Consumers are being short-changed by intimate ties between political parties and businesses and a “castrated” official authority, the Consumers’ Association has said.

The lack of an effective consumer rights champion is still being felt

In a set of proposals sent to political parties, the association suggested creating a consumer affairs parliamentary committee and a consumers’ Ombudsman to better safeguard consumer rights, and said money should be diverted to consumer organisations to turn them into professional outfits. It had harsh words for politicians’ cosiness with businesses, saying that the latter’s financial backing during electoral campaigns translated into decisions going their way rather than the consumer’s.

Businesses found to have broken the law were usually obliged to amend their work practices without being made to pay in any way, while “deceived” consumers received no compensation, it said.

Political ties also existed within the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs authority, which was run like a government department, with employees more interested in not rocking the boat than protecting consumers, the association said.

It argued that companies which refused to adhere to consumer tribunal decisions should be named and shamed on TV stations, while court or tribunal decisions needed to be given more prominence.

It suggested amending regulations to make the MCCAA more autonomous, with less ministerial meddling and more power given to the authority’s board of governors to ensure decisions taken by its various department directors-general conformed with MCCAA policies.

But little would change, it noted, unless the MCCAA became more proactive in its approach and stopped “dusting its responsibilities onto others”. Transparency in decisions concerning consumer affairs would be best served by the creation of a specific parliamentary committee, which would be focused on ensuring authorities were working to consumers’ benefit. Authority heads would also be grilled by the parliamentary committee before they were appointed.

The association also suggested creating a one-stop shop for government services, which would bring all public services under one roof. A consumers’ ombudsman with the power to file court cases against companies abusing of consumer law would also help, the association said.

“We understand the proposal might seem radical or even superfluous...but the lack of an effective consumer rights champion is still being felt to this day,” it said of its ombuds-man idea.

The manner in which Malta transposed EU consumer directives into law needed to be revised “from the bottom up”, with authorities seemingly afraid to effectively police and enforce consumer-oriented laws, it said.

It also felt consumers would be better served if the asso-ciation itself was turned into a professional, rather than voluntary one – something the EU recommends.

A professional consumers’ association with full-time employees could be financed through penalties paid by companies found to have breached consumer rights, as happened in Italy or Hungary, the association said.