A Labour government will introduce a structured monitoring system that will eliminate any possible form of corruption in government departments and ministries, Opposition Leader Alfred Sant said yesterday outside Castille.
Dr Sant told a news conference that a separate unit will be set up within the Office of the Prime Minister that will carry out professional auditing on a regular basis – especially where large projects are involved.
He said Labour in government will be vigilant against any possible conflicts of interest or abuse of power that might arise even after these measures are implemented – “we will be vigilant”.
Dr Sant said there is a great lack of confidence in the country’s governance – especially when keeping in mind the actions of several ministers. He mentioned a long list of ministers and parliamentary secretaries who allegedly “are involved” in cases of corruption.
“The people have lost their faith in the country’s governance – under a new Labour government there will be a change in the way the country is managed,” said Dr Sant.
He explained that a Labour government will call for transparency and a lack of conflict of interest and assume a zero-tolerance stance on corruption.
A Labour government will not tolerate or allow ministers to have any professional contacts with the private sector – with the exception of doctors who will not receive any remuneration for services, said Dr Sant.
A Labour government will be financially and professionally responsible for all its actions – even for those of their families, he added.
When asked about his recent statement that a Labour government will not close the shipyards, Dr Sant said that the present government has not made enough efforts to keep the company afloat and that it is the Nationalist Party, not the MLP, which wants to close it down.
When asked about recent articles in the media claiming that Nationalist MP David Agius has said that the Nationalist government is corrupt, Dr Sant said “Mr Agius agrees with us that there is corruption in the government”.