In 2013, the current government was elected on a promise of transparency, meritocracy and an ‘out with the old, in with the new’ style of politics that the electorate truly needed.
Bar the ‘traffic’ issues of vehicles, both of the automobile and the financial kind, the country flourished, undoubtedly from the seeds planted by a PN administration, but nonetheless everyone knows it takes more than a gardener to nourish the seeds into a bottle of fine wine.
In 2017, the electorate was again given a choice: shall we go back to the mud-slinging, negative slogans, theatrical debates so popular in the 1980s? Or shall we place continued trust in an administration that has put more money into the economy than the previous ones; that has undoubtedly proven capable of placing Malta as one of Europe’s largest growing economies in what most are considering a difficult time for economic growth.
I bickered and berated the government, insisting that the institutions needed autonomy, but maybe in the first legislature, it was felt, rightly or wrongly, that a tighter, more micro-managed approach of these very institutions was needed to ensure that an inexperienced administration could keep appropriate tabs on these institutions. If this were the case, then the administration has been vindicated both in the economic success as well as in the majority it enjoys today.
The Prime Minister finds himself at a fork, one road paved with the gold of impunity and one where tight-fisted control is slowly relinquished
However, now is the time to mature. We need to move from the spring of adolescence to the summer of content, where careful checks and balances are put in to ensure that the ship continues to steer on its course to success. Regulatory bodies need to be set up in consultation with large financial services providers, both local and foreign, to provide a transparent, trustworthy industry on a global platform.
Undoubtedly, Brexit will provide Malta with an opportunity to court some of London’s financial institutions. We have to cast aside the black clouds of persistent allegations of corruption that loomed over the island, threatening our reputation abroad, and do our best to position ourselves favourably among all other financially beneficial jurisdictions.
Our education system, second to none, is well geared to provide a skilled workforce, both in the financial as well as the ICT sector, and as the world moves closer towards a marriage of these two sectors, the time is ripe for Malta to begin to look at taking a leading role in this sector, making sure to attract the larger players.
The Malta Financial Services Authority has to step out of the shadows and continue its sterling efforts in attracting this ‘new’ kind of services industry to Malta. It needs to do this in such a way as to appear trustworthy, transparent and above all, efficient, because make no mistake, Malta will not be the only jurisdiction vying for the spoils of Brexit.
In parallel to this, and hopefully as a result of this, Malta really needs a detailed plan on how to implement the ancillary services and infrastructure which these companies and their employees will sorely need. An appropriately planned, central business district, be it in Mrieħel or in St Julian’s, needs to be implemented to ‘concentrate’ the requirements in particular places, making sure that the little bit of precious countryside that is left is fiercely protected.
Once again, the autonomy of the Planning Authority has to be safeguarded and immunised against the threats of developers and big businesses. Government should play a strong role in determining the plan for environment and infrastructure, but should then ensure that the Planning Authority has enough independence and clout to implement the plan, free from influence of both public and private enterprise.
Further to this, I would also suggest that the administration considers an executive that is not necessarily composed solely of elected Members of Parliament, but one that has a strong track record, both locally and internationally in the implementation of large, complex projects.
Last but not least, the judiciary should undoubtedly be allowed more freedom and independence. Magistrates and judges should be selected from a cohort of their peers, and failing that, from a two-thirds majority in Parliament. The same should go for the Police Commissioner and the head of the Armed Forces of Malta. This will return the trust of the people in these institutions, which are essential for a truly free democratic society.
To conclude, the people have given this administration a second chance to deliver on the vision it presented in 2013. The government and indeed the Prime Minister, being his last administration, finds himself at a fork, one road paved with the gold of impunity and one less travelled, where tight-fisted control is slowly relinquished and institutions are allowed to walk it on their own two feet.
Kristian Zarb Adami is an astrophysics professor at the University of Malta and the University of Oxford.