It is quite a while since we enjoyed good governance, quite a while since we enjoyed basic information about how decisions are made, quite a while since we lived in a healthy democracy. We need to make a quantum leap from a system based on theft and corruption to one based on rights and positive incentives.
It is important that in the first two years of Labour governance the balance be redressed in favour of equal rights for all citizens and away from the greedy machinations of the inner circles; in favour of accountability and transparency, and away from cover-ups and secrecy; in favour of fair competition and away from oligarchic hegemony.
The current review of the Code of Ethics for Ministers and Members of Parliament is an important first step.
The passing of a comprehensive Whistleblower’s Act will also encourage more principled behaviour. A stronger watchdog, with a more effective Office of the Attorney General, will ensure close monitoring and clear consequences.
But we need to do much more. The rot of neglect and abuse of power has spread and contaminated relations on many levels. Consider just two areas: firstly, the relation between the health care service provider and the client; secondly, the relation between the employer and the worker.
Let’s take the issue of out-of-stock medicine. This problem is huge. I meet residents every day who are suffering from pain, fear and anxiety that their life-saving, pain-relieving medicine will remain out-of-stock.
The lack of good governance in this sector, as in many others, has led to widespread clientelism: the practice of providing favours (like medicine, or promotion or job transfers) in return for bribes or political loyalty. For instance, health service clients who have access to someone in power are well-positioned to get the medicine prescribed by their doctor.
Indeed, many citizens promise their number one vote in the general election to the candidate who can get them their medicine. The wealthier client of course has more clout. He or she can drive to every possible pharmacy around and dish out the cash when necessary.
How can we be sure that every client can access the medicine that is needed to stay healthy? Is there a qualified team dedicated to the procurement of medicinal products? Is there a safety net system that can fast track when the stores do not hold nine months supply? Are the suppliers being paid promptly – thus avoiding increased costs and inefficiency?
The patient has a right to good health and therefore a right to the guaranteed supply, storage and distribution of approved medicinal products.
The lack of efficiency, the theft and corruption in this field has led to a plethora of inherited challenges for the new Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia.
Let’s go even deeper, beyond the rot of clientelism, to that of exploitation. Maltese workers’ democratic rights have been systematically eroded not only through the lack of good governance but also through the lack of good employment. Long hours of work at minimum wage or less, with no job security and no representation, have become common contractor/employer practices nowadays.
As an employer myself, I find a democratic and co-operative workplace is conducive to a healthy work environment, to higher output and to a higher quality of output.
A respected worker does respectful work. A disrespected worker does shoddy work. There is ample evidence to substantiate this statement.
Take for example, the federation of worker cooperatives called Mondragon Corporation based in the Basque region of Spain. Inspired by the Catholic priest Jose Maria Arizmendiarrieta, the first cooperative was founded in 1956 by technical college graduates. Their first product was paraffin heaters. So successful was this model that, currently, Mondragon Corporation is the seventh largest Spanish company in terms of asset turnover. At the end of 2011 it was providing employment for 83,869 people working in 256 companies in four areas of activity: finance, industry, retail and knowledge.
Mondragon cooperatives operate in accordance with 10 basic principles including the Supremacy of Labour, the Instrumental and Subordinate Nature of Capital, Participatory Management, Payment Solidarity (meaning the highest income is never more than nine times the lowest wage), and Education.
The Mondragon cooperatives are a testament to the importance of rights and positive incentives at the workplace. They prove that democracy at work is viable and sustainable. In Malta and Gozo, we desperately need this kind of approach that eliminates exploitation, clientelism and corruption. A pre-requisite is a well-trained workforce ready for teamwork, flexibility and responsibility.
There is no doubt that governance at all levels of society – from local councils to the Cabinet – could benefit by adopting these same principles. In a nutshell, they are good training, solidarity and participation.
The transformative leap from a system based on theft and corruption to one based on rights and positive incentives is possible.