Parlament full-time?

Il-bieraħ ħadt sehem f’diskussjoni qasira fuq TVam flimkien mal-Psikjatra Joe Cassar (PN) u l-Avukatessa Deborah Schembri (PL).

Id-diskussjoni kienet dwar il-proposta ta’ Alternattiva Demokratika li l-Parlament għandu jaħdem fuq bażi full-time mhux bħal ma jaħdem il-lum, part-time.

Hemm ħafna xogħol li l-Parlament jeħtieġ li jagħmlu u ma jagħmlux għax ħin m’għandux.

Il-ħidma tal-Gvern ftit li xejn issir sorveljanza tagħha fid-dettall mistħoqq. Dak li għaddej fl-Unjoni Ewropeja ma jiġix mgħarbel kif meħtieġ. Dan minkejja li l-Parlament ta’ stat membru illum il-ġurnata bħala riżultat tat-trattat ta’ Liżbona għandu rwol importanti fil-proċess leġislattiv Ewropew.

Il-Parlament u l-Parlamentari għandhom bżonn lil min jassistihom fir-riċerka. Qasam injorat għal snin twal.

Kont sorpriż iżda bl-argument li dwaru qablu Joe Cassar u Deborah Schembri dwar li jista’ jkollok Parlament full-time imma l-Parlamentari mhux bil-fors ikunu full-timers. Jiġifieri dawn iridu sistema li tippermetti li uħud mill-Membri tal-Parlament jagħżlu li jkunu full-timers u lil oħrajn li jagħżlu li ma jkunux u dan minħabba li l-professjoni jew xogħol ieħor tagħhom jokkupalhom iktar ħin. Din hi l-attitudni li tirreżisti l-ħtieġa li kull Membru Parlamentari jagħti l-ħin kollu għall-Parlament għax sfortunatament għad hawn min irid li jibqa’ jkollu sieq waħda fuq naħa u s-sieq l-oħra fuq in-naħa oħra.

Għad għadna Membri Parlamentari li jippreferu jagħtu l-attenzjoni prinċipali tagħhom lill-professjoni. Jeħtieġ li issir għażla għax il-prattika tal-professjoni u l-ħidma parlamentari huma żewġ responsabbiltajiet li faċilment jikkonfliġġu u jistgħu joħolqu konflitt ta’ interess.

Nifhem l-attitudni, għax din ġejja minn persuni li uħud minnhom għadhom m’humiex konvinti l-anqas dwar il-ħtieġa li l-Ministri u s-Segretarji Parlamentari  għandhom jieqfu mill-prattika tal-professjoni tagħhom.

Ir-rappreżentanti tal-PN u l-PL donnu li jridu jħallu f’idejn il-Membri Parlamentari individwali biex jiddeċiedu huma dwar jekk ikunux membri full-time jew part-time. Iridu li jkollna kemm Membri Parlamentari tal-ewwel diviżjoni (full-time) kif ukoll dawk tat-tieni diviżjoni (part-time). Fi ftit kliem iridu jibqgħu jipprattikaw il-professjoni u fl-istess ħin jippruvaw jaqdu r-responsabbiltajiet Parlamentari.

L-esperjenza sal-lum uriet li Parlament part-time hu Parlament dgħajjef. Parlament part-time hu Parlament li jabdika r-responsabbiltajiet tiegħu f’idejn il-Gvern tal-ġurnata.

Huwa billi jkollna Parlament li jagħmel xogħolu kollu li l-pajjiż jista’ jimxi l-quddiem. L-ogħla istituzzjoni tal-pajjiż ma tistax tibqa’ tiffunzjona fuq bażi part-time.

Dan hu l-pass li jmiss għall-Parlament. Parlament iktar b’saħħtu jfisser demokrazija iktar b’saħħitha.

The Foreign Minister & the Ministerial Code of Ethics

Dr George Vella, Foreign Minister, in reply to Ivan Camilleri on today’s Times of Malta makes a valid point as to why, after being appointed a Cabinet Minister, he needs a transition period relative to the practicing of his profession as a medical doctor.

Ivan Camilleri describes Dr Vella as being “angry” at what he perceived as a “witch-hunt” in respect of members of the Cabinet still practising their profession.

Dr Vella has in fact repeated what former Health Minister Dr Joseph Cassar stated last week that in respect of patients who have been under his care for a number of years it would be extremely insensitive for him to withdraw abruptly from caring for them until they have had adequate time for them to identify an alternative professional who could take over their care.

This could easily have been solved by an immediate amendment to the Ministerial Code of Ethics through considering the possibility of utilising a suitable and reasonable transition period at the end of which medical doctors who are also members of Cabinet would be expected to cease practicing their profession altogether.

Establishment of such a transition period and subject to the medical doctor not being remunerated would have been a very reasonable  solution to the current impasse.

It however leaves unaddressed the general problem of Members of Parliament who still consider their parliamentary duties as being of a part-time nature. AD considers that it is high time that this issue is also addressed.

Parliament, AD states in its March 2013 electoral manifesto, should become a professional institution made up of full-time parliamentarians. This would assist MPs in fullfilling their Parliamentary duties much better than they are at present and could also possibly lead to Parliament functioning in a more family-friendly manner. [a very valid point made recently by new Labour MP Deborah Schembri]

An added benefit of a Parliament made up of full-time Members of Parliament would mean that by the time an MP (who is also a professional) is appointed as a Minister or Parliamentary Secretary he would have been weaned off his private practice. He/she would be used to it and so would his/her patients.