Two very different kinds of donations

Many Maltese yesterday took part in the annual L-Istrina fundraiser – the aptly called ‘feast of generosity’ which collects money for the Malta Community Chest Fund Foundation. Much of the money collected goes towards helping sick children and other people who are truly in need. By 2pm, more than €500,000 had been collected. That is as much as political parties usually collect in donations in an entire day. By 3pm the €1 million mark had been surpassed.

L-Istrina is an event that not only unites the country, even if just for one day, but is also an event where ordinary citizens are given the opportunity to donate without expecting anything in return, save for a sense of solidarity.

In previous years, people would receive a gift in return for making a donation, but that practice was stopped and, surprisingly, donations kept increasing. This is a clear indication that many people out there are genuine and donate without expecting to be given something in return. Perhaps part of it is the thought that we might one day be the ones in need of help.

In any case, what happens in L-Istrina is

Editor’s pick

in stark contrast to what happens in the political world, where big donations are given to the political parties and the general idea is that favours are expected in return. The Malta Independent on Sunday revealed on Christmas Eve that the Labour Party last year received around €80,000 in cash donations from construction companies alone. This, when the government is constantly accused of pandering to contractors and developers, and of ruining Malta with its dream of Dubaification.

Our sister newspaper revealed, for example, how the applicants behind a fuel station on ODZ land that has recently been approved by the Planning Authority – despite the recommendations to the contrary by the head of the Environmental Resources Authority and the NGO representative on the planning board – had given a €20,000 donation to the PL in 2016.

While one cannot say that the application was approved because of that donation, people cannot be blamed for coming to such a conclusion.

While the political parties, particularly those in opposition, cannot survive without donations – a point that has been stressed many times by the party leaders – we cannot understand how the donations from commercial entities to political parties remain legal, in spite of the opportunity to ban this form of legalised bribes when debating the legislation a few years ago. Large donations from businessmen and industry leaders to both major political parties remains an accepted reality in Malta and runs the high risk of influencing the decision-making or public tender processes.

This administration ushered in the party financing law. The law prohibits donations of over €25,000 by a single person or entity in any given financial year. It also obliges political parties to publish, through the Electoral Commission, the names of - and total amount donated by - individuals whose donations have exceeded €7,000 and donations received from corporate entities. Parties are also required to keep a list of individuals who have donated between €50 and €700, even if there is under no obligation to publish this.

But while today it is all (is it?) on paper, and there is a way of connecting donations to permits or contracts, the worrisome process continues uninhibited.