Voluntary organisations constitute an important pillar of democracy and civil society. When this sector was officially regulated in 2007 following Malta’s EU accession, many voluntary organisations welcomed this reform to gain formal recognition and thus be able to be more effective in fundraising, pro-jects, initiatives and other operations, as well as to be able to benefit from state and EU funding.
At the same time some expressed concern that the institutionalisation of voluntary organisations may lead to over-dependence on the government at the expense of independence. However, the general feeling among many NGOs was that it was better to enrol, thus showing trust in Malta’s democratic checks and balances. Currently 1,300 organisations are enrolled with the Commission.
Fast forward 12 years and civil society has a vivid and visible role in Maltese society. At the same time, however, the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations faces challenges that need to be addressed.
The Commission needs more resources in terms of staff and funds to be able to act more effectively in assisting and monitoring NGOs.
In addition, the Commission itself needs to have more authority to fulfil its role.
For example, outgoing Commissioner Kenneth Wain had unsuccessfully criticised the Ministry for Gozo’s disregard of the law in its funding to organisations, which were not properly enrolled or compliant with legislation.
More recently, current Commissioner Anthony Abela Medici unsuccessfully appealed to a bank not to put disproportionate burdens on such organisations.
Even more telling is the recent report by the National Audit Office which states that the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations is unable to ascertain how much money is being raised by NGOs or how it is being used. This has possible risks in relation to money laundering and tax evasion – something which had already been highlighted by Kenneth Wain during his tenure.
The NAO said that it is not possible to know how many non-registered organisations exist, even though legislative changes introduced last November oblige all of them to enrol. Besides, due diligence cannot properly take place unless the Office of the Commissioner is properly equipped to do so.
Hence the current situation is one where some front organisations may be operating beyond their intended aims. At the same time however, one should keep in mind that many organisations have genuine aims. These vary from the large professionalised NGOs to the smaller groups which are more fluid in their activities.
The Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations should be properly equipped to perform his role as a facilitator of civil society. Democracy is all the richer when voluntary organisations flourish.
Question Time - Times of Malta - April 6 2019
