ADPD-The Green Party is ready to call for an abrogative referendum to annul any laws that aid and abet abuse in the public sector, should the Prime Minister consider laws to protect abuse and their enablers in the said sector ADPD-The Green Party Chairperson Sandra Gauci said Saturday while addressing a news conference in front of Parliament together with Greens’ Secretary General Ralph Cassar.
Cassar referred to what the Prime Minister Robert Abela said during a political event last Sunday, during which he said that he wants to change the law such that public officials who abuse their position of power would not be criminally liable in their personal capacity.
“It now seems that Robert Abela is waving goodbye to accountability and good governance. The reason for such an announcement is obvious. It is because of calls for the investigation into numerous allegations of public officials in various Ministries, following inaction by the Police. There are Permanent Secretaries and other public officials that are currently being investigated for alleged criminal misconduct or for closing a blind eye to alleged criminal acts that they were duty-bound to prevent.”
“Some of these investigations have been concluded. The facts are known. There are other ongoing investigations. If there is no misconduct, there is no need for protection, because the courts already provide the necessary protection at law.”
“However when the alleged abuse is proven, it means that Robert Abela is keen to defend criminal acts in the public sector. Robert Abela shamefully wants to encourage and cover up criminality in the public sector. We still do not know what the changes to the law are exactly since these have not been published yet. All we know is what Abela said during a political event in Corradino last Sunday.”
For her part, Gauci said “We must stand up to abuse of public office. Abuse of public office is the abuse of democracy. It is true that the Police are also tasked with investigating any suspicion of abuse and lawbreaking. However, the Police are often inactive in such cases. The law grants every one of us the right to bring to the attention of Magistrates any suspicion of abuse to be investigated.”
“What Abela has said poses a threat to this right. Abela wants the Police to remain inactive and allow any abuse to go unhindered. Moreover, he wants any criminal abuse in the public sector to be ignored. This is not acceptable in a democratic society. Any abuse, wherever it occurs, is harmful and can never be considered of benefit to the national interest, whatever Abela says. The country cannot move forward where there is abuse in the public sector, but only when the law is respected, always and without exception. Abela is essentially proposing doing away with accountability and good governance.”
“We at ADPD-The Green Party are ready to use the means available to call for an abrogative referendum by which we can annul any laws that encourage criminal misconduct by public officials, if this is what the Prime Minister is planning to do.”
“I have no doubt”, continued Gauci, “that there are others who are of the same opinion. We are ready to cooperate with those who would like to work with us in the fight for accountability and good governance.”
“Accountability is everybody’s responsibility. Every single individual in authority is responsible for their own actions. Accountability is not only for politicians. We must be ready to fight abuse in the public sector,” concluded Gauci.
