Voluntary Organisations Commissioner calls for transparency and accountability

In his overview published in the 2011 annual report, the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations, Kenneth Wain, registered his objection to government's extension of benefits to non-registered Church organisations.

Wain, an ethics professor, described the saga as a "sore point" and explained that this extension was covered legally by blanket exemptions that "did not specify the reason, in each case, for such an exemption."

The commissioner added that he has consistently registered his written protest with government "and will continue to do so, equally consistently" as long as the Voluntary Organisations Act remains unchanged.

The Office of the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations was set up by the Voluntary Organisations Act 2007 with the task to strengthen the voluntary sector through various initiatives with the specific aim of promoting the work of Voluntary Organisations as well as encouraging their role as partners with the government in various initiatives.

Wain pointed out in detail a number of amendments to the act he put forward to the government. Among the amendments proposed by his office, Wain cited a clear separation of the commissioner from the The Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector and the equal treatment of Church organisations.

In his resolute overview, Wain added, "my protests have usually been met with silence or with a bare note of acknowledgment."

He explained that the Church-State negotiations are now over and expressed his hope that through the amendments proposed by his office the church organisations enrol themselves to the office of the commissioner.

As for the government, Wain said that he expects the amended law to be applied strictly and consistently over the whole voluntary sector. He added that should bring "this unhappy state of affairs to a close" and open a new era for the act by achieving the respectability it badly lacks with the sector.

Following the Church's instructions to its voluntary organisations not to enrol with Wain's office, Church authorities and the government had entered into negotiations on the conditions of their enrolment. Wain had been calling for equal treatment since the beginning of his tenure. 

Wain also pointed out that compulsory enrolment should be introduced and added that schemes such as the secondment of public officers to organisations and the Good Causes Fund should be administered "transparently" and respect the parameters of accountability as stipulated by the act.

He also called for all information regarding the organisations that is not protected by the Data Protection Act, including the annual accounts and administrative reports to be open to public scrutiny.

In his concluding remarks, Wain also explained that his calls for the engagement of more stuff members within his office to assist him in the administration of the office have fallen on deaf ears.