The phrase “the power of incumbency” is used quite frequently. What it means in simple terms is that when you are in power, certain things come easily. I suppose that part of such power is there to stay, and there is not much you can do about it. The fact that you are the Minister of, say, silly walks, means that whenever a new silly walk is invented you, as Minister, have every right to issue press statements as to what a wonderful new silly walk we have. You also, probably, have the right to appear on TV and partake in the silly walk as well. (Any reference to the silliness of some Ministers is purely intentional.)
When it becomes abuse.
This power may, however, be abused. When, just a few weeks before an election, a Minister uses taxpayers’ money to send thousands of leaflets to all our households to promote his good works, this is abuse. And it is all the more so if it is done when the Minister is, so to speak, just holding the position in the interim in the sense that, post election, he may lose his position or his Party might lose its Parliamentary majority. It is a shame that past and present Ministers may never have to answer for the millions of euros that may have been squandered in this electioneering promotion – for it is nothing more than a thinly disguised promotional exercise. Free canvassing – free to the Minister, that is, not to the taxpayer. Just wait a few days and it will start.
Promotions
There is another issue that is directly related to the abuse of power when it comes to promotions. I use the word “promotions” in the loosest sense of the word. It is wrong for any government to allow promotions and appointments to be left pending during an entire legislature and then, a few months before an election, act like Father Christmas and hand out promotions and the like. Of course, these appointments will be respected by the government that follows, on the assumption that everything was done legally and correctly. The agreements recently reached with the civil service and the police with regard to wage increases will be respected by the next government. It’s just a shame that it was left to the last minute. Again, this is wrong and, if abused, is tantamount to the abuse of incumbency.
Permits, etc.
Where do you start? Truly, there is not much to say. Just ask around and you will be astounded!
If I were the Minister for Silly Walks
Put simply, if you believe in meritocracy, as I do, the abuse of power is unacceptable. If you believe that we all have rights and duties, as I do, then the abuse of power is all the more unacceptable. For far too long and through far too many administrations, the abuse of power has been the norm. Far too many Ministers have used their position to curry favour with the electorate. This has created a distrust of the political class that is unfair to those who seek to enter politics for all the right reasons. This perception is even more unfair to the Opposition, when it is the incumbents of the last 25 years who have created this perception. It is the intention of the Labour Party to do its utmost to eliminate the abuse of power and its offshoots, should it be elected to government. This is why accountability is at the forefront of the electoral platform of the Labour Party movement. This is why the Labour Party has made it clear that the Whistleblower Act will become law. (As an aside – and it’s a legitimate question – why did the PN stall on making the Whistleblower Act law?).
This is why I believe that the Labour Party is the only political movement in Malta today that can by a catalyst for change.