When a government reduces transparency, it sends the inevitable signal that it has something to hide, Repubblika President Vicki Ann Cremona wrote in a letter to the Prime Minister on Monday.

Cremona further wrote that it is bad that the Prime Minister unilaterally makes decisions that make the government more closed to public scrutiny, and continued that Republikka is frustrated by Abela’s refusal to consult on such matters despite the repeated requests made to him.

Referring to the Speaker’s ruling on 22nd January 2025, Cremona said that the Prime Minister and his Cabinet have decided to stop the custom of giving parliament a copy of their declaration of assets and interests, which she commented was done in accordance with the Second Schedule of the Act on Standards in Public Life.

She continued that the same Schedule obliges Abela and his colleagues to be open in providing information to parliament and the general public, and added that the Act goes on to state that public officials must be inspired and guided by the value of transparency.

With that in mind, she said “it is therefore clear that if a decision was taken to keep the asset declarations secret, you are doing this in violation of the code of ethics to which obedience is a legal obligation that you have.”

The Repubblika President referred to remarks made by Abela on Sunday, where she stated that he expressed thinking about removing the specific declarations that ministers make, and instead adding the obligation of declarations for MPs in general.

On that matter, Cremona said that Repubblika has no objection if the demands of transparency for all deputies increase, but spoke of the difference between MPs and ministers, primarily regarding how MPs are part-time while ministers are full-time. She said that Repubblika has repeatedly argued that MPs must be full-time, but that as long as they remain part-time, then “their private interests are theirs and theirs alone.”

She stated that MPs are expected to have another job or economic activity whilst ministers are prohibited from doing so due to the code of ethics which binds them. “That is why it is completely logical that the ministers’ declarations about their interests would be different from the MPs, at least as long as the MPs who are not ministers remain part-timers.”

The Repubblika President added that government ministers are also responsible for the administration of public funds, and also have a far greater potential for corruption when compared to non-government MPs. She remarked that it is “entirely proportionate that the transparency of government ministers reflects the much greater potential for corruption in government.”

Cremona commented that the Prime Minister’s contemplation of reform in the asset declarations does not mean that he should blur the level of transparency which currently exists. “You should leave the old system of declarations in place while consulting on how you should improve it,” she said.

“Ministers’ declarations of assets and interests are an indispensable tool for journalists, researchers, and other members of civil society who fulfil the democratic duty to supervise the behaviour of those who are lent political power,” Cremona remarked.

She stated that Abela and his government have so far refused to implement the recommendations of the Group of States Against Corruption, as well as the recommendations of the OECD, regarding how transparency can be increased in public administration. “Instead of making things more transparent, you are covering them with more and more mud,” she commented.

The Repubblika President concluded her letter by asking the Prime Minister to immediately publish his own as well as his colleagues’ updated asset and interest declarations. She also asked for public consultation to begin on how to increase transparency in public administration.