Alan Dershowitz, a prominent Constitutional Law scholar, declares that “accountability is an essential element in a democracy. Hypocrisy has no place.”

“Transparency in government is a vital interest in a democracy”, says Merrick Garland, Chief Judge of the United States Courts of Appeal.

My conclusion from the sayings of these two learned gentlemen is that democracy without accountability and without transparency is hypocrisy.

Accountability is government’s answerability and account-giving to parliament and therefore to the public. Where there is good governance, accountability is government’s shouldering of responsibility. It is government’s obligation to account for its activities, accept responsibility for them and disclose the results in a transparent manner. Transparency is a right and the means to examine the process of decision making. It is a way of holding public officials accountable, thus it is also a medium to fight corruption.

Good governance mainly depends on accountability and transparency without which there is no real democracy. Accountability and transparency go hand in hand. Without transparency there is no accountability and vice versa, thus making democracy a sham. Atifete Jahjaga, former Major General of the Kosovo Police and former President of Kosovo, declares that “Democracy is built through open societies that share information. When there is information, there is enlightenment. When there is debate, there are solutions. When there is no sharing of power, no accountability, no transparency, there is exasperation as the lack of them could lead to abuse and to corruption.” The keys to a government’s success in a true democracy are accountabilty and transparency.Their absence results in distrust in the government and creates a deep sense of insecurity.

Accountability and transparency in Malta

Before the election, Joseph Muscat used to pontificate about many things he promised to put into practice should the electorate trust him and his Labour Party. However, since he took over the seat of power, Joseph Muscat has failed on many promises. Once he achieved his aim of becoming Prime Minister, Muscat is deceiving the electorate by going back on his words and promises. An important promise that Muscat is ignoring is that of accountability and transparency. He forgot the times he repeatedly accused the previous Nationalist administration of not being accountable and transparent.

Joseph Muscat is fully aware of the importance of accountability and transparency. In fact, Labour’s electoral manifesto carried a chapter dedicated to ‘Democracy and Transparency.’ Therein it was promised that “we believe in politics and politicians of responsibility and accountability, answerable for their actions and ensuring that their actions are transparent.”

The Joseph Muscat of before the election is not the Joseph Muscat of after. Prior to the election, Muscat hunted for votes and promised everything to everyone, heaven on earth. Once Muscat achieved his aim, he began ignoring many promises he made, amongst them accountability and transparency.

In a democracy, the government should and must be accountable to the people that trusted it and every process should be open and transparent for the people’s scrutiny. It is of the utmost importance and absolutely essential that the people are given all the information related to agreements and/or contracts entered into by government. Secrecy and lack of transparency create doubts and a sense of uncertainty and anger, as they could lead to corruption.

Lack of accountability and transparency

Joseph Muscat’s Labour government is showing a lack of accountability and transparency when agreements are not published or published but with many pages and clauses blacked out. Muscat’s government is synonymous with lack of transparency and therefore, according to Muscat himself, with lack of democracy. Chasms exist between Muscat’s words and his actions. Muscat says what he thinks the people want to hear and what he thinks is necessary to say depending on the circumstances. So he did prior to the election, and so he has been doing over the last four years.

In April of last year, in Parliament, Muscat, pressed by the Opposition, declared that “the area in which we are greatly criticised and in which, we must admit, we must do more, concerns good governance.” He further declared that “up to the end of this year we shall be publishing the rest of the contracts thus showing that we are not afraid of transparency.” Muscat repeated this promise, originally made in the House of Representatives, twice in a matter of days.

Eventually, however, he went back on his word, like he did and is doing with many other promises. In October (six months after promising Parliament and the nation that his government would be publishing all contracts by the end of 2016), he went back on his promise. Contrary to what he promised in April, in October he declared that the contracts will be published by the end of the legislature. This is what Muscat’s words and promises are worth. Originally he said that publishing the contracts by year end would show that his government is not afraid of transparency. Is he afraid or transparency or is he not? By reversing his original promise he showed that he is afraid of it.

The people’s demands

Secrecy, unaccountability and the lack of transparency are not the kind of democracy which Joseph Muscat promised. Muscat and his government are abusing of the power entrusted in them. Abuse of power is the root of all evil and places liberty and democracy in grave danger.

The lack of accountability and transparency on the part of Muscat and some Ministers are corroding their policial credibility and that of the government. They are endangering and threatening democracy. In March 2013, the electorate, in its majority, did not vote for this style of politics. Muscat was elected on the basis of his promises and those who believed him voted for accountability, transparency and responsibility. Whilst accountability and transparency control many wrongdoings, a lack of them is the key to the loss of the people’s trust in the government.

With the passage of time, the Maltese are showing that their trust in Muscat is decreasing. A survey carried out by The Malta Independent in November showed that 47% of the interviewees considered the government to be corrupt, including 22% of those who voted Labour in the last election. Only about 38% of interviewees said that they do not think that Muscat’s government is corrupt.

Recently, a Malta Today survey indicated that concern on corruption has reached an all-time high. For Muscat and his government the writing is on the wall. The chain of scandals, some of them stinking of corruption, which hit the headlines on a regular basis, including some within the walls of power in Castille, are mainly a result of lack of accountability and transparency.

Muscat and Labour deceived the Maltese when accountability and transparency were promised. The people have a right to know what the contracts and agreements entered into by the government involve. The Maltese people insist and demand that Muscat sticks to all his promises, including, but not limited to, accountability and transparency.

There is a long way to go before Muscat and Labour can begin to deliver on two most crucial promises to the electorate – accountability and transparency. They are Muscat’s and Labour’s commitment and not a choice. The committees of band and football clubs are more accountable and transparent with their members than Muscat and his Labour Government are towards the Opposition and the Maltese people.

Muscat’s government is the problem

Before the election, Joseph Muscat posed as Malta’s saviour. Since March 2013, the people have realised that Muscat deceived them, that his honeyed words and promises were only vote-catching techniques. Notwithstanding the warnings prior to the election by the then Prime Minister, Lawrence Gonzi, the majority of the electorate still believed Muscat and voted Labour.

It is being realised that some of those who helped Labour get elected did so for their or their families’ or their friends’ gain. They now hold Muscat hostage. Before the election, Muscat promised a lot to the people. He auctioned for votes. Once his aim was achieved, Muscat ignored the people. Those who matter for Muscat are those who helped him achieve his aim.

Muscat’s government is the problem, mostly through its lack of accountability, lack of transparency and lack of good governance.