Overlapping of duties

Recently I read with interest a Malta Independent editorial describing the current cabinet as having overlapping duties.

TThe Maltese people know this, which is why they have elected a Labour Government again and again

he Independent’s argument is that a large cabinet leads to an overlap of duties – perhaps a somewhat reasonable comment. I would argue, however, that a large cabinet allows for more specialization by the Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries in question, allowing for a more efficient system of government. I believe that this is one of the reasons why this government has been widely successful when it comes to domestic policies.

However, it is not my intention to go into this today. Rather than that, it is my intention to point out the irony in the Malta Independent’s editorial. Actually Parliament reeks of overlapping duties, and not, as was pointed out, the Cabinet.

The reek comes from the opposition benches, where a number of Nationalist Party MPs are acting in dual roles. Firstly they sit in Parliament, making political speeches and enjoying parliamentary privileges, and secondly they are lawyers acting in cases which are by nature quite political. Just by their presence they definitely exert influence, let alone when in the political arena these same MPs and lawyers criticise some members of the judiciary when they do not agree with their judgements. This is intentionally done, and it is definitely ironic that this was not pointed out by any section of the media when discussing “overlapping of duties”.

It is also quite ironic that this is considered to be the standard in Malta, by those who at the same time like to argue for more reforms when it comes to the rule of law. To make matters worse, those who jump at every moment possible by reporting cases to the Standards Commissioner, have not yet reported one opposition Member of Parliament in relation to the abovementioned. And therefore, it becomes very difficult to state that the rule of law and standards are what we truly have at heart, when we attack only one side for somewhat puerile reasons.

For some, it seems as if one scale is applicable for the Government, while another scale is applicable for the Opposition. While the Opposition does as it pleases, some feel that the Government should keep the highest standards – not the highest standards in Malta, but the highest standards in the globe. This is nothing but an insult to the intelligence of the Maltese people.

Laws, rules, ethics and scrutiny should have universal and not relative application. The Maltese people know this, which is why they have elected a Labour Government again and again. And I’ll be honest in saying what everyone already knows: that another major reason why the Labour Party is more credible is not only the fact that we’re very good when it comes to policy, but also the fact that the Nationalist Party is both arrogant and elitist.

People hate double standards, and that is what the current Opposition is promoting. In their eyes, while corruption committed under Labour is bad, corruption committed under the Nationalist Party should be excused and forgotten. What is the reason behind this, one might ask?

It is my suspicion that the forces at hand are busy at work protecting decades’ old political and economic interests. Sure, it is very convenient to attack “new money” that might be challenging the old business establishment. Yet we have not seen any attacks on established forces, and it is very difficult not to conclude that this has been the case because the said established forces are more sympathetic towards the Nationalist Party.