Malta has become unrecognisable from what is was as it began its life as an independent country.  The character, principles and values that once defined this island are lost and forgotten.

In the search by some of those who still remember and embrace the ideals and talents of the past upon which our sovereign nation was built, are voices that ask where the European Union is, now that we need it, since local institutions and organisations are all but sabotaged and purposely distant from addressing the serious concerns afflicting our country at this time.

The security against Public Administration Corruption that we thought would be ensured by becoming members of the European Union has been a damp squib. 

The Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (Greco), has launched four evaluation rounds dealing with specific provisions of the Twenty Guiding Principles.  The guiding principles include identification, seizure and confiscation of corruption proceeds and prevention of legal persons being used as shields for corruption.   The first EU Anti-Corruption Report includes a special chapter on public procurement.  This is a very important area for the EU economy, as approximately one fifth of the EU’s GDP is spent every year by public entities buying goods, works and services.  It is also an area vulnerable to corruption. 

Rather than producing reports and calls for improvement, a more tangible and simple, practical document may be more effective in educating people and organisations and being more transparent.

If we look at India, we see that the topic is made clear and accessible.  From their own sources, we can learn the answer to simple questions, like What is Money Laundering?

Money Laundering is moving illegally acquired cash through financial systems so that it appears to be legally acquired. 

Easy and straight-forward definition of what is money laundering.

The three stages of money laundering are: 

Placement: The physical disposal of cash proceeds derived from illegal activity

Layering:  Separating illicit proceeds from their source by creating complex layers of transactions

Integration:  Creating an impression of apparent legitimacy to such wealth.

Clients of Special Category (CSC) include Politically Exposed Persons (PEP). Politically Exposed Persons are those who are entrusted with prominent public functions in a foreign country such as heads of state or governments, senior government/military/judicial officials, etc.

Suspicious transactions are transactions that give rise to a reasonable ground of suspicion that appear to be made in circumstances of unusual or unjustified complexity or appears to have no economic rationale or bonafide purpose.

Anti Corruption India is a popular protest movement began in a year when there were also major protests about corruption in countries such as Russia (sometimes called the Snow Revolution) and the US (Occupy Wall Street). Alison Brysk, an American political science professor, notes that the Arab Spring protests that began in late 2010 were "initially sparked by corruption - not regime change". Brysk believes that "Regardless of limited policy outcomes, each of these citizenship movements succeeded in communicating a political critique of social problems that had been seen previously as a consequence of tradition, abusive individuals, self-correcting markets, or bad luck. They were all movements that relied heavily on symbolism.”

Another useful tool is the http://www.india.com/topic/Anti-Corruption/

where the public can follow news of all anti corruption cases and persons being investigated by the authorities. 

A study conducted by Transparency International in year 2005 found that more than 62% of Indians had first- hand experience of paying bribes or influence peddling to get jobs done in public offices successfully. 

The organisation IAC (anti corruption India) is working very effectively in the area of Anti Corruption, helping poor people and women empowerment, in full transparency.

Rather than just watching paint dry, as we currently are doing here in Malta, the Indian public have a means to participate and follow the progress of action taken against suspects of corruption, money laundering and other serious offences.  Cricket being such a high institution in India, cases of bribery in the sport led to persons being arrested and charged and public interest is high in such cases.

How can we, in Malta, coming from a tradition of strong administration policy and good education, have become so disingenuous?  Are we all going to pretend that everything is normal and permitted and legitimate as long as it comes from a labour camp and concerns money?  Will we simply continue with our everyday life, eating, sleeping, working, raising the children and sending them to school as though our environment is healthy and producing good, well- educated citizens who will go on to become leaders, lawyers, politicians and wealthy?

The other day a caller on a radio programme, who said he was a floating voter, said we should stop fooling ourselves that Panamagate is not important or that it can be buried.  It is a damning body of information and cannot be seen, described or manipulated into anything other than fulfilling the criteria mentioned above. 

Investment activities boasted about by ministers of the government are forged with rejects from foreign countries’ own potential corruption suspects.  That is how low we have sunk in this island.  No longer able to see the beam in our own eye whilst other countries, known for their widespread corruption, export their corrupt practices to this gullible and stenched up administration under the disguise of investment.

We are supposed to become impressed by new logos for public entities, reductions of a few cents in the price of petrol or gas and by grandiose village sermons about the booming economy of Malta.  In India too, the economy is good but they also have some of the worst poverty, in spite of great achievements in improving life and in the standard of living of large parts of the country.

As things stand currently in Malta, it really makes one wonder what on earth we will be doing holding the EU Presidency.   Or is the EU so blind and easily swayed itself that it can persuade our PM to change his tune on the benefits of joining the European Union, as he has done and that it will be enough to silence the protest voices and settle the quid pro quo of passports / votes for songs of praise?  Reports and commissions are hardly enough to get to the truth of what is hurting our heart and our families at this time. 

The time is ripe now for each individual to take responsibility and drive home the truth about corruption that is becoming endemic each passing day.  Unions and Representative Associations are speaking out but they need the support of the public and the public need the support of the press and the press need freedom and the backing of the law and constitution. 

Commitment is also essential in combating fatigue and the certainty of having a good cause, identified in actual persons, who are victims of injustice and corruption – and by that I do not mean self-inflicted sufferers like Michael Falzon, ex Parliamentary Secretary / Lands Department.  Those persons who touch and experience the audacious injustice on a daily basis can become the foundation of combatting the inertia that has become typical of our institutions by making themselves heard.  Cancer has many forms, some physical, some moral, some intellectual.

All the superficial symbols of the new “elite” and “super elite” – because they have moved on now from the new “middle class” unable to consolidate their place there and created their own niche, are centuries away from the happy Maltese people who stood with their head held high, rich or poor, standing on the Barrakka walls and waving at sailors.

It is surely a good thing that the country has made vast improvement in the economy, jobs and health.  But all of that is worth not a thing if we are to sell our soul, as is becoming more and more common these days.  Generations are passing on and with them the foundation of what independence was built on and sought to gain.  Other younger generations have the opportunity to leave Malta and find jobs in the EU and beyond and have already done so.  In the past you could be proud about coming from Malta.  That may not be case anymore and as we struggle between poor English and even worse Maltese language, between being happy and being embarrassed, between law and order and rampant crime and the very thought of being Maltese and European is a scene from the past, like the recently “renovated” Chalet in Sliema. Concrete is all that it is about.  With all the projects and all the sky-rises nothing more than an excuse to perpetrate a system of corruption and facilitation payments.