Political party Momentum has announced a set of new laws aimed at ending the secrecy around politicians' wealth and how public money is spent. The proposal is a reaction to the fact that the Prime Minister has, for a second year, blocked the release of his cabinet's 2023 asset declarations.
The government is ignoring orders from the Data and Standards Commissioners to release the documents, the party said. This discontinues a long-standing practice whereby past declarations, after being presented to public view by journalists, were shown to be misleading declarations.
Mark Camilleri Gambin, General Secretary of Momentum stated "The public has a right to know if politicians are getting inexplicably rich while in government. Our plan is simple: make transparency the default setting for government."
Momentum's proposal is based on three new laws:
- The Public Integrity Act: This law would require the National Audit Office (NAO) to professionally audit the asset declarations of every elected official, starting within 90 days of their election and then every year. The NAO would have the resources, and power, to check bank accounts and property records. If an official lies or hides assets, they will face criminal charges.
- The Public Spending Ledger Bill: This bill would create a public, searchable website showing all government spending in real time. Every contract and invoice will be published automatically, making it impossible to hide deals behind "commercial confidentiality." Secret clauses in government contracts would be banned.
- The Open Malta Act: This act replaces the current Freedom of Information law. It would require the government to publish information by default, instead of waiting for requests. The law would also remove a minister's power to veto the release of information and sets a firm 15-working-day deadline for requests. Officials who illegally delay or block information will be fined daily from their own pockets.
In the meantime,Momentum is putting a direct question to every Member of Parliament and party election candidate:
"Will you open your books to an independent audit for the people who pay your salary? Yes or no?"
Momentum is calling on the media and the public to demand a clear answer from politicians.