Editorial

Refreshing north winds, even though a bit too strong at times, that swept over the island for a few days gave a breath of fresh air to an environment stifled not just by the searing heat of August but also by the continued build-up of issues and other matters that sometimes made Malta look like a theatre of the absurd.

Along with issues of a very serious nature, such as the growing debate over whether or not it is time for Malta to have divorce legislation, and a raft of disquieting cases, there have also been matters that show the extremes to which Malta can go at times.

One that takes top place in the list is that over the trouble a local council mayor landed himself in for the use of a council laptop by his daughter at home. Another is the case of the Sta Venera mayor who resigned after accepting a very small donation for the use of council offices for private lessons. She did not pocket the money herself but placed them in a charity fund.

There is much to say about the absolute need to check wrongdoing at all levels and stem the laxity in administrative procedure that seems to be taking hold in so many places. But losing all sense of proportion will only compound the problem, for how can one begin to compare, for example, the use of the laptop by a mayor’s daughter – that is, if the story is entirely correct in the first place – with the rampant use of government cars for purely personal trips?

Maybe it was the summer heat that produced such absurd twists to the mounting concern over a collection of other far more serious matters that have given much food for thought and highlighted a certain slackness in ethical standards and, equally serious, in good governance. Cases of fraud, irregularities, administrative weaknesses and mismanagement seem to be cropping up far too frequently, producing a situation that breeds mistrust at both the central and local level of the administration.

Despite all the codes that have been produced, ethical standards, propriety and diligence seem to be falling by the wayside. Fingers are being pointed at the government, which, contrary to what it declares, is not always acting in as transparent a manner as it should, as the latest case over the EU Commission’s queries on the Delimara power station contract shows.

The manner in which the contract was awarded had raised a number of disturbing issues and, now, to top it all up, a subsidiary story with connotations with the contract has raised a conflict-of-interest issue. What raised quite a few eyebrows was the taking up, by the former chairman of the committee that awarded the contract, of a consultancy job with a contractor of the winning company.

In the absence of all the relevant details, it may be a bit difficult to say at this stage whether or not this amounted to a conflict of interest, but, even if this point were to be left out altogether, it is not difficult to see why the matter is stirring controversy.

However, apart from this particular case, taking into consideration all the recent cases of administrative shortcomings, at central administration and local council level, the picture that emerges is one that seriously calls for reflection and action to strengthen the sense of responsibility, accountability, transparency, ethical standards and, in short, good governance.