Alfred Sant: Karatteristiċi fl-operat tal-Parlament Ewropew jipprovokaw il-korruzzjoni

Fl-intervent tiegħu fil-plenarja tal-Parlament Ewropew fi Strasburgu dwar l-iskandlu ta’ korruzzjoni li ħalla impatt negattiv fuq is-sisien tal-Parlament, il-Kap tad-Delegazzjoni tal-Partit Laburista fil-Grupp Soċjalista u Demokratiku (S&D) Alfred Sant iddikjara li l-kriżi qamet “mhux sempliċiment għax kienet ipprovokata minn barra… Qamet ukoll għaliex oġġettivament, karatteristiċi fl-operat tal-Parlament Ewropew jistiednu tali provokazzjoni, u jsibu rispons fost xi wħud minna”.

L-eks Prim Ministru Sant stqarr li d-deċiżjonijiet tal-Parlament Ewropew, speċjalment dwar ir-riżorsi umani, jidhru li jittieħdu bil-moħbi minn fazzjonijiet ta’ politiċi. Kelliema li jokkupaw pożizzjoni għolja fil-Parlament Ewropew igawdu minn kuntratti u konsulenzi esterni mhux ikkontrollati. Għadd kbir ta’ Membri Parlamentari Ewropej ma jirreġistrawx il-kuntatti u l-laqgħat li jagħmlu ma’ ‘lobbyists’ jew entitajiet b’interess f’leġiżlazzjoni li għaddejja. Barra minn hekk, il-Parlament espanda d-diskussjoni tiegħu għal oqsma barra mill-kompetenza tiegħu u jagħti ġudizzju fuq pajjiżi barranin li għandu impatt fuq l-opinjoni pubblika tan-nazzjonijiet u l-klassifikazzjoni tal-aġenziji ta’ kreditu.

L-eks Viċi President tal-Parlament Ewropew u membru tal-Parlament tas-S&D Eva Kaili inżammet taħt arrest fi Brussell akkużata b’korruzzjoni f’isem u mill-istat tal-Qatar. Akkużi simili qed isiru fil-konfront ta’ eks MPE tas-S&D u diversi assistenti parlamentari.

Sant wissa li ma kinux biss ir-reġimi awtoritarji li kellhom inċentiv li jinfluwenzaw lill-Parlament Ewropew, iżda wkoll stati demokratiċi u fuq kollox, korporazzjonijiet.

Id-dibattitu dwar l-iskandlu tal-Korruzzjoni tal-Qatar fil-plenarja kien segwit minn votazzjoni fuq riżoluzzjoni konġunta tal-partit li tikkundanna l-episodju kollu.

L-Ewroparlamentari Laburista Sant spjega li ma vvotax fuq l-emendi differenti mehmuża ma’ din ir-riżoluzzjoni, iżda biss għat-test kollu kemm hu, biex juri biċ-ċar “l-istmerija u l-kundanna lejn il-fatti li ħarġu”. Madanakollu, huwa għamilha ċara wkoll li għalkemm qabel li l-kwistjoni teħtieġ reazzjoni urġenti mill-Parlament Ewropew, ir-riżoluzzjoni li ġiet ippreżentata ma kinitx dik li kien hemm bżonn.

“Din tippreġudika x’jistgħu jkunu l-kwistjonijiet reali; tillimitahom kompletament; u sservi biex tipproġetta l-fehma li l-Parlament jinsab taħt attakk estern, aktar milli tirrikonoxxi li d-difetti tiegħu stess saru fatali”, huwa sostna. It-test jipproġetta l-idea li xorta l-affarijiet se jkomplu għaddejjin kif kienu għaddejjin qabel, fil-fehma tiegħu.

“Għandna bżonn pjan ta’ riforma ħolistika, stabbilit indipendentement mill-kabali li jmexxu l-amministrazzjoni tal-Parlament…Dan ma jistax jiġi pprovdut internament, iżda jrid isir minn referee minn barra, rikonoxxut minn kulħadd, biex jipprovdi ħarsa profonda dwar x’għandu jsir kemm jista’ jkun malajr”, temm jgħid Sant.

Alfred Sant: Features in the European Parliament‘s operations provoke opportunities for corruption

In his intervention to the plenary of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on the corruption scandal that has shaken the Parliament to its roots, the Head of the Labour Party Delegation at the Socialist and Democratic Group (S&D) Alfred Sant declared that the crisis arose “not just because it was provoked from the outside… It also arises because objectively, features in our operations invite such provocation, and find response among some of us”.

Former Prime Minister Sant stated that the European Parliament decisions, especially on personnel, seem to be taken by cabals. Top spokespersons for the European Parliament enjoy unchecked, outside contracts and consultancies. A huge number of MEPs do not bother to record the contacts and meetings they carry out with lobbyists or entities with an interest in on-going legislation. Also, the Parliament has expanded its discussion to areas outside its competence and delivers judgement on foreign countries which impact on the public opinion of nations and the rating of credit agencies.

Former European Parliament Vice President and S&D member of the Parliament Eva Kaili has been kept under arrest in Brussels accused of corruption on behalf of and by the state of Qatar. Similar accusations are being made against a former S&D MEP and several parliamentary assistants.

Sant warned that it was not just authoritarian regimes that had an incentive to influence the European Parliament by undue pressures, but equally democratic states and most of all, corporations.

The debate on the Qatar Corruption scandal in the plenary was followed by a vote on a joint party resolution condemning the whole episode.

Labour MEP Sant explained he did not vote on the different amendments attached to this resolution, but only for the text as a whole, just to make clear his “disgust and condemnation of the facts at issue”. However, he also made it clear that though he agreed the matter required an urgent reaction from the European Parliament, the resolution being presented was not what was needed.

“It prejudges what the real issues might be; implicitly limits them; and serves to project the view that the Parliament is under external attack, rather than that its own flaws have become deadly”, he claimed. The text projected the idea that it will still be business as usual, in his view.

“We need a holistic gameplan of reform, established independently of the cabals that run the Parliament’s administration…That cannot be provided in-house, but has to be done by an outside, universally honoured referee bound in double quick time, to provide a deep assessment of what should be done,” Sant concluded.