A Serbian proverb says it all: “You are not being honest if you burn your tongue and don’t tell everyone else the soup is hot”.  Let’s not be naïve.  I am quite certain many have met different forms of corruption, bribery, sleaze or fraud.  Maybe on small and petty issues, but whatever the circumstance, it is still dishonest.  Many turned a blind eye, and now we have grown into a society which associate corruption with huge sums of money only.  

But it is not. 

Unfortunately some have succumbed to pressure.  However, I opt to believe that many have rejected the offer to participate and be embroiled in corrupt practices.   Whatever the case, ideally, all forms of corruption should be squashed.  What becomes of national importance and of serious concern is when alleged cases of corruption and scandals are institutionalised.  And, worse still, when these migrate to other equally important fields.

Our democracy may be at stake.     

Our community rejects and despises a style of governance which is overshadowed by allegations of corruption. Government must take immediate actions to address such allegations forcefully, no bar held. Allegations of corruption cannot be taken lightly.

The current administration has very positive economic figures to show. Whether this is the fruition of the solid foundations laid by the previous administration or the result of world-wide economic indicators which are showing signs of improvement, or the economic road-map in whole or in part which the current administration has put into motion after March 2013, is a too complex question to answer.   

Supported by figures published by the National Statistics Office, the Gross Domestic Product, in real terms, reached an unprecedented 6.3 per cent growth rate last year. These figures show that Malta’s economy is one of the best performers in the European Union. The GPD provides an overall depiction of the economic situation, and the picture isn’t half bad.

However, this positive economic trend has been overshadowed by a series of serious allegations of corruption and scandals which are tarnishing to a large extent the work of the current administration.  Good governance is a must, and unless this is placed as a top priority on the national agenda, cracks and fissures will continue to grow among the much touted “Moviment”. 

The PL has successfully managed to turn the party into a “Moviment” during the run up to the last general election. However, representatives from gullible organisations, constituted bodies and civil society which supported the “Moviment” hardly have any say now.  Nevertheless, they have lately voiced their censure of corruption and urged good governance.

Only draconian and drastic actions can now absolve the “Moviment” from the stink of corruption.         

Years back, Dom Mintoff, then Premier, compared Malta’s GDP to a big, yummy, well-baked cake. Whether one supported or despised Dom Mintoff, he was renowned for his brazenness when addressing crowds.  One such instance was when, in the early 1970s, he addressed the Drydocks workers in Cospicua.   The climax of his speech was when he told the workers that they did not have the balls that workers in other countries had.  Politically-motivated workers went hysterical and clapped yet others, in good numbers, showed their disgust and moved discreetly away. There were other situations which Mintoff depicted in bad taste, which are not worth remembering and repeating.

So I will stick to Dom’s cake.   

Yes, if one had to adopt that parallelism, currently Malta is looking at a yummy cake.  And I use the verb “looking” purposely, because the wealth generated has not as yet trickled to the vulnerable in our society.  With one in every four persons coming close to the poverty trap, the yummy cake is of no benefit to these if all they can do is look. 

In many instances people coming close to the poverty line suffer in silence.  They are treated like second-class citizens and are expected to be happy with small gifts and tokens when the powers that be extend a hand-out.  On many occasions, close to the general election.  People close to the poverty trap are not well represented and do not have a voice, much as various voluntary organisations do sterling work.

The fairer distribution of wealth is a right and commonly referred to as solidarity.         

It is ever more evident that a handful of snakes in the grass are using the political vehicle as their personal means to wealth, putting the national good in jeopardy.  If we are not careful, the current scandals may well reverse the positive economic trend.  So much for the yummy cake!

gvella@melitacom