Momentum proposes parliamentary committee to investigate scandals

Momentum called for parliamentary committees to investigate scandals modelled on those established by the European Parliament, referring to the previous controversies namely the hospitals deal, the passport scheme, and the disability certificates affair. 

The party insisted that Malta lacks the parliamentary machine to arrive at the truth, and pledged to create ad hoc committees with real powers to summon witnesses and demand documents.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Momentum explained that MPs juggle multiple jobs, commutes lack the power to investigate properly, and the Standards Commissioner and Ombudsman can be ignored with impunity.

“The result is a Parliament that rubber-stamps decisions instead of scrutinising them,” they said. “Both the PL and the PN benefit from this weakness, and neither of them has any interest in fixing it.”

Momentum claimed that the government simply ignores recommendations made by the Standards Commissioner and Ombudsman, whose findings are treated as suggestions rather than rulings.

The party claimed that this makes a mockery of the system of accountability, asserting that Momentum will strive to give these institutions real power and the adequate resources needed to hold authorities to account.

Momentum also proposed that MPs should be employed on a full-time basis instead of juggling multiple jobs and threatening conflict-of-interest rules. They added that parliamentary salaries are far below what is needed to attract serious talent, leading the gap to be filled by side deals that corrode public trust.

The party pledged to make parliament a full-time role with professional-level pay, paired with stronger rules on conflicts of interest. 

“This is a system designed to look democratic without actually being accountable,” Momentum Leader Arnold Cassola said. “Momentum in Parliament will fix the structure, not just the symptoms.”