The House of Representatives

I must say I really enjoyed reading Marisa Micallef Leyson's contribution (August 3) on the House of Representatives. The truth, however, is that very few people do have the guts to speak up publicly, as she did, to denounce the politicians whenever they fall short of their obligations or overstep their limits.

Ms Micallef Leyson could not have scrutinised the local politicians any better. Unfortunately, many find it so easy to flatter them in their faces, yet they criticise them endlessly behind their backs. If only cultures change I am positive that the standard of local politics would improve.

I am still at a loss to conclude which school of thought is in fact the correct one, namely, whether it is politics that is dirty or whether it is the politicians that make politics dirty.

The indicators in both schools though do point in the same direction. It is also acclaimed universally that power corrupts and that absolute power corrupts absolutely. The serious lack of transparency in local governance surely adds to the increasing mistrust in our politicians.

I cannot find any logic in the fact that while certain MPs can carry on with their professions and/or businesses, irrespective of their seat in parliament, others are made to resign their employment (whether temporarily or otherwise) to be eligible to take their seat in the House.

While in the case of the self-employed the financial situation is likely to improve due to the added income as an MP, in the second instance the reverse would probably be the case particularly if the employed person would have to quit a senior position to take up his seat in the House.

As Ms Micallef Leyson rightly maintains, this unlevelled playing field for candidates seeking a seat in parliament favours the self-employed.

I too criticised our MPs on more than one occasion for electing to instil upon themselves the status of super citizens when they chose to approve special pension rights for themselves, notwithstanding the fact (I am told) that the MPs' social security contributions are still commensurate with those of the common citizens.

On the question of the MPs' remuneration, one can argue that, by local standards, MPs/ministers are adequately remunerated. At the end of the day, remuneration in Malta, in general, is low when compared to that in other European centres.

Many insist that MPs do not carry out full-time duties and in addition one has to take into account the many perks the post carries with it.

Thinking on "overdrive" is a gift of God and one is in fact expected to make good use of it. Incidentally, for the sake of transparency, the government should make public a complete list of perks MPs enjoy and perhaps attach a price tag to these benefits.

Talking of finances, and the critical financial situation the country is in, has any MP ever tabled a motion in the House proposing that the MPs' remuneration pack be reduced by whatever pittance as a goodwill gesture in view of the state of affairs the country's finances are in?

I do not recall having ever heard of such a noble motion being tabled in parliament. Alter all, most MPs (if not all) claim that they had taken up politics not for their personal gain but in the interest of the country.

Of course, we do have a House of Representatives. What we do not have are MPs who truly represent the electorate that elected them.