Id-dilemma tal-Professur Edward Scicluna

Waqt il-kampanja elettorali l-kelliema tal-Partit Nazzjonalista spiss ftaħru li l-finanzi tal-pajjiż kienu fis-sod. Kellhom ċertifikat, qalulna, mill-Unjoni Ewropeja li l-iżbilanċ finanzjarju kien taħt kontroll skond ir-regoli tal-EU (Il-Patt tat-Tkabbir u Stabilita’). B’ċertifikat li l-żbilanċ finanzjarju kien taħt it-3%, kienu repetutament jgħidulna, l-pajjiż kien finanzjarjament qabad it-triq it-tajba.

It-tweġiba ta’ Alternattiva Demorkatika dejjem kienet li aħna konna nieħdu pjaċir kieku l-finanzi tal-pajjiż kienu amministrati sewwa. Imma kollox kien jindika li l-affarijiet kienu differenti milli kienu qed jgħidu l-kelliema tal-Gvern: iċ-ċifri finanzjarja għal Diċembru 2012 kienu għadhom mhux pubblikati. Kollox kien jindika li meta dawn iċ-ċifri jkunu ippubblikati l-żbilanċ ser jerġa’ jisplodi.

Rapport  dal-għodu fl-Independent on Sunday jagħtina raġuna.

F’artiklu fl-ewwel paġna intitolat : Figures show 2012 public deficit redlining at 5.4% of GDP hu ċar li s-sena 2012 kienet sena oħra disżastruża għall-amministrazzjonji finanzjarja tal-pajjiż.

Waħda mill-kionsegwenzi loġiċi ta’ din l-aħbar hi li kienet irresponsabbilta’ għal Partit Nazzjonalista (li kellu iktar minn ħjiel ta’ din l-aħbar) li jwiegħed tnaqqis fit-taxxa tad-dħul. Alternattiva Demokratika biss qalitu dan waqt il-kampanja elettorali. Għax il-Partit Laburista ukoll ma kellux il-kuraġġ li jiffaċċa ir-realta.

U xi ngħidu għall-ħafna wegħdiet elettorali li jiswew flejjes kbar? Minn fejn ġejjin il-flus? Id-deficit li reġa’ kiber (fil-fatt kważi irdoppja) jfisser li mhux tnaqqis ta’ taxxi ser ikollna! Jew żieda ta’ taxxi inkella tnaqqis fl-infieq!

Issa?

X’ser jagħmel il-Professur Edward Scicluna l-Ministru tal-Finanzi?

Għandu l-kuraġġ jgħid li kemm il-PN kif ukoll il-PL għaddew lill-votanti biż-żmien?

Bla flus …………. la tgħannaq u l-anqas tbus

L-aħbar tat-Times dal-għodu li l-Partit Nazzjonalista m’huwiex f’posizzjoni li jħallas il-pagi tal-impjegati tiegħu m’hiex aħbar tajba.

M’huwiex ċar eżattament x’ġara minħabba li Pawlu Borg Olivier, Segretarju Ġenerali tal-PN, ma weġibx il-mistoqsijiet tal-ġurnalista tat-Times billi dak li ntalab tqies bħala kummerċjalment sensittiv!

Niftakru imma li fi Frar 2013 kien hemm l-aħbar li Żaren Vassallo silef kwart ta’ miljun euro (€250,000) lill-PN. Dakinnhar kienu qalulna li dan kien arranġament kummerċjali proviżorju. Is-self kienu qalulna ser jitħallas!

Dan kollu jerġa’ jiftaħ beraħ id-diskussjoni dwar il-finanzjament tal-partiti politiċi.

Il-Bank of Vassallo ċertament li m’huwiex  is-soluzzjoni. Huwa importanti li s-saħħa tal-flus ma tibqax tkun ċentrali fil-politika. Għax dak li fil-fatt ilu jiġri għal numru kbir ta’ snin (mhux biss f’Malta).  Hemm bżonn li tkun megħluba r-resistenza li l-PN kellu għal trasparenza fil-finanzjament tal-politka. Għal xi żmien anke’ l-Partit Laburista kellu din ir-resistenza, sakemm hu ukoll beda jiffaċċja d-diffikultajiet.

Alternattiva Demokratika fil-programm elettorali tal-aħħar elezzjoni kienet ċara, kif kienet f’kull elezzjoni ġenerali.

Il-posizzjoni illum suppost li hi committment min-naħa tal-Partit Laburista li waħda mill-ewwel liġijiet li ser jitressqu fil-Parlament li ser jiltaqa’ bħal-lum ġimgħa ser tkun dik dwar il-finanzjament tal-partiti politiċi.

Nistennew u naraw.

A position of trust

Government has just announced that it has appointed 14 Permanent Secretaries. Three of the appointees have already served under the previous administration. The others are new to the post.

Within twenty four hours from Labour’s election to office, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat announced the appointment of a designate Head of the Civil Service. In line with Lawrence Gonzi’s appointments the said designate Head of the Civil Service was also appointed simultaneously as Principle Permanent Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister and Secretary to the Cabinet.

Within hours rumours announced that all Permanent Secretaries had been requested to submit their resignations which, it was stated, were necessary and in line with normal practice in a democratic society.

It  was not however stated that the real issue with the post of Permanent Secretary is that it is a position of trust. All those appointed were so appointed because the previous administration considered that they could be trusted. Knowing some if not most of the appointees I can say that the trust demonstrated by the previous administration in the appointment of its Permanent Secretaries was most probably based on a cocktail of considerations.  Their administrative abilities undoubtedly featured prominently on the list. There were undoubtedly other issues. Given the sensitivity of the posts I have no doubt that political loyalty was given some weight in the appointments made. In some cases more than others.

The posts of Permanent Secretaries are not the only posts which the Gonzi administration considered as positions of trust.  I remember clearly the reports drawn up by former MEPA Audit Officer on the appointment of the Director for Environment Protection at MEPA and MEPA’s  CEO without issuing a call for applications. The MEPA Audit Officer had then argued that there was no need to consider such posts as positions of trust meriting direct appointment. Subjecting them to a public competition through an open call for applications would have been fair and proper.

A number of public corporations and authorities have appointed their senior management, primarily CEOs, through either an open call or else through a direct appointment. In view of the fact that the Public Administration Act has not been brought into force there is no enforceable rule to ensure a clear demarcation line as to which posts in the wider civil service are to be deemed as positions of trust and which not.

It is logical for persons appointed to positions of trust to make way when those who appointed them are no longer in authority. But then in a micro-state as Malta, where each and every one of us is known to one and all, it is in my view essential that the positions in the wider civil service which are deemed to be “positions of trust” are to be the minimum possible number.  It does not make sense to have a large number of such posts.

Unfortunately this matter has never been discussed. What is government’s position on the matter?

It is about time that all the cards are on the table.

PN : iż-żerriegħa tat-telfa

It-telfa elettorali tal-PN nhar id-9 ta’ Marzu ma ġietx f’daqqa. Ilha hemm. Is-sinjali ilhom jidhru għal min ried jarahom.

Dawn is-sinjali ġew injorati sforz l-arroganza li matul dawn l-aħħar snin kienet il-mutur ewlieni tat-tmexxija tal-PN.

F’Marzu 2008 l-PN ingħata warning meta rebaħ l-elezzjoni bi sbrixx: bi ftit inqas minn 1600. Dak il-warning il-PN ma tax każ tiegħi. Minflok ma daħal f’qoxortu l-PN immexxi minn Lawrence Gonzi żied id-doża tal-arroganza tiegħu.

F’Marzu 2008 l-PN seta jibda l-proċess biex jitnaddaf. Biex isewwi l-ħsara. Iżda minflok baqa’ għaddej bħal bulldowzer minn fuq kulħadd.

Jiena irreżenjajt mill-PN f’Jannar 2008. M’għandi l-ebda dispjaċir. Dakinnhar  u fil-ġimghat ta’ wara l-PN seta janalizza x’ġara u kieku ried kellu l-għodda biex isib ir-rimedji. Mhux bil-paroli iżda bil-fatti. Billi jwarrab l-arroganza. Minflok iżda, żied id-doża.

Minflok flimkien kollox possibli l-PN għażel triq oħra. Triq li jqis lil kull min ried inaddaf u jsewwi bħala għadu.  Mill-mument li għażel dik it-triq it-tkaxkira kienet inevitabbli.

Tibdil fil-Kostituzzjoni u l-ħatra ta’ Franco Debono

 

L-inkarigu ta’ Franco Debono biex jieħu ħsieb il-konvenzjoni Kostituzzjonali li tista’ twassal għall-hekk imsejħa Tieni Repubblika fl-opinjoni tiegħi hi deċiżjoni żbaljata.

Fil-programm elettorali tiegħu il-Partit Laburista ġustament jgħid li t-tibdil kostituzzjonali meħtieġ għandna naslu għalih wara diskussjoni li fiha tkun involuta is-soċjeta’ ċivili. Is-soċjeta’ ċivili kellha tkun involuta anke’ fl-għażla tal-persuna bl-inkargu li tipprepara din il-konvenzjoni. Taqbel jew ma taqbilx miegħu Franco Debono hu persuna diviżiva u m’huwiex fil-fehma tiegħi l-persuna addattata għal din il-biċċa xogħol delikata.

Partijiet kbar mill-Kostituzzjoni jeħtieġu maġġoranza ta’ żewġ terzi biex jinbidlu. Jiġifieri għall-parti l-kbira tal-Kostituzzjoni ma jistax ikun hemm tibdil jekk ma jkunx hemm kunsens. Il-kunsens tista’ tasal għalih bħala riżultat ta’ diskussjoni serena li fiha kull min ikun involut iħossu liberu li jesprimi l-veduti tiegħu.

Hemm diversi partijiet delikati tal-Kostituzzjoni li jeħtieġu li jkunu mibdula, imħassra jew aġġornati għaż-żminijiet tal-lum. Għalhekk hu neċessarju li l-proċess kollu tal-konvenzjoni jkun wieħed li kull persuna involuta jkollha fiduċja fih.

Naħseb li bl-inkarigu ta’ Franco Debono l-proċess tal-konvenzjoni kostituzzjonali beda ħażin.

 

Following the footsteps of Austin Gatt

The Labour Party in Government has appointed Mr James Piscopo, until a few days ago Chief Executive Officer of the Labour Party, as the new Chief Executive Officer of Transport Malta. He replaces Dr Stanley Portelli who in his turn was also handpicked for the post of CEO of Transport Malta by former Transport Minister Austin Gatt.

There is no general rule which determines the manner in which Chief Executives of public corporations are appointed. Some were handpicked, others were selected on the basis of a selection process. In most cases there is the overriding rule in specific legislation that the final decision has to be confirmed by the Minister in office.

At the end of the day it is a matter of policy. Will merit rule the day or will top posts be filled on the basis of the political criterion of being considered as a position of trust?

The PN in government used both methods. During the electoral campaign which ended a few days ago Labour emphasized that it will act on the basis of merit.

It seems that we are back to where we started.  Labour is now following in the footsteps of Austin Gatt.

Bidla li tħalli kollox l-istess

Hi loġika li l-ewwel teżamina bir-reqqa l-andament tal-elezzjoni ġenerali u wara li tali eżami jkun konkluż ikun hemm diskussjoni. Fid-diskussjoni, jekk issir bis-serjeta’, jkunu identifikati mhux biss l-iżbalji imma ukoll min kien responsabbli għalihom.

Jekk il-PN kapaċi jagħraf l-iżbalji li għamel kif ukoll min kien responsabbli għalihom ikun imbagħad f’posizzjoni li jagħżel lil min imexxih fis-snin li ġejjin. Għażla li jekk issir sewwa twarrab mhux biss lil min għamel l-iżbalji iżda ukoll lil dawk kollha li ma kienux kapaċi jaqdu dmirhom u flok ma fetħu ħalqhom ippreferew jinċensaw.

Imma fil-PN mhux hekk isiru l-affarijiet.  L-ewwel ser jagħżlu l-Kap il-ġdid. Wara jiddiskutu rapport li janalizza l-elezzjoni.

Verament li aktar ma l-affarijiet jinbidlu, iktar huwa ċar li jibqgħu l-istess.

Ministru hands-on !

L-Ministru tas-Saħħa t-Tabib Godfrey Farrugia għandu uffiċċju fl-Isptar Mater Dei, ħdejn l-emergenza. Iħoss il-ħtieġa li jkun hemm viċin biex ikun jista’ jevalwa l-problemi.

X’inhu xogħol il-Minstru?  It-Tabib Farrugia jidher li jaħseb li xogħolu hu ta’ Manager li mexxi “day to day”. Mhux l-ewwel wieħed li ħasibha hekk. F’pajjiż żgħir bħal tagħna nifhem li l-politku, billi ħafna drabi bhu f’kuntatt dirett man-nies iħoss l-obbligu “politiku” li jintervjeni b’mod li jidher biex ikun jista’ jagħti sodisfazzjon immedjat lill-votant.

Imma allura x’inhi l-funzjoni tal-Management tal-isptar? Għax jekk il-Ministru jħoss il-ħtieġa li jkun viċin il-problema l-konklużjoni loġika hi li l-management jew qiegħed hemm għal xejn inkella mhux jagħmel xogħolu kif meħtieġ! Jiġifieri iktar minn kamra għall-Ministru hemm bżonn li kulħadd jerfa’ r-responsabbiltajiet tiegħu.

Ir-rwol tal-Ministru m’hiex ta’ sehem dirett fit-tmexxija tad-Dipartimenti li għalihom hu responsabbli. L-anqas ma hi sorveljanza diretta tal-ħidmiet diversi fil-Ministeru tiegħu. Hi li jagħti direzzjoni politika u li joħloq l-istrutturi neċessarji biex ikun possibli li l-politika tal-Gvern tal-ġurnata titwettaq.

M’għandix dubju mill-intenzjonijiet tajba tal-Ministru Godfrey Farrugia. Imma anke Austin Gatt kien Ministru hands-on! ir-riżultati ta’ Gatt nafu bihom ilkoll.

X’fehem Michael Gonzi?

Michael Gonzi fehem eżattament x’ġara. Hekk ta’ l-inqas qalilna fil-blogpost tieghu intitolat Analysis of Defeat bid-data tas-16 ta’ Marzu 2013.

Il-PN, jgħidilna Michael Gonzi f’din il-blogpost, tilef l-elezzjoni għax il-votanti kellhom l-impressjoni li l-Gvern kien inkompetenti (“The perception of an incompetent government.”)

Michael jgħidilna li l-votanti injoraw il-ġid kbir li għamel ħuħ Lawrence u iddeċidew a bażi ta’  affarijiet żgħar (the micro-elements).

Naħseb li Michael qed jgħix f’dinja oħra għax kieku kien jirrifletti ftit fuq il-kliem tad-deheb “Flimkien kollox possibli” forsi jifhem ftit li dak il-“flimkien” ma fisser xejn matul il-ħames snin li għaddew.

Nissuggerixxi lil Michael Gonzi biex jaqra ftit artiklu miktub minn Simon Busuttil fit-Times ta’ Malta tat-12 ta’ Marzu 2008 bit-titlu All together now.

B’idu fuq il-kuxjenza Michael jista’ jipprova jiżen ftit u jgħarbel. L-aħħar sentenza tal-artiklu ta’ Busuttil tgħid kollox: “We are one country, one nation and one family. And the onus lies on the winners to make sure there are no losers. To reach out and rope people in.”

Jidher li Michael għadu ma fehem xejn!

A Voice for 5,500 votes

The Green Vote in last week’s general elections increased by 45% over the 2008 polls. Alternattiva Demokratika candidates polled a total of 5,506 votes: a 1.8% share of the national vote.  But these voters have no voice in the newly elected Parliament.

We have heard during the past days of the constitutional mechanisms which restore proportionality in Parliament between votes cast in the general election and the parliamentary strength of the political parties. Malta’s electoral system guarantees proportionality but only for the Nationalist Party and the Labour Party.  Our parliamentary democracy must be based on fairness, and the current state of affairs is anything but fair.

The fact that 5,500 voters chose to be represented by Alternattiva Demokratika is a bold political statement. Every voter has the right to be represented. That is what representative democracy is about. It is useless to emphasise that we should all work together and simultaneously ignore such a statement. The voice of these 5,500 Maltese citizens should be heard loud and clear. They are subject to the same duties and responsibilities as the other voters who are represented. They are subject to the same laws and pay the same taxes.

It is a basic principle of parliamentary democracy that there should be no taxation without representation. This constitutional principle was forcefully made 800 years ago in the Magna Carta  in 1215 when the British monarchy was forced to relinquish part of its absolute powers laying the foundations for the formation of the mother of democratic Parliaments at Westminister. This constitutional principle signifies that Parliament derives its moral and legal authority from its being representative. Being representative gives Parliament its moral authority to legislate. Our Parliament is in fact aptly called the House of Representatives.

AD voters demand that their right to be represented is respected.  This respect can only be manifested if their choices made on the 9th March 2013 are translated into effective representation in the House of Representatives. The House as presently constituted does not represent the 5,500 AD voters as none of the MPs elected are authorised to speak on their behalf.

Throughout the years Parliament has discussed electoral reform many a time. It has tweaked the system through the introduction of constitutional amendments in 1987, 1996 and 2007. The electoral system is certainly much better today than it was in 1981. The amendments then were required but they only addressed the interests of major political parties and their voters. The interests of voters opting for democratic change outside the two party system was conveniently ignored.

The constant message sent by the PN and the PL that change is only possible through the two large parties has been constantly rejected by a small but significant number of voters. We speak of democratic change as ultimately accepting the will of the majority. This however does not include the suffocation of minorities irrespective of their size. But this is what has been done throughout the years.

In Malta’s political history there was a time when both the PN and the PL were small in size and almost insignificant.

The Labour Party was represented in Malta’s Parliament by one solitary MP, Sir Paul Boffa, in the pre-war years. It was a political party organised outside and in opposition to the two-party system. It prevailed throughout the years and proved the power of the ballot to defy the two party system.

Likewise the Nationalist Party was small and insignificant in the post-war years when the Labour Party under the leadership of Sir Paul Boffa achieved the largest electoral landslide (59%) ever registered by a political party in Malta. Yet it was possible for the PN to rise once more from being a party of insignificant size to a major political force.

In view of the above the declarations of Labour MP Evarist Bartolo that AD’s 5,500 voters should be represented in Parliament in a truly democratic system is welcome. Evarist Bartolo has been consistent in his position as he made similar statements in 2008. Unfortunately then, Parliament’s Select Committee entrusted with considering constitutional changes to reinforce democratic governance did not function.

Alternattiva Demokratika also welcomes the statements made by the Prime Minister Joseph Muscat that the matter should be addressed.

The changes to the electoral system also require the support of the Nationalist Party which has not expressed itself on the matter, even though a number of its electoral candidates have already expressed their support publicly.

It is time to stand up and be counted. AD has always been available to cooperate and present its proposals as it has done continuously. But voters also demand that AD be respected and its electoral strength duly represented in Parliament. To date those voting AD have had their voice suffocated. We await government’s reactions which will hopefully indicate that it really believes that the will of all voters is respected.

originally published in The Times of Malta on Saturday 16 March 2013