Sant pledges rules on party financing

A new Labour government will implement the recommendations of the Galdes Commission on party financing, Labour leader Alfred Sant promised yesterday.

Speaking during a Coach of Change "corruption and incompetence" tour, Dr Sant said that Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi had promised a new style of politics but he was not committed to keeping this promise.

Had he been committed, he would have introduced the Whistle Blower Act, which Labour would move in Parliament soon after taking office. And in a bid to promote transparency, Labour would also move ahead to implement the recommendations of the Galdes Commission on party financing.

During his tour, Dr Sant stopped in front of Dock No1 in Cospicua, at Manoel Dimech Bridge, in front of the Malta Transport Authority and in front of Castille.

Stops had also been planned at Ta' Qali and in front of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority offices but these were cancelled since Dr Sant had to be at the offices of the Public Broadcasting Service for a recording of a press conference that was broadcast in the evening after being postponed the day before.

In front of Dock No1, Dr Sant gave an overview of the promises for its development which the Nationalist government has been making for at least 13 years. To date, nothing had materialised, he said. Dock No1 was included in Labour's plan for the development of Grand Harbour and it wanted this site to be a recreational area with tourist and maritime attractions.

On Manoel Dimech Bridge, the Labour leader highlighted the process the rebuilding project has been going through since it was announced in April 2004 that work would start in July that year. The project had been given several completion dates, which were not kept.

In front of the ADT's offices, Dr Sant referred to the driving licences scandals which had come out in June 2006. The court had decided that two persons, including a canvasser of Roads Minister Jesmond Mugliett, should be removed from the ADT and never again hold a job in the civil service.

But Mr Mugliett, he claimed, had requested that these two persons remain at the ADT. Not only had the Prime Minister not taken action against the minister, he did not even accept his resignation and declared that Mr Mugliett had acted correctly.

Dr Sant also referred to recorded discussions Minister Ċensu Galea had had with a number of canvassers at his office in St Paul's Bay when he was responsible for the ADT.

The Labour leader claimed the conversations showed that the minister had been informed of abuses at the ADT but never took action.

The final stop was in front of Castille where Dr Sant referred to alleged abuses by Parliamentary Secretary Tony Abela who carried out professional notarial work from his office at Castille and by Parliamentary Secretary Tonio Fenech who, he claimed, used the Good Causes Fund to subsidise commercial schemes.