Malta is in a sorry state. The latest corruption scandal has plummeted us to new lows. Pretending to have a disability to get social benefits is not only disgraceful, its repulsive.

Those who orchestrated this scheme must be prosecuted and have the book thrown at them.

Aside from being a theft of taxpayer’s money, it also takes money away from possibly expanding the benefits to those who have conditions which might not yet be eligible, but which could be deserving.

It also brings to question whether there has been any abuse in other social benefits as well. Can we rule it out? Perhaps a more thorough investigation by the authorities here is required.

This is what those who took part in the disability benefits fraud have caused, suspicion, and that’s not fair on those who are entitled to the benefits. At the end of the day people who rely on benefits because they are entitled to them should not have to pay the price for the actions of those involved in this scandal. If someone is actually eligible for social benefits for a disability for instance, then they should receive it without any stigma or suspicion. This is why all those who took part in this fraud must be brought to justice, this is why thorough investigations must take place, to ensure that only those who are entitled to social benefits are receiving them.

Shame on those who have abused.

This also raises many concerns about the political situation. The scandal is also tied to allegations of vote buying. The Times of Malta recently reported that one of the people who received illicit disability money says a Labour Party canvasser and a former minister’s aide lured him into the benefits fraud racket, in return for his vote and a kickback amounting to a year’s worth of benefits. Allegations of vote buying is another side to this scandal which requires serious investigation, and action to eradicate any corruption is a must. The action of buying votes is an attack against democracy. We reiterate that all those involved must be charged, no matter who they are.

All those implicated in this scandal must be investigated, especially those in government offices or in political positions. The authorities must act swiftly. Those found guilty must face justice, and the authorities cannot go easy on them. The big fish must be caught. No ifs or buts. Anything less is completely unacceptable.

We have gone from one major scandal to the next. The police handled the Panama Papers scandal with kid gloves on. Who has been brought to justice for the Vitals Global Healthcare debacle? What’s going on with the Montenegro Windfarm scandal? The list goes on.

Enough is enough.

Lack of enforcement over the years have made many question the police. This is an opportunity to start rectifying that.

There are also scandals at local level which need to be tackled. Take the sorry state of waste in Malta. This newsroom has covered, extensively, the garbage situation in major localities, especially Sliema, St Julian’s and Swieqi. Streets are turned to dumps and what exactly has been done to solve this… nothing. Another failure by the authorities, and also a failure by the state to figure out a solution.

What about the exploitation of workers. We’ve all heard about people living 8 or 16 to a room, how is that ok? How are we ok with this?

When we look at ourselves in the mirror, do we like what we see?

Aside from enforcement, there are many other problems. The Planning Authority… which doesn’t really plan ahead. The sorry state of the aesthetic of Malta’s towns is there for all to see. Planners for years and years have failed to realise the impact their bad policies and decisions have had on the country. Well, just look outside. Its about time it takes action to at least ensure that buildings aren’t an eyesore. That’s the least they should do. They should also better protect our green areas, better ensure that a locality’s infrastructure can take the collective development taking place.

Then there’s the idea of giving one film €47 million as a cash rebate. Giving cash rebates to attract foreign films is fine and good for the industry, but this amount to a single film is ridiculous. One could argue that if they received that amount then they spent €100 million or more… well a counter argument to that is that the €47 million is from our taxes which could have been used in so many other ways, such as going towards the construction of the new outpatients building for Mater Dei Hospital, or a new mental health facility.