In reply to the GSD’s recent statement, the Government says it will “continue to lead on these issues and to deliver more transparency and more accountability than ever before in our history”.

A statement from the Government follows below:

The Government notes the statement from the GSD on the GSLP Liberal Government's ongoing reforms to deliver more transparency and provide more robust anti corruption structures in public life. 

The GSLP Liberal Government is embarked on a deep reform of standards in Public Life. 

We have already created a ministry, long before Mr Azopardi's recent statements on this, specifically dedicated to this area of policy. 

As a result, we will soon be able to boast that we are the first and only party in our political history that has published a Bill for an Anti Corruption Act. 

We can already boast that we published the first Ministerial Code in our history and are committed to codes for all public servants and ALL parliamentarians. 

We brought more openness to tender awards and to the Development & Planning Commission process than the GSD wanted as they OPPOSED our busting open the secret DPC meetings. 

The GSD never did this when they could and actively voted against our reform of the DPC. 

Mr Azopardi himself has said we should not have an Anti CorruptionAuthority and has flip-flopped in opposing the GSD on this whilst in the PDP and now leading the GSD in the contrary direction. 

His u-turns will leave by-standers with vertigo at his approach. 

Mr Azopardi's position is clearly to say one thing whilst he was in government, another when leading an unelected opposition party outside Parliament and now taking another,third position as the Leader of the Opposition. 

It is blatantly clear, therefore, that Mr Azopardi's problem is that he has been found out in his attempt to use these important reform issues like a football for his narrow political gain, in his obsession with an early election. 

He has refused our offer of a cross party consensus. 

The Government will therefore continue to lead on these issues and to deliver more transparency and more accountability than ever before in our history, and continue to trailblaze in this area of policy ahead of the next general election, not due until next year.