Maltese citizens see corruption as widespread and tied to politics, Repubblika says

Repubblika called attention to the latest Eurobarometer survey which found that corruption remains a serious concern for Maltese citizens, with an overwhelming majority of respondents saying they believe corruption is widespread in the country.

The survey elaborated that many citizens believe that the close links between business and politics contribute directly to corruption while four out of five respondents saying they believe that high-level corruption cases are not investigated and brought to justice according to the law. 

Many respondents also said they hesitate to report corruption, either out of fear of retaliation or because they have lost faith that any action will be taken, with almost half believing that it affects their daily life.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Repubblika highlighted that Maltese citizens have come to associate corruption with politics, public institutions, public procurement processes, and planning decisions. 

“The Eurobarometer findings should therefore be understood not only as a warning about corruption, but also as a warning about confidence in Malta’s democratic institutions and, ultimately, in democracy itself,” it said.

The NGO cautioned that the survey should serve as a warning to Malta’s political class, noting that the findings were published only days after an election campaign in which corruption was absent from the national conversation.

“Corruption does not disappear because politicians stop talking about it,” Repubblika said. “A culture of impunity is not created solely by acts of corruption, it is also created when corruption is ignored, excused or treated as inevitable.”

Repubblika said that this silence evidently does not represent the public’s views, pointing out that citizens continue to express concern about the influence that powerful private interests exert on public life while doubting that those responsible for serious abuses are genuinely held accountable

The NGO further said political parties rely entirely on private funding and lobbying interests, while citizens have only limited visibility over the private interests behind candidates and election campaigns.

It urged all political parties to seriously reflect on who finances political activity and what influence those lobbyists may exercise, warning that this creates a risk that parties may avoid confronting harmful practices that benefit private interests because they depend on their funding to survive.

Repubblika underlined that it has spent years raising alarms about the weakness caused by the lack of transparency in political party funding, noting that it had presented political parties with a programme of proposals to strengthen Malta’s democratic institutions before the general election.

The proposals included  stronger protection for whistleblowers, greater transparency in public procurement, regulation of lobbying and influence over public decision-making, more effective safeguards against conflicts of interest, and more independent and effective enforcement of anti-corruption laws.

“The survey shows that these reforms remain urgent and necessary. Political parties have a responsibility to demonstrate that they are prepared to confront corruption, even when doing so is politically inconvenient,” Repubblika concluded.