It happened on October 21 in St Julians. Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi told the third Forum of Commonwealth Ministers a principle of good governance is accountability. He went on to add there must be safeguards against abuse of public powers.
The Public Accounts Committee is one of the structures required to enhance transparency, the rule of law and accountability in the public service.
I am sure the Commonwealth ministers hearing all this and comparing what has been going on in the PAC in Malta’s Parliament to what the Prime Minister was preaching about must have shaken their heads in disbelief. They too have read the local news-papers.
The antics by the government ministers and other government deputies in this prestigious Committee, of late, ever since the contract for the extension of the power station came up for discussion, can only be described as a new form of Kangaroo dance, a clumsy attempt by the same government, so headed by Dr Gonzi, to hinder the process the Prime Minister was so adamant about, namely transparency. After transparency, accountability is expected to follow!
The opposition, led by the intelligent Joseph Muscat, followed these frenzied attempts by the government to stop this process. A real example of good governance. After all, it was the Prime Minister who extolled these virtues to the gathering of ministers.
For those who may not know, it was the same Prime Minister who threw down the gauntlet. On Independence Day, September 21, he taunted the PAC chairman, Charles Mangion, an opposition member of Parliament, to dare raise the discussion of the contract given to the company BWSC for the extension of the Delimara power station in the PAC hearings.
Dr Mangion was very prompt to accommodate the Prime Minister. In fact, the item was put on the agenda of the first meeting after the opening of Parliament last month. This he had every right to do as chairman of the Committee and to summon all of the witnesses involved.
All hell broke loose on the government side apparently in a bid to stifle the truth, whatever it is, from coming out.
Three successive attempts were made to stall the process. What sort of transparency is this?
Several questions come to the average citizen’s mind:
Why did the Prime Minister taunt the Labour Party in opposition, through Dr Mangion, to dare try and raise this topic at the PAC?
Was this an attempt to undermine this committee?
Why did he allow a decision taken by him as leader of the government and of the Nationalist Party – as declared on (TV chat show) Bondiplus on October 18, recorded in the morning, that, in view of the Speaker’s decision to allow the case to continue, ministers should cooperate in the investigations by the committee – to be ignored barely 10 hours later in Parliament by his ministers and deputies present at the PAC meeting that same evening?
Did he censure the perpetuators for such a direct attempt to make him look like an incompetent fool? If no, then was he in full control of everything?
Is it possible he willingly raised the subject to pull somebody’s ears on his side? Playing with the devil, isn’t it?
Lastly, who stands to lose? Why did Austin Gatt particularly be so emphatic and adamant on stopping this process, even more so since he was the minister involved in this contract? Was that the main reason why his portfolio was changed?
Wake up Mr Prime Minister! Let this investigation carry on and make sure you do not tolerate that all those involved do not suffer bouts of amnesia. Accountability, transparency and, above all, good governance must prevail.
victorsultana@ymail.com
(This article was written before the ruling by the Speaker on Monday.)