|
Reforming a nation with the population of an English county or middle European city is no easy task.
We are what we are. Islanders with no sense of proportion.
Most local politicians have not quite realised how ridiculously small and irrelevant we are. I cannot blame Maltese politicians for being dumber than dumb; with the likes of Kerry, Bush and Berlusconi, there is not much to look up to. And when it comes to repeating untruths, the character references of ‘weapons of mass destruction’ Blair and ‘corrupt ridden’ Chirac can only serve to illustrate why our locally bred stuff is so violently untruthful.
And yet, we manage in our biggie best way to reconfirm our mediocrity in a style that is uniquely Maltese.
This is a small country and yet, for every little institution, government company or office, one has to encounter a board, a commission and a Chairman. As one good friend told me, we are still living the legacy of Mintoff.
Instead of making government smaller, government is becoming bigger and bigger.
Nine out of ten the individuals appointed to these positions are political appointees with little or no experience or qualifications in these fields. Their credentials and qualities are very simple. They have offered their allegiance at some point in their short lifetime to the party in government. They waved the flag, they clapped at party functions and barked when ordered to bark.
The level of political patronage in Malta (Gozo is unbearably worse) is so horrendous that one can only lose track of the changes.
We are not talking of small financial contributions and funding for the chairmen and boards, but of very handsome sums. There are so many people in these positions who owe a big thank you to the party in government, that when the time comes they will all be found salivating and so excited that election time turns out to be a killing for the janissaries.
The economic advantage crowned on this pack of bending over backwards acolytes is not only unfair but wrong.
It does not stop here, the choice of the lawyers and the consultants appointed to the various bodies is striking for being so lopsided in favour of a grouping that is intrinsically of one colour hue.
Now, anyone reading through this column would have realised that I have avoided mentioning which political party activists are getting the best deal. To do so, would unleash the wrath of the Olive brigade.
Dealing with political patronage is still a taboo subject.
In other words what is happening to my taxes, your taxes, is not my business.
I leave it to the imagination of our readers as to who are the people that are having it good.
The situation has become unbelievable discriminatory. There are no rules to choose consultants and there is no transparency when it comes to divulging the names of the consultants.
Okay, folks, before being accused of envy by the Olive brigade, it is important to underline the other economic gifts awarded to the blue-eyed boys.
Mansions and glass covered private buildings that harbour the commissions and chairmen appointed to control, monitor and arguably manage the bodies they rule over, are selected instead of the hundreds of vacant government dwellings which could do with some new life.
Just take your pick: the Foundation for Medical Services, Communications Authority, WasteServ, the Tax Compliance Unit, Malta Resources Authority, Foundation for Tomorrow’s Schools and a long list of others with offices in luxuriously rented out blocks.
Not to mention the other extravagances related to authorities that operate out of Malta. WasteServ should extend its brief on trash and start working to halt the waste of public funds.
The Prime Minister is hell bent on saving our coffers from disappearing altogether.
To do this, he must first and foremost get down to ground zero.
Ground zero is making government smaller, and smaller means making cutting down all the overlap and silly duplications that exist.
Let us come to terms with our size. RCC still believes size is of no consequence. In this case size counts.
This idea of having a commission and body to overlook another committee or a chief executive is not only banal but a ploy to create unnecessary public expenditure.
It is sad, but the leader of the Opposition is correct. There are far too many authorities in this country.
Dear Giovanna
I cannot prove it but I can smell it. Not all is well in the Island of Gozo. You are simply not providing for transparent governance. I cannot stand hearing more about your overwhelming presence on the Island.
It would be brutally sad to believe that the Ministry of Gozo is serving more as a constituency office for you than ensuring government policy making in Gozo.
And since we are on the topic I would like so start off by asking you a pertinent question:
Dear Giovanna,
How many people have been awarded early retirement (boarded out) in Gozo from government service and how many of those boarded out have knocked on your door to ask for some understanding?
And just another supplementary question,
How many times have you intervened with the Malta Environment and Planning Authority and fellow ministers regarding building projects in Gozo over the last 13 months?
|
