In modern democracies, political parties entrusted with government enter into a pact with citizens: in exchange for power they promise to rule in a fair, transparent and accountable manner.

Malta has become infested by corruption as leaders have propagated a get-rich-quick culture- Joseph Vella Bonnici

Governments exist to make a tangible difference in the lives of their citizens. This implicit pact is often ignored and governments take a life of their own abusing the power delegated to them.

The lack of accountability has been the Achilles’ heel of GonziPN’s term in government. Severely bruised by the John Dalli affair, in 2007, the Gonzi Administration presented a White Paper entitled Towards Greater Transparency And Accountability.

This marked a significant development because it indicated that the Government had changed its mind and was prepared to enact a Whistleblower’s Act, which would complement the Public Administration Bill.

This commitment to strengthen anti-corruption laws was promised in the 2008 PN electoral manifesto. This is good PR: the legislation and implementation of good governance measures arise from the very pact that governments make with their voters.

The PN also vowed to instil more transparency and accountability in the public sector such as subjecting appointments on government boards to a public call. The annual reports prepared by the Auditor General confirm the Government’s lack of political will to control abuses within the public sector.

One wonders who is running this country. How can a public corporation like Enemalta, which Standard & Poor’s refer to as the “ailing energy utility” and a “permanently loss-making State enterprise”, refuse requests to provide information?

Enemalta is perhaps the worse example of poor public sector accountability. Our society has been paying heavily for the corporation’s past, and present, mistakes and has become an albatross around GonziPN’s neck.

Ultimately, the buck for gross mismanagement in the public sector stops with the Government. Politicians have to learn to shoulder their responsibility; ignorance is neither a justifiable nor a sufficient excuse.

It is not good enough that the Prime Minister passes on to the Police Commissioner any allegations of corruption which surface. The Prime Minister is personally responsible for upholding the pact with us citizens and not just to act as a glorified messenger. The Prime Minister is to ensure that not only do citizens perceive no abuse of power or corruption but also to proactively take measures for this to be so.

Abuse of power and corruption have serious ethical considerations and extract a hefty moral and financial price. Good governance is falling behind because not enough effort is being made in advocating and upholding accountability. Unfortunately, Malta has become infested by corruption as leaders have propagated a get-rich-quick culture.

During Independence Day celebrations in 2010, Lawrence Gonzi renewed his pledge and less than a month later the draft Bill was tabled in Parliament. At its launch, the Prime Minister boasted that “my government has nothing to fear”. However, soon afterwards, the Government seems to have got cold feet and the sense of urgency was lost. It preferred, for its own reasons, to take long parliamentary recesses and to push the privatisation of car parks rather than deliver on one of its key electoral promises.

Now the Whistleblower’s Act is in limbo. The 2013 PN electoral programme makes no mention of it; now we have Gonzi’s words that it will be one of the first laws enacted by his new government. Still, it does not want to commit itself to follow Labour’s pledge to remove the time bar on corruption cases involving politicians. Surely, the Government has nothing to fear.

GonziPN is now faced with allegations of corruption in the purchase of fuel at Enemalta and MOBC. Frank Portelli, a former PN president, says that he has been waiting long years for the Whistleblower’s Act. He claims that these allegations are just the tip of an iceberg and that if all the misappropriated money were returned it would make good for Malta’s national debt.

These are very serious accusations and should not be taken lightly. Will GonziPN insist for proof as it did with John Bencini? In the circumstances, the best that the Prime Minister could offer is to promise protection for anyone speaking out.

Portelli is obviously not convinced by the Prime Minister’s promise and seems intent to keep silent as to what he knows about the iceberg. At this stage, the Prime Minister can only offer a political concession and no legal right for protection.

Equally troubling, is Gonzi’s statement that he expects more developments on these allegations (The Times, January 31).

Corruption is a fight that GonziPN lost because it never made a genuine effort to control it. Five years ago, the Government decided to assign a special prosecutor with executive investigation and prosecution powers with the Permanent Commission Against Corruption. Needless to say, nothing happened.

If our country really wishes to make a qualitative leap forward it needs a change in direction. It needs to start promoting a culture that actively supports and rewards transparency and accountability. Parliamentary institutions such as the National Audit Office and the Office of the Ombudsman need to be given more power.

After almost nine years of EU membership, it is about time to have an open government that will involve people through active citizenship.

fms18@onvol.net