Malta Chamber slams government’s handling of current 'standards in public life crisis'

The Malta Chamber of Commerce has slammed the poor standard of governance appealing to the political class to take note of the serious repercussions.

“Persons in public office need to be mindful of the fact that, irrespective of their right to a private life, when unethical behaviour becomes public knowledge, their position in public office becomes untenable. This is why persons in public office should strive to maintain high standards of behaviour in both their public as well as their private life,” the chamber said.

The chamber’s reaction comes after last week, author Mark Camilleri published a transcript of unredacted chats between alleged Daphne Caruana Galizia murder mastermind Yorgen Fenech and government MP Rosianne Cutajar.

The Chamber said it is disappointed at the handling of the "current crisis of standards in public life", which is allowing the country to go through "another spiral of reputational damage."

“This is extremely unfair on the many politicians and private citizens who abide by high ethical standards and continue to work hard in the best interests of the country. Reputational damage hurts international business prospects and the livelihood of many,” it said.

It said the political price of shenanigans at the highest institutions of the country is ultimately paid by the country as a whole, multiple times over. “It is high time the highest authorities of the country step up and clean up for real.”