ILLUM : nuqqas ta’ spazju ?

Fil-gazzetta Illum, ippubblikata illum il-Ħadd 12 ta’ Mejju 2013 ippubblikat kummenti għal mistoqsijiet li staqsiet lil diversi persuni dwar Joseph Muscat u Simon Busuttil.

Il-mistoqsijiet kienu dawn:

1. Kif tħares lejn l-ewwel 50 jum ta’ Joseph Muscat?
2. X’taħseb fuq l-għażla ta’ Simon Busuttil?

Jiena ġejt mitlub il-kummenti tiegħi li tajthom imma ma ġewx ippubblikati kif ippreżentajthom jiena.

Ma nafx jekk hux minħabba nuqqas ta’ spazju.

For the record il-kummenti tiegħi huma dawk riprodotti hawn taħt. Il-parti bl-aħmar tħalliet barra mill-pubblikazzjoni:

Dwar l-għażla ta’ Simon Busuttil bħala Kap tal-PN:

“Huwa biss iż-żmien li jagħtina parir dwar jekk l-elezzjoni ta’ Dr Simon Busuttil bħala Kap tal-PN iġibx bidla, kif ukoll x’tip ta’ bidla, fil-PN. Il-bidliet fil-PN għadhom għaddejjin u mhux magħruf x’ser tkun il-forma finali tagħhom.

Alternattiva Demokratika m’hiex ser toqgħod tispekula dwar x’jista’ jiġri.”

Dwar l-ewwel ħamsin jum tal-Gvern immexxi minn Joseph Muscat :

Fl-ewwel ħamsin jum il-Gvern ta’ Muscat għadu qiegħed jipprova jaġixxi ta’ Gvern, diversi drabi aġixxa ta’ partit politiku. F’ ta’ l-inqas erba’ sitwazzjonijiet aġixxa b’mod diviżiv meta kellu soluzzjonijiet alternattivi li long term kienu jagħtuh riżultati aħjar.

L-ewwel: il-grad ta’ Segretarju Permanenti fil-Ministeri jeżisti biex jassigura kontinwita’ b’mod partikolari meta jkun hemm bidla tal-Gvern. It-tneħħija tal-parti l-kbira tas-Segretarji Permanenti kien żball fl-ewwel ġranet tal-Gvern li seta ġie evitat. Il-parti l-kbira minnhom kienu ser jispiċċaw xorta matul it-18-il xahar li ġejjin, bl-eta. Li stenna ftit kienu jinbidlu xorta bil-kwiet probabilment fi żmien sena.

It-tieni : id-diskors li l-Gvern ħejja għall-President tar-Repubblika kien wieħed partiġġjan u ma għamel l-ebda ġid lill-kariga.

It-tielet: inevitabilment f’dawn il-ħamsin ġurnata saru ħafna ħatriet. Kien hemm diversi minnhom li kienu ta’ natura partiġjana, fl-istess stil tal-gvernijiet immexxija mill-PN.

Ir-raba’: il-ħatra ta’ Franco Debono bħala koordinatur tal-Konvenzjoni Kostituzzjonali kienet waħda diviżiva. Tali ħatra kella issir b’konsultazzjoni mas-socjeta ċivili.

Fost il-miżuri posittivi tal-Gvern hemm il-bidu tal-implementazzjoni tal-proposti elettorali dwar id-drittijiet tal-persuni LGBT  kif ukoll il-ftehim dwar il-kawża fil-Qorti Ewropea tad-Drittijiet tal-Bniedem minn Joanne Cassar liema ftehim ser iwassal għat-dritt ta’ persuna transgender li tiżżewweġ.  AD giet mistiedna u aċċettat li tipparteċipa fil-Kumitat Konsultattiv li qed iħejji l-proposti konkreti għad-drittijiet tal-persuni LGBT. Ġew nominati u diġa qed jieħdu sehem Angele Deguara u Collette Farrugia Bennett biex jirrapprezentaw lill-AD.

Fost il-miżuri negattivi hemm l-inkoraġġiment tal-kaċċa fir-rebbiegħa  u issa jidher li l-Gvern qed jikkunsidra li jesperimenta ukoll bl-insib minkejja li din hu pprojibit mid-Direttivi tal-Unjoni Ewropea kif ukoll skada il-perjodu transitorju stabilit mit-trattat ta’ adezjoni.

The Foreign Minister & the Ministerial Code of Ethics

Dr George Vella, Foreign Minister, in reply to Ivan Camilleri on today’s Times of Malta makes a valid point as to why, after being appointed a Cabinet Minister, he needs a transition period relative to the practicing of his profession as a medical doctor.

Ivan Camilleri describes Dr Vella as being “angry” at what he perceived as a “witch-hunt” in respect of members of the Cabinet still practising their profession.

Dr Vella has in fact repeated what former Health Minister Dr Joseph Cassar stated last week that in respect of patients who have been under his care for a number of years it would be extremely insensitive for him to withdraw abruptly from caring for them until they have had adequate time for them to identify an alternative professional who could take over their care.

This could easily have been solved by an immediate amendment to the Ministerial Code of Ethics through considering the possibility of utilising a suitable and reasonable transition period at the end of which medical doctors who are also members of Cabinet would be expected to cease practicing their profession altogether.

Establishment of such a transition period and subject to the medical doctor not being remunerated would have been a very reasonable  solution to the current impasse.

It however leaves unaddressed the general problem of Members of Parliament who still consider their parliamentary duties as being of a part-time nature. AD considers that it is high time that this issue is also addressed.

Parliament, AD states in its March 2013 electoral manifesto, should become a professional institution made up of full-time parliamentarians. This would assist MPs in fullfilling their Parliamentary duties much better than they are at present and could also possibly lead to Parliament functioning in a more family-friendly manner. [a very valid point made recently by new Labour MP Deborah Schembri]

An added benefit of a Parliament made up of full-time Members of Parliament would mean that by the time an MP (who is also a professional) is appointed as a Minister or Parliamentary Secretary he would have been weaned off his private practice. He/she would be used to it and so would his/her patients.

Mill-Manifest Elettorali ta’ AD dwar bidliet fil-Kostituzzjoni: (12) Il-ħatra tal-ġudikatura

 (12) Il-ħatra tal-ġudikatura

L-imħallfin u l-maġistrati m’għandhomx jibqgħu jinħatru mill-gvern iżda mill-President tar-Repubblika u soġġetti għal konferma mill-Parlament. Dan jiżgura sistema ta’ checks and balances bejn is-setgħa eżekuttiva (eżerċitata f’dan il-każ mill-President tar-Repubblika) u l-leġiżlatura.

(silta mill-Kapitlu Numru 6 tal-Programm Elettorali ta’ Alternattiva Demokratika)

Mill-Manifest Elettorali ta’ AD dwar bidliet fil-Kostituzzjoni : (9) Budget bilanċjat

(9)     Budget bilanċjat

Għandha tiddaħħal dispożizzjoni Kostituzzjonali biex wara tranżizzjoni xierqa, jiġi żgurat baġit bilanċjat. Ħlief f’każijiet eċċezzjonali li jkunu jeħtieġu approvazzjoni ta’ żewġ terzi mill-Parlament.

(silta mill-Kapitlu Numru 6 tal-Programm Elettorali ta’ Alternattiva Demokratika)

Xogħol il-Membru tal-Parlament

Il-Gvern permezz ta’ diversi dikjarazzjonijiet tal-Prim Ministru Joseph Muscat repetutament qed jgħid li jrid jinvolvi lill-Membri tal-Parlament taż-żewġ naħat tal-Kamra fil-ħidma tal-Gvern.

Dan nissel reazzjonijiet diversi inkluż, u b’mod partikolari, mill-Opposizzjoni. Il-bieraħ fil-fatt Simon Busuttil Viċi Kap tal-PN qal li l-Opposizzjoni mhiex ser tinxtara. Dan qalu kemm fil-Parlament kif ukoll fl-artiklu tiegħu ta’ kull ġimgħa fit-Times intitolat A flawed “executive” offer .

Xogħol il-Membru tal-Parlament hu fil-Parlament. Jiġifieri jagħmel il-liġijiet u jgħarbel il-ħidma tal-Eżekuttiv. Minflok iżda qed tiġi żviluppata l-idea li dawk il-Membri Parlamentari li mhumiex Ministri jew Segretarji Parlamentari jkun aħjar jekk jinstabilhom xi ħaġa biex ikollhom biex jgħaddu l-ħin għax inkella jsibu huma l-mezz biex jgħaddu l-ħin. Il-konsegwenzi ta’ dan ma jkun xejn pjaċevoli kif jaf sewwa Lawrence Gonzi!

Din m’hiex xi ħaġa li ivvinta Joseph Muscat. Esperimentaw biha l-Prim Ministri kollha ta’ qablu. Kemm Mintoff fis-snin sebgħin kif ukoll Gonzi fis-snin li għadhom kif għaddew fittxew modi kif jokkupaw il-ħin tal-Membri Parlamentari. Mintoff u Gonzi din għamluha mal-Membri Parlamentari tal-Gvern li kienu jmexxu. Joseph Muscat qed jipprova jifrex il-ħsieb iktar minn hekk u jsib applikazzjoni tiegħu mal-Opposizzjoni ukoll.

Naħseb li l-idea hi fil-prinċipju żbaljata. Għax il-kapaċita u l-kompetenza ta’ kull Membru Parlamentari għandha tkun applikata fil-ħidma tal-Parlament.

L-ewwel nett fil-ħidma diretta tal-Kamra u l-kumitati tagħha, fil-parteċpazzjoni fid-dibatti dwar liġijiet u l-politika tal-oqsma differenti. It-tieni fis-sorveljanza tal-ħidma tal-Gvern inkluż fil-mod kif jaħdmu l-awtoritajiet: kif jonfqu l-fondi allokati kif ukoll kif titfassal u tiġi applikata l-politika fl-oqsma differenti.

Fost oħrajn il-Parlament għandu jkun full-time. Jiġifieri l-Membri Parlamentari għandhom jokkupaw il-ħin kollu tagħhom fil-Parlament. Jekk u meta jagħmlu dan m’għandix dubju li jsibu ħafna x’jagħmlu. Wisq nibża’ iżda li la l-PN u l-anqas il-PL ma jixtiequ dan għax jekk il-Parlament jiġi f’posizzjoni li jagħmel xogħolu aħjar ikun diffiċli ħafna iktar li xi rokna tal-ħidma tal-Gvern tibqa’ mistura.

Din hi l-problema reali li qed jaffronta Joseph Muscat. Iffaċċja qablu Lawrence Gonzi. Kemm Muscat kif ukoll Gonzi jaħsbu li jkun għaqli li l-Membru Parlamentari jinżamm okkupat. Bħala riżultat t’hekk il-ħidma tal-Gvern tkun mgħarbla ħafna inqas milli hu neċessarju.

Far ahead in arrogance ………………..

 

This morning in Parliament, His Excellency President George Abela launched the government’s five year programme. We need to discard the ways of old and embrace a new way of doing politics. It is indeed unfortunate that we are far ahead in embedding arrogance in government   ……………

His Excellency was obviously reading out the script which others have written. He symbolically heads the government and hence he reads out the programme of “his government”.

The problem with the President’s speech is that we have heard it many a time. Maybe in less colourful language, but surely it has been listened to before.

Obviously the proof of the pudding is in the eating. We still need proof that shortly we will start lagging behind in arrogance, and maybe for a change being leaders in something positive!

I await some positive signal, which I have not yet noticed.

A Voice for 5,500 votes

The Green Vote in last week’s general elections increased by 45% over the 2008 polls. Alternattiva Demokratika candidates polled a total of 5,506 votes: a 1.8% share of the national vote.  But these voters have no voice in the newly elected Parliament.

We have heard during the past days of the constitutional mechanisms which restore proportionality in Parliament between votes cast in the general election and the parliamentary strength of the political parties. Malta’s electoral system guarantees proportionality but only for the Nationalist Party and the Labour Party.  Our parliamentary democracy must be based on fairness, and the current state of affairs is anything but fair.

The fact that 5,500 voters chose to be represented by Alternattiva Demokratika is a bold political statement. Every voter has the right to be represented. That is what representative democracy is about. It is useless to emphasise that we should all work together and simultaneously ignore such a statement. The voice of these 5,500 Maltese citizens should be heard loud and clear. They are subject to the same duties and responsibilities as the other voters who are represented. They are subject to the same laws and pay the same taxes.

It is a basic principle of parliamentary democracy that there should be no taxation without representation. This constitutional principle was forcefully made 800 years ago in the Magna Carta  in 1215 when the British monarchy was forced to relinquish part of its absolute powers laying the foundations for the formation of the mother of democratic Parliaments at Westminister. This constitutional principle signifies that Parliament derives its moral and legal authority from its being representative. Being representative gives Parliament its moral authority to legislate. Our Parliament is in fact aptly called the House of Representatives.

AD voters demand that their right to be represented is respected.  This respect can only be manifested if their choices made on the 9th March 2013 are translated into effective representation in the House of Representatives. The House as presently constituted does not represent the 5,500 AD voters as none of the MPs elected are authorised to speak on their behalf.

Throughout the years Parliament has discussed electoral reform many a time. It has tweaked the system through the introduction of constitutional amendments in 1987, 1996 and 2007. The electoral system is certainly much better today than it was in 1981. The amendments then were required but they only addressed the interests of major political parties and their voters. The interests of voters opting for democratic change outside the two party system was conveniently ignored.

The constant message sent by the PN and the PL that change is only possible through the two large parties has been constantly rejected by a small but significant number of voters. We speak of democratic change as ultimately accepting the will of the majority. This however does not include the suffocation of minorities irrespective of their size. But this is what has been done throughout the years.

In Malta’s political history there was a time when both the PN and the PL were small in size and almost insignificant.

The Labour Party was represented in Malta’s Parliament by one solitary MP, Sir Paul Boffa, in the pre-war years. It was a political party organised outside and in opposition to the two-party system. It prevailed throughout the years and proved the power of the ballot to defy the two party system.

Likewise the Nationalist Party was small and insignificant in the post-war years when the Labour Party under the leadership of Sir Paul Boffa achieved the largest electoral landslide (59%) ever registered by a political party in Malta. Yet it was possible for the PN to rise once more from being a party of insignificant size to a major political force.

In view of the above the declarations of Labour MP Evarist Bartolo that AD’s 5,500 voters should be represented in Parliament in a truly democratic system is welcome. Evarist Bartolo has been consistent in his position as he made similar statements in 2008. Unfortunately then, Parliament’s Select Committee entrusted with considering constitutional changes to reinforce democratic governance did not function.

Alternattiva Demokratika also welcomes the statements made by the Prime Minister Joseph Muscat that the matter should be addressed.

The changes to the electoral system also require the support of the Nationalist Party which has not expressed itself on the matter, even though a number of its electoral candidates have already expressed their support publicly.

It is time to stand up and be counted. AD has always been available to cooperate and present its proposals as it has done continuously. But voters also demand that AD be respected and its electoral strength duly represented in Parliament. To date those voting AD have had their voice suffocated. We await government’s reactions which will hopefully indicate that it really believes that the will of all voters is respected.

originally published in The Times of Malta on Saturday 16 March 2013

Representing the Green Vote

After the Constitutional Court decided not to accept the PN’s petitions to reopen the counting process on the 8th and the 13th electoral districts it is clear that the Labour Party has elected 39 members of Parliament to the Nationalist Party’s 26.  This result has triggered a constitutional mechanism which ensures that the parliamentary seats assigned to candidates contesting the general elections on behalf of the PN correspond to the percentage of votes it obtained at a national level. This is a mechanism which restores proportionality and ensures that the proportion of parliamentary seats assigned to the PN and the PL corresponds to the votes which they obtained at first count stage. The Nationalist Party has been allocated four Parliamentary seats as a result of this constitutional mechanism bringing the total of its Parliamentary seats to 30.

This process of restoring proportionality is discriminatory as it has been applied to the Nationalist Party but at the same time it has ignored the 5506 votes which were obtained by Green candidates at first count stage. Using the same criteria which have been applied to the Nationalist Party the Greens should have been allocated one Parliamentary seat on the basis of the total number of votes polled.  This would be in addition to the Parliamentary seats already allocated.

Both the PN and the PL speak of their being tolerant of the views of others yet when push comes to shove they have ensured that the electoral system squeezes out all possible alternatives to a two party Parliament.  Every voter has the right to be represented, yet 5,500 voters are being deprived of this right.

The Maltese Parliament is known as the House of Representatives. Its 69 members represent 98.2% of the electorate. The other 1.8% are represented by Alternattiva Demokratika-The Green Party which through the application of a discriminatory electoral law is being obstructed from taking up its Parliamentary seat.

published on March 15, 2013 on di-ve.com

A loan for the Nationalist Party

It is normal for a commercial company to take up a loan from a commercial bank for the purposes of its  activities.

But is a commercial company owned by a political party “a normal commercial operation”?  In my opinion it is not.

Hence the declaration that business tycoon Nazzareno Vassallo has loaned the sum of €250,000 to a media company belonging to the PN is bad news. It is an additional exercise in the financing of a major political party in Malta by a major player in local business activity.

The terms and conditons of the loan have not been disclosed.

The very existence of this loan proves, if any proof was needed, of how close the Nationalist Party is to the major players in the construction industry.

The Prime Minister and Leader of the Nationalist Party has assured one and all that this did not give rise to any sort of obligation of the Nationalist Party towards Mr Vassallo and his companies. This loan will be paid he said, and very shortly.

I do not know whether and how the loan will be paid. What I know is that public confirmation of this loan has sealed the view of many that business and politics are too close for comfort.

It was known by all that Dr Lawrence Gonzi and his PN have done a great disservice to politics in Malta by promising legislation on regulating the financing of political parties and not keeping to his word. The approval of this loan explains clearly what the Leader of the PN really thinks on the regulation of the financing of political parties.

Alternattiva Demokratika in Parliament after the March 9 elections will be submitting proposals for legislation to ensure that the finances of political parties are transparent and regulated by law.

PN and the PL Members of Parliament, in the outgoing legislature, had for their consideration a Private Member’s Bill on regulating the financing of political parties. They ignored it.

Alternattiva Demokratika will improve that draft and present it for discussion in the new Parliament.

originally published in di-ve.com on Friday March 1, 2013

Snippets from AD’s electoral manifesto: (33) Consumer rights: appointment of authority

The following extract is taken verbatim from Chapter 7 of AD’s Electoral Manifesto

The Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority should be an autonomous entity, independent from the Government, with its Board Of Directors appointed by a Parliamentary Committee, after a public call for applications..The MCCAA should put an end to monopolistic practices and Cartels, which often result in inferior products and services.

L-Estratt segwenti hu meħud kelma b’kelma mill-Kapitlu 7 tal-Manifest Elettorali ta’ Alternattiva Demokratika

L-Awtorità dwar il-Kompetizzjoni u l-Affarijiet tal-Konsumatur għandha tkun awtonoma mill-gvern, u l-bord tad-Diretturi għandu jkun maħtur minn kumitat parlamentari, wara smigħ pubbliku. Għandha twaqqaf prattiċi monopolistiċi u ‘cartels’, li kemm-il darba jwasslu għal prodotti u servizzi inferjuri.