Ritratt: Miguela Xuereb
Momentum has called for full legal protection for whistleblowers, stronger anti-SLAPP safeguards for journalists and civil society, and an end to automatic cabinet secrecy in Malta.
On Sunday, Momentum unveiled three proposals aimed at increasing government transparency and accountability.
The party is proposing full legal immunity for individuals who report wrongdoing in good faith, arguing that fear of retaliation remains a major barrier to exposing corruption and abuse of power.
On legal intimidation, Momentum said existing EU-level anti-SLAPP rules are insufficiently embedded in Maltese law. Strategic lawsuits against public participation are being used to silence reporters and activists through the threat of ruinous legal costs, the party warned. It pledged to extend protections to domestic cases and introduce higher penalties for those who bring lawsuits designed purely to intimidate.
The third proposal targets cabinet secrecy. Currently, discussions are secret by default, even for decisions unrelated to national security. Momentum would require that all cabinet decisions be made public unless a specific, genuine national security justification applies.
“A journalist who can be sued into silence is not a free journalist. A public servant who risks their job to report wrongdoing deserves protection, not prosecution,” Pierre Schembri Wismayer, Momentum’s candidate for the 7th and 10th districts, said.
“A cabinet that keeps ordinary policy decisions hidden from the public it is supposed to serve has something to hide,” he added.
Schembri Wismayer said the three proposals share a common aim: ensuring that people can see, speak and report without fear.
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