
As a matter of fact, during my speech on the Standards in Public Life Bill last Tuesday, I pointed out that the Bill builds on other major bold steps taken by the Labour government along its way to better governance. No one can deny that among our earliest legislations we promulgated provisions whereby politicians can no longer invoke time barring in corruption cases and rendering them liable to investigation and prosecution at whatever stage of their life – whether as politicians or as retired private citizens.
The specific law for the protection of the whistleblower further exposed any wrongdoing to investigation. Similar to the procedures leading to a President’s pardon, the basic concept here is to encourage anyone involved in corruption cases with politicians to come forward and – on condition of revealing the whole truth – is presented as full-proof evidence in the ensuing investigation.
The law about party financing was yet another leap forward in securing more transparency in political party structures. It was not only meant to ensure party finances are kept in check regarding their legal origins, but also putting people’s minds at rest that donations to any party is no free way to future advantages when that party is in power. All three laws were enacted during the early phase of this first Labour administration, fine tuned and bolstered now with the current Bill for Standards in Public Life.
Labour walks its talk
It would be an understatement to describe these four bold steps as massive proof of Labour’s commitment towards political correctness and accountability. They are far-reaching and more meaningful than any amount of attractive rhetoric that may fill up front pages in the printed media. We walk the talk not only through specific legislation but in the disciplined way our Prime Minister tackles such issues.
We will now have a commissioner with full powers to investigate any indications of corruption or wrongdoings by any elected member of the House. The Bill also provides for a select committee of members to ensure the commissioner’s timely and correct investigative process. Both official structures together with an endless list of provisions make the current Bill a record-breaking and hard-hitting tool in the country’s quest for good governance.
We will now have in place a known and clear set of regulations for all elected members and high officials of public entities to keep constantly in mind while carrying out their duties. The new law will also allow people to see how politics works, with clear-cut measures for politicians’ ethical behaviour. Beyond any doubt, Labour’s track record in accountability definitely surpasses any faint idea expressed in this area for many decades by previous governments. On a personal note, I was indeed privileged to be nominated one of the two members from the government side on the Select Committee to draft this Bill.
Geriatric mental health
Last Wednesday, the Active Ageing Unit on behalf of my Parliamentary Secretariat organized a workshop entitled “Responding to Geriatric Mental Health Issues”. Heads of homes for the elderly, including those operating as public-private partnerships, and heads of services within the Department for the Elderly Community Care attended the full day programme.
The world population has never been as old and mature as it is now. Currently, the number of people aged 60 and over worldwide is more than 800 million. People aged 60 can now expect to survive an additional 18 to 21 years and soon the world will have a higher number of older adults than children.
According to national statistics released the past week, the population in Malta and Gozo shows that people under 18 made up 17.4 per cent of the total, while a further 19.0 per cent were aged 65 and over. Of these, 2,482 people – 1,754 women and 728 men – were over 89.
Health and social solidarity
It is a known fact that older adults face special health challenges. Many of the very old lose their ability to live independently because of limited mobility, frailty or other physical or mental health problems and require some form of long-term care. Together with all our programmes in the field of active ageing, we are equally committed to face this stark reality. Our work with the elderly defines the very reason why the elderly portfolio was removed from the Health Ministry to that of Social Solidarity. Despite the intelligent move, one sector does not exclude the other.
During the past two years we have already done a lot of spadework to invigorate and rebrand St Vincent de Paul into a fully developed long-term care facility. Each phase of our projects however calls for further efforts in planning additional structures and measures in our endeavours to meet all that our elderly need and deserve – even at community level. This week’s workshop about Geriatric Mental Health highlighted the challenges such conditions create and consequently indicated further necessary actions that are to be taken.
While thanking all participants, particularly Dr Marvin Formosa, Prof. David Mamo, Ms Maria Aurora Fenech, Ms Cynthia Formosa, Ms Marilyn Spiteri and Ms Roberta Farrugia for their input, I must state how encouraging it is to have these and other dedicated collaborators. Active Ageing and Elderly Care walk hand in hand and we need to be pro-active in both sectors, given the fast changing challenges they bring about.
Accessibility, a key factor
A final note about an event I had the honour to preside over the other week at Dar Santa Martha in Rabat, Gozo. The event was organised by the Gozo Federation of Disabled Persons and was attended by the Foundation for IT Accessibility (FITA).
FITA has courses specifically for people with an intellectual or vision impairment. During the event certificates were presented to all the students who had attended such courses. It is indeed most encouraging to witness the strong collaboration between various Disability NGOs in Gozo and national entities as this augurs a bright future for new initiatives in many areas, including that of ICT Accessibility.
While congratulating the students and their families for supporting them, I look forward to more courses in the use of ECDL skills and other aspects of the use of computers and smartphones, as educational and work-related aids.
Persons such as Oliver Scicluna and Mary Rose Attard deserve a special word of thanks for their unfailing contribution to the disability sector. Their dedication inspires me and encourages so many families to overcome disability hurdles and grasp opportunities in their daily life, hence building stronger layers of what a fair society should be made of.