Government wants to define the country's vision for the future.

As far as I am aware this government already has a very clear vision, one which primarily focuses on the short term. Government's short-term vision is one which seeks fulfillment in terms of votes, everything else considered as being of a secondary importance. This is what defines the present, for the Robert Abela government.

It is manifested in a variety of ways. Not just in environmental or land use planning issues but also in fiscal matters, in transport policy, in its discounting of the future as well as in practically all areas which government ventures into.  When considered necessary, this short-term vision is supplemented by the distribution of cheques on the eve of elections.

We need to define the future in other terms: how about seriously considering entrenching ethics in government and public administration? 

Malta's investment attractiveness is on the decline, we were told by the EY Malta attractiveness survey earlier this week. In the survey, reputational issues feature as one of the major concerns, immediately following tax policy changes and skill shortages.

These reputational concerns are the direct result of the manner in which the Maltese government currently functions, or rather, fails to function. The manner in which one scandal follows the other without anyone shouldering political responsibility is of extreme relevance to understanding these reputational concerns.

Some examples would undoubtedly be of help. I will limit myself to recent events.

Readers do remember the driving licence scandal in which at least one government Minister is said to be involved. Driver learners were assisted to cheat, as a result facilitating their obtaining a driving license. One of those currently facing criminal charges on the matter has been quoted as stating that: "I have been getting calls about them from ministries". In other jurisdictions ministers have resigned or been fired for much less! In Malta no one was bothered. No wonder reputational concerns are on the rise.

The disability pension scam, in respect of which former Labour MP Silvio Grixti is responding to criminal charges, is known to have costed the national exchequer more than €6 million. There are indications that officers at the customer care desk of a number of government ministries have referred some of those who have benefitted from the scam. Yet not one of them has been under the spotlight of the investigators. In any other country with the minimum level of self-respect, many heads would have rolled. Not in Malta, however, where impunity, unfortunately, has the upper hand.

Some politicians and those sheltering in their shadows seem to fall outside the reach of the rule of law. In such circumstances it is logical to be concerned on the effectiveness of the police force. It is clear that the indiscriminate applicability of the rule of law should be one of the major objectives of a vision 2050.

We also have an identity card scandal and the associated issues of identity theft as a result of which a number of identity cards have been fraudulently issued. The matter is currently being investigated by the Court of Magistrates. Another investigation joining the Vitals Global Healthcare/Stewards Healthcare inquiry.

Around one year ago the Auditor General published a report entitled A review of the employment agreement of the Consultant to the Chief Executive Officer, Institute of Tourism Studies. The Auditor General confirmed the widely held view that MP Rosianne Cutajar's employment at ITS as a Consultant to the Chief Executive was a phantom job.

Notwithstanding the clear conclusions of the report of the National Audit Office, the Labour Party in government considers that Cutajar was more the victim than the instigator of the abusive behaviour of the Chief Executive Officer of ITS. Undoubtedly another splendid contribution to Malta's reputation!

Some months ago, the Court of Appeal, when deciding on the Vitals/Stewards Healthcare case, had explained the matter in very clear language. While emphasising the fraudulent nature of the hospitals' deal, the Court of Appeal had then stated that it believed that there was collusion: senior government officials were complicit in the privatisation fraud.

When collusion and impunity team up, it is no wonder that reputational issues are a worrying concern. Addressing these concerns requires much more than Vision 2050. It requires an overhaul of both government and public administration.

While the above (and more) are scandals which the Labour Party in government has to answer for, they are in part the consequences of a two-party Parliament, as a result of which some expect that the excess of the reds is compensated for and balanced by the excess of the blues and vice-versa. PLPN governments, one after the other, have bequeathed weak institutions and weak regulatory authorities, incapable of defending the state from the assault of those who are only interested in personal enrichment.  PLPN is ultimately collectively responsible for this situation.

To add insult to injury, together, the PLPN ensured that Parliament approved electoral legislation which deliberately sought to disadvantage all political parties but themselves.

This country deserves much better.

Any vision which ignores these basic facts is a squinted vision.

An architect and civil engineer, the author is a former Chairperson of ADPD-The Green Party in Malta.  [email protected] ,   http://carmelcacopardo.wordpress.com