MGRM Urges For State Transparency On EuroPride 2023 Budget & Expenditure
The Malta Gay Rights Movement, as well as a number of other LGBTIQ NGOs, is urging the government to be transparent on the involvement, budget, and expenditure of EuroPride 2023 while blasting the state for using it to “show off its progressive agenda”.
“We urge the government to be transparent about its expenditure, which we estimate to be far above the €2,500,000 allocated, for EuroPride,” the NGOs wrote in an official statement.
The organisations stated that decision-making, communications, budget allocation, and direction were unclear from an early stage, raising serious concerns and resulting in several meetings with Parliamentary Secretary Rebecca Buttigieg and Head of Secretariat Carmen Sammut.
The officials assured that the community would be supported completely and that there would be transparency in decision-making as well as a summary of the budget breakdown.
“Initially, our concerns were put to rest and we left satisfied that there was some clarity. Unfortunately, this did not last long and our concerns emerged again as planning and logistics began to get underway.”
They claimed that in the months leading up to EuroPride various activists and organisations were concerned about disorganisation, pinkwashing, the government’s role in the series of events, accountability, transparency of decisions, and the money “being spent on extravagant activities while NGOs were pushed to reduce their activity expenses mere weeks before the start of EuroPride”.
They expressed these fears to the Consultative Council and the Secretariat on “more than one occasion” between April and September, while also requesting a basic budget break.
However, despite alleged assurances, the budget breakdown was not received before the start of EuroPride and still has not been received by the members of the LGBTIQ Consultative Council.
“Pride should put the community at the forefront, not primarily be a platform for the government to show off their progressive agenda while members of our community still face marginalisation, discrimination or violence.”
“It should be the community leading pride, not the government. Without transparent information and clear communication, trust within the community is at risk, and thus the involvement of government in future Prides is questionable.”
The statement was signed by:
MGRM – Malta LGBTIQ Rights Movement
LGBTI+ Gozo
aditus foundation
Moviment Graffitti
Drachma LGBTI+ & Drachma Parents
Allied Rainbow Communities
Checkpoint Malta.
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