Employer organisations demand systematic clean-up of all structures and offices that were implicated in facilitating corruption, crime

The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, the Malta Employers Association, GRTU – Malta Chamber of SMEs and the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association present Charter for Good Governance to President of Malta.

Malta’s leading representatives of the private sector have joined forces and presented the President with a Charter for Good Governance on Monday, on occasion of Republic Day.

The organisations called upon the President of Malta, to endorse their Charter in the exercise of his leadership of the country and his guardianship of the Constitution.

The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, the Malta Employers Association, the General Retailers and Traders Union and the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association come together “to stand up for what is right and just, and to advocate a way forward to restore stability and confidence in citizens and businesses”.

The organisations congratulated the President for the firm stance he took during his speech on Republic Day. They said that his speech mirrored their opinions closely especially when he referred to Malta being much greater than the small gang of people who were making the news.

The organisations reiterated their “outright and unequivocal condemnation of all corrupt practices and criminal activities driven by people close to power and money, as well as any attempts to delay or obstruct justice, mitigate criminal liability and negate political responsibility on the part of politicians and political appointees who are directly or indirectly implicated”.

“It is truly appalling that those in positions of power abuse of their power to promote, facilitate and conspire in criminal activity, and do so under the guise of being pro-business,” they said in the charter.

The employer bodies stated that justice needed to be served and be seen to be served for the reputation of the county to be restored.

“All allegations must hence be thoroughly investigated without fear or favour, and without hesitation or delay, and any person found guilty of any corrupt and criminal practice must be made to return any monies due to the national coffers without impunity,” they noted.

The Employer bodies therefore demanded a systematic clean-up of all structures and offices that were implicated in facilitating corruption, whether actively or through their inaction. They also advocated a thorough review of all public procurement contracts that had been negotiated by implicated persons, to ensure that the national interest is safeguarded.

“The Employer Bodies hereby reaffirm their unremitting belief in the three main pillars of good governance, (1) Accountability, (2) Transparency and (3) The Rule of Law. They hence commit to providing their active input and support to the reforms that must be undertaken to ensure that these three pillars are restored and upheld in the future Malta” the organisations declared.

“The Employer Bodies, therefore, seek adoption of this Charter as a first step towards ensuring that Malta is truly committed to the transparent, ethical and professional standards required to rise above the current predicament and more forward with confidence, to restore stability and the country’s reputation” they concluded.