editorial


Cartoon Today: Transparency, transparency and more transparency

THE RESTRAINED furore over the Secret Service’s tapping spree, is a breath of fresh air. It could be louder but then we are in the middle of August, are we not?

While the pro-government media sits back and paints a heaven on earth picture of Malta and the Maltese, we are faced with a serious threat to the pillars of our young democracy.
What we have here is a very unsustainable Secret Service.

What is so outrageous is that when MaltaToday questioned the Home Affairs Minister for comments over covert operations regarding break-ins into the private homes of individuals, he simply refused to answer.

Is this acceptable?

In those countries where the press set their own agenda and do not follow someone else’s, a ‘no comment’ is taken as an answer.

The least Home Affairs Minister, Tonio Borg could have done, is shoot down our story, by stating that what we are saying is hogwash.

We are facing a case study here - a columnist from a rival newspaper has stated that the sooner we know the truth, the better.

To know the truth, one must have someone to communicate with.

If the Secret Service, headed by Commissioner George Grech does not have any perimeter wall to keep it from stampeding over the integrity and dignity of each and every citizen, then, with all due respect, we are literally sailing into sewage-infested waters.

This kind of scenario beckons us to query what is best, a government that promises transparent government and no Europe or a government that promises no transparency and Europe?

The Government should not take things to the limit.

The Government cannot continue to believe it can get away with murder simply because the Labour opposition has little direction or is wrong in its assessments.

And little does this Government realise that if it comes to push and shove the Electorate could easily opt for a change.

The Secret Service Act should be revoked and the powers vested to the Commissioner of Police removed at once, unless an accountable and responsible framework is set up to run this Secret Service.

Secret investigations, carried out by police departments related to vice, economic fraud and crime can still follow – but they should do so, after the direct intervention of a court order.

This is the issue, and we feel very strongly that such measures, not only threaten democracy but also freedom.

The other media must act now; they must cut their umbilical chords, linking them to a political faction or body. This is a matter of integrity, and national importance and if Dr Tonio Borg believes that he can look the other way as we ponder ways of standing up for John Citizen, he is wrong.

This editorial is only a taste of things to come.