All governments were guilty of clientelism to some extent, according to the Opposition’s spokesman on good governance, Simon Busuttil.
"Clientelism still plagues politics, and all governments are guilty of it, to a greater or lesser extent, not just in Malta but across the world,” he said.
The former Nationalist Party and Opposition leader was contacted by Times of Malta for his reaction after Malta Today reported on Sunday that leaked e-mails showed that Nationalist MPs and candidates had solicited government jobs for their constituents. The e-mails covered the years from 2009 to 2013, when the PN was in government.
Dr Busuttil, who campaigned on the pledge to clean up Maltese politics in last year’s general election, was quick to put the leaks into context.
In this recent case, he said, “the numbers speak for themselves. Just 10 people were reported to have been recruited under a PN administration as a result of the involvement of politicians, whereas some 250 people were taken on board under a Labour administration as a result of clientelism before last June’s election. Indeed, there is a stark difference.”
He added that, in the run-up to the last election, the Labour administration had used “a deliberate political strategy” to “buy” votes by dishing out jobs and promotions on a large scale.
Read: Promotions blitz in the army continues
“That is a clear abuse of power and, most probably, was illegal,” he said adding that the concern had also been raised by MEPs in a recent European Parliament report on the rule of law in Malta.
That is a clear abuse of power and, most probably, was illegal
Asked whether he had met with the politicians named in the leaks to discuss their conduct or if he had discussed the matter with his successor, Adrian Delia, Dr Busuttil said he could not divulge details of internal party talks.
As to what he termed “pervasive abuse of power”, Dr Busuttil said that, in his opinion, “the only solution is for all recruitment in public entities to be, once again, conducted by a truly independent, beefed-up, efficient, Public Service Commission, based on real meritocracy”.
Clearly, Dr Busuttil said, it was time to rethink the role of the Public Service Commission.
Read: Pot calling the kettle black
Dr Busuttil argued there was nothing wrong with politicians helping constituents who might not be able to fend for themselves in difficult situations.
“It is actually their job to help people,” he said. The question, he hastened to add, was whether, in so doing, politicians abused their positions of power.
A Cabinet minister would almost certainly be abusing his power when recruiting constituents in an entity falling under his responsibility because he was empowered to do so, he noted.
However, an MP did not have that power and therefore could hardly abuse it. At most, MPs could apply undue pressure, he said, adding they could always be ignored.