Momentum praises TimesOfMalta investigation into Jobs For Votes

Momentum praises the investigative work carried out by Times of Malta in exposing once again the entrenched “jobs for votes” culture that continues to distort public administration and undermine meritocracy in Gozo and across Malta.

The reports concerning the government hiring spree in Gozo confirm what many citizens and businesses have long known: that public employment is too often abused as an electoral tool to buy loyalty and secure political advantage rather than to genuinely serve the public interest.

Momentum stresses that this phenomenon did not begin today and is not exclusive to one party. Successive administrations led by both the Labour Party and the Nationalist Party have tolerated and perpetuated a political culture where party loyalty, clientelism and political convenience frequently take precedence over competence, transparency and fairness.

This abuse has now become systemic. It punishes honest citizens who study, work hard and follow the rules, only to watch politically connected individuals leapfrog proper procedures through electoral patronage. It undermines businesses that lose workers to politically motivated recruitment drives and erodes public trust in state institutions.

A modern European democracy cannot continue functioning like a political fiefdom where governments distribute public jobs as electoral rewards. Public employment should exist to provide efficient services to citizens, not to sustain an endless cycle of dependency and partisan favouritism.

Momentum believes that meaningful reform cannot come from the same political establishment that created and benefited from this system for decades. Only a strong third-party presence in Parliament can deliver the shock the system desperately needs and finally begin dismantling Malta’s entrenched culture of patronage politics.

Carmel Asciak, Momentum candidate for the 12th and 13th districts, said: “The upcoming election presents citizens with a historic opportunity to send a clear message that Malta deserves a state based on merit, accountability and equal treatment under the law, not one where political connections determine opportunities.

Momentum remains committed to building a cleaner, fairer and more transparent political system that serves the common good rather than party interests”.

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