It helps to be ‘sitting in that chair’

“It is not right to give licence to parliamentarians to do what the hell they like because they’re sitting in that chair... it’s not right for democracy...,” Austin Gatt told this newspaper. This is a bit rich coming from the minister who is exploiting to the hilt the fact that he’s occupying a seat on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

Had it not been so, the minister mouthing these words and responsible for the contract of the power station extension would not be sitting on the PAC when the committee is discussing the said contract. It would be much more helpful for the PAC to do its work properly if Dr Gatt were to be in another seat instead, answering questions on a matter which happened under his watch. But not only does he remain in the chair on the side of those asking questions, he also refuses to allow witnesses to be heard. It seems it does help to be “sitting in that chair”.

By his actions, the minister is undercutting the time-honoured purposes of the committee and short-changing the public in the process. Refuting the PAC its right to question witnesses is the opposite of the transparency and accountability the Prime Minister often declares are so important for good governance.

Dr Gonzi has only last month spoken at the Commonwealth Ministers’ Forum on public sector development and reiterated his mantra that a “fundamental principle of public sector development and good governance is accountability. Governments need to continue investing in implementing safeguards against any abuse of public powers. Institutions and redress mechanisms as well as independent commissions and parliamentary committees are all part of the structures required to enhance transparency, the rule of law and the accountability of public services.”

But, in spite of these nice words – which he contradicts a short while after – the Prime Minister is not to be exonerated of this “sitting in that chair” way of doing politics as described by his minister. Look at this press release: “The Office of the Prime Minister would like to make it abundantly clear the position taken by the government members at the last PAC meeting, when the government side voted against the questioning of witnesses other than the Auditor General, was the position agreed to in Cabinet and which the Prime Minister had directed the members to take.”

So the blocking tactics exercised at the PAC by the government members have the blessing of the Prime Minister or may have even been ordered by him. This was revealed after Dr Gonzi was reported to have told his members on the PAC to “leave the door ajar for more witnesses” in a previous interview. It’s either one or the other. When was the Prime Minister telling the truth?

Another example of how distant the Prime Minister’s words at grand conferences are from his actions is that of former minister Jesmond Mugliette’s assertion that the Cabinet – when he was still minister – had agreed on the use of gas for the power station. The decision was changed to the use of heavy fuel oil out of Cabinet. Such lack of transparency between Cabinet members! No wonder, then us lesser mortals are left in total obscurity.

The Prime Minister doesn’t even explain this. We, thus, have no choice but to continue asking. Who was pulling the strings? Why does the Prime Minister remain silent on this matter? What is there to hide? In whose interest was this decision changed? Certainly not in the interest of our environment, health or pockets. So many questions. So much malpractice: e-mails destroyed, abuse of political contacts, involvement of internationally blacklisted companies, modified specifications, amendments to the law, main players refusing to speak for their actions.... Who has gained from the stoking of this fire?

It was clear the Auditor’s smoke metaphor referred to all this. But Dr Gatt carried on saying during the last PAC meeting it was the opposition members who had generated the smoke. The Nationalist Party media took the lead and spun this yarn hoping the smoulder would stifle those trying to understand the motives behind the minister’s actions and words.

The thicker the smoke, the more the government hides behind it and the more it prevents those looking for the source from finding it. This, while those who do not want us to get to the truth at the PAC enjoy, as Dr Gatt had rightly put it, their licence to do what the hell they like… because they’re sitting in that chair.

And for those trying to confound issues, the EU Commission’s decision to close proceedings over this matter alters nothing from the case the PL has been presenting, since it never argued over whether EU rules had been broken.

The Commission has not examined the irregularities which the PL or the auditor general highlighted, because that was not its role.

Dr Dalli is shadow minister for the public service and government investment.