And so, the 30 April deadline came and went. Most MPs submitted their declaration of assets, but as of Monday, 16 had yet to do so.

It is not the first time and given current form, it will not be the last time it happens. The issue here is twofold. First of all, if there is a deadline, MPs should stick to it. It’s all about credibility and despite efforts to portray themselves as being worthy of our trust, simply missing a deadline for such a thing just sows seeds of doubt in people’s minds, even if there isn’t anything untoward going on.

The asset declaration things is to be taken with a pinch of salt anyway. Our reporter on the  ground that broke the story had a hard time in deciphering exactly what the scrawls on paper actually read. In most cases, MPs just jotted down their total assets and more often than not, it is in a scrawl which only a doctor could probably make sense of.  This is not the way it should be done.

Some MPs attached an FS3 returns form, but let’s be honest, it doesn’t exactly reflect the transparency that we have been promised. Again, let us be clear, this trend has not just started. For years (and from both sides of the house) the procedure has been treated with disdain and no apparent gravitas by MPs.

The way our MPs should have behaved is how Marlene Farrugia and Godfrey Farrugia declared their assets. They presented tax forms, ownership titles, copies of deeds and more. That is the way it should be done, and not by simply scribbling a figure down that more often than not, cannot even be read.

The parliamentary code of ethics (or whichever charter is pertinent) should be updated and our representatives should be made to declare their assets properly, in a clear and transparent manner. In this day and age, people are becoming more and more sceptical in general, and the same holds true for the trust ratings in politicians. The perception of their being an elite and above the law has perhaps changed somewhat, given new anti-corruption laws. But people are people. They know what it is like to be human and to be subjected to temptation.

The practice of declaring assets is one that should be preserved, but as our title implies, it should be done properly or it should just not be done at all. After all, it is politicians themselves who are affected by the public’s perception and they have the duty to be as transparent and as open as possible.

At the end of the day, with the European Parliament elections fast approaching, it is in their interest to do so. Malta has always had a culture of people trying to get away with what they can (come on, let’s be honest with ourselves, most of us do), and as a result, it is a natural thought process for people to pooh-pooh such declarations if they are just jotted down on a piece of paper. The only way to break this cycle is for MP’s to do it properly, or just simply not do it at all. As things stand, it’s a bit of a joke.