When it rained so heavily a few days ago, many people arrived late for work and unions had to intervene to request that the hours the employees missed should not be deducted from their vacation leave or from their salary. The head of the public service agreed.
A few days later, this newspaper’s sister reported that only eight Members of Parliament attended all the 10 House sittings between the resumption of sittings after the summer recess and the presentation of the budget for 2011. The other 61 were absent on one or more occasions, but their honoraria is not reduced when they do not turn up.
Is this fair?
I do not think so, especially when MPs should be the first to set an example. We often hear them speak about commitment and dedication, about responsibilities and duties, but then they do not even bother to attend parliamentary sittings.
I want to make one thing clear, which I believe makes things much worse than they seem at first. MPs are marked present even when they spend one minute in the Chamber. It takes longer to take a leak. A sitting normally lasts three and a half hours – question time and adjournment included – but if they enter and leave, they are still marked as having been present.
This might explain why cameras are not allowed in the Chamber when Parliament is in session, except in special circumstances such as the budget speech, the Opposition leader’s reply and the counter-reply by the Prime Minister, as we’ve seen this week.
When the cameras are there, the MPs are there too. When they are not, the MPs disappear. There have been many occasions when, other than the speaker with the small “s” and the Speaker with the capital “S”, the House was empty. The Opposition at times also took advantage of such situations, making quorum calls to shame the government if the Opposition stood to gain in the political scenario at the time.
A few weeks ago, I sent an e-mail to the Clerk of the House of Representatives, Pauline Abela, asking her whether it was possible for our photographer to take pictures of the Chamber when Parliament was in session during a normal sitting (not one of the three related to the budget that I mentioned earlier).
She refused politely, saying that unless there is “approval from the House Business Committee”, no photographer is allowed to take pictures inside the Chamber when Parliament is in session.
It is easy to understand why. On most occasions, the Chamber is empty, and the MPs know that this would put them in a bad light. The House Business Committee is made up of MPs, and they would never accept to have shots taken to expose the indifference shown by themselves and their fellow colleagues to the highest institution of the land.
If MPs want to be respected, they should first respect the people who elected them.
We did not give them the number one vote for them to have coffees in one of the cafeterias in Valletta, or to stay home and watch football while they should be debating laws and trying to improve the general well-being of the nation.
We elected them because we have entrusted them with our future and that of our children. If they are not interested, they should make way for others who take politics more seriously.
The thing is, MPs should be there for the people, but they are there only for themselves. They want to be seen when the cameras are rolling, and heard when they are the ones who are allotted time to speak, but do not give two hoots for the rest of the year.
This behaviour exposes one fundamental issue that politicians are always accused of and always rebut, without much success – that they are always ready to talk, but they never listen to what others have to say. They do not even listen to their colleagues; so how can we expect that they listen to us?
I can accept MPs who do not attend because they are not well, but I can never condone others who have no valid reason that keeps them away from the Chamber. Neither do I like situations when MPs walk in, sign in, and walk out a minute later.
It is a sign of disrespect towards the House, towards their colleagues and towards the people. That votes are now taken in pre-assigned sittings has further encouraged absenteeism, as MPs now know that they cannot embarrass their party unless they voluntarily choose to do so.
MPs who are more interested in their professional career, and prefer to see patients or clients rather than doing their duty in the House, should simply stay out of politics.
We speak a lot about accountability, but it seems that it is politicians who have to learn this lesson before trying to impart it to others.
The whole system should be changed. But I do not think that this will happen. MPs are comfortable with the situation, and they will not consider revising it if it means that there will be more discipline.
Well, there is one thing that we all can do – and this is to hit politicians where it hurts most.
That number one vote they all come looking for once every five years.
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