A Labour government would introduce a parliamentary commissioner for standards to scrutinise the behaviour and financial interests of all MPs, Joseph Muscat said yesterday.
He was addressing a press conference in the wake of what happened in Parliament on Wednesday but, surprisingly, he sidelined the issue and instead presented a list of proposals his party would adopt to fight corruption.
On Wednesday, Labour forced a vote on the reform Bill of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority despite a previous agreement the government claims existed between the two sides of the House. Seeing that Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando was abroad on government business, the result ended in a tie.
One of the more controversial proposals Dr Muscat presented was to give an amnesty to people and companies involved in corruption with politicians in return for information that would lead to prosecution.
Standing alone behind a podium bedecked in a white and red background, Dr Muscat went straight to the point and criticised what he described as the government's "unacceptable" lack of good governance in relation to the power station extension contract awarded to Danish company BWSC.
He warned permanent secretaries and public company chairmen they would be held personally liable if files related to the BWSC case and others went missing.
A Labour government, he said, would make sure corruption cases involving politicians would not be time-barred and companies found guilty of corruption would be blacklisted for a period of time from public contracts.
Dr Muscat said he was appalled by the Prime Minister's defence of the "mediocre" standards adopted in the choice of the new power station equipment, insisting Lawrence Gonzi had lost his credibility.
The BWSC episode reflected the need for tighter rules and government accountability, he said, describing corruption as another tax.
Another proposal would see the Auditor General's powers strengthened, especially in cases where people did not collaborate during investigations. Dr Muscat said the National Audit Office would be able to use its powers to reopen the investigation into the BWSC contract.
He also proposed the introduction of a law regulating political party financing even though Labour last week withdrew from the parliamentary select committee for democratic reform, which was discussing a number of issues, including party financing.
"We will not attend the parliamentary select committee until (Foreign Affairs Minister) Tonio Borg apologises to Justyne Caruana," he said, hinting that the debate on party financing in the select committee had made little headway.
During the controversial vote on the Delimara power station extension contract last week, Dr Borg had said Dr Caruana made a mistake in her vote by voting against an opposition motion. Amid uproar, the Speaker discontinued the vote to hear the recordings and the opposition stormed out of the House in protest. Dr Borg raised the point about Dr Caruana after government MP Mario Galea mistakenly voted for the opposition motion.
Focusing on the power station extension, Dr Muscat said a Labour government would be committed to stopping the use of heavy fuel oil and instead go for cleaner, less polluting fuel.
"The shift in technology will not create additional financial hardship on families and businesses. Just like the government found €100 million for the Renzo Piano project we will not hold back from investing money to safeguard people's health," Dr Muscat said.
The Nationalist Party said in reaction that the Opposition Leader was only interested in shifting the attention away from Labour's shameful behaviour in Parliament.
"Over the past few days, the Labour opposition has only been interested in playing partisan games rather than contributing towards the national good," the PN said, insisting Dr Muscat was only after power.