In her weekly opinion (MaltaToday Midweek 30/01/2008) Ms Pamela Hansen dedicated a whole column of her contribution to the national conference on health and safety organised by the GWU on Friday 25 January 2008. In her contribution under the sub-head ‘Back to endings’ she not only criticised the outcome of the conference but the GWU itself for, according to her, the Union has taken so long to come up with the proposal for the setting up of the ad hoc committee to seek ways and means to halt further fatal and serious work place accidents.
While the GWU acknowledges the right and duty of any journalist/columnist to make comments and criticise were necessary, on the other hand the GWU feels that it was unfair on the part of Ms Hansen to turn a positive initiative as the national conference on health and safety was, into an attack on the GWU and the GWU only while other stakeholders were exonorated from their responsibility.
Ms Hansen may be unaware that the GWU has for long been persistently asking the government to strengthen the Health and Safety Authority by providing it with the necessary funding and adequate staff. It is also worth informing Ms Hansen that it was on the GWU’s isistence that the Hon Minister Dr Louis Galea, during a recent meeting with the Union declared that the Health and Safety Authority inspectors will be doubled, from 7 to 14.
The GWU also proposed for the situation of health and safety in Malta to be discussed by the social partners at the highest levels possible not least within the MCESD.
Ms Hansen should know that the GWU had to search for funds to organise the national conference as the government’s doors for financial support were all closed. As a matter of fact when the Union asked Minister Dr Galea to promote and organise the conference himself the said Minister’s reaction was none other than that his duty was to legislate in Parliament and not to organise conferences.
Ms Hansen, being a well read columnist, would have done a greater service to workers if she came up with innovative proposals or at least penned her insistence for the government to legislate effectively to prevent further accidents at the places of work. Instead, Ms Hansen found it easier to criticise the GWU and its conference. It seems therefore that it is easier to criticise and pass negative remarks rather than to join forces in initiatives aimed at saving workers’ lives.

Charles Vella
Media & Information Executive
General Workers Union

I am constantly astounded by the arrogance of most of our political leaders. This is glaringly evident in the top political echelon of our poor country… starting by our Prime Minister with his persistent cynical and sarcastic smile of the ‘big brother’, a ‘non plus ultra’. Moreover, however pitifully, this attitude is permeating throughout the whole governing body. It appears that they have lost all ability to listen, see and reason and that they have been caught in the old adage that ‘power corrupts’.
Why is it that allegations of corruption and of other murky situations are simply being laughed at by our Prime Minister? Incredible lies are routinely passed as truth and the genuine responsibility of government as we once knew it is simply disintegrating. Don’t we, poor voters, deserve better treatment? He should have, since long ago, taken the bull by the horns and had them properly, seriously and independently investigated if he had really wanted to attain and retain the people’s confidence and trust. The ignoring of allegations and accusations of scandals involving Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries, Heads of Corporations and other public officers, a never-ending list, seems to be this government’s birthright. Is it any prerogative of the government to ignore these in the face of constant broadsides aimed at the country’s administration? Or is it gross insolence towards the Maltese electorate who once placed them there? But evidently, he never cared and is simply foreboding that if, unfortunately, the Nationalist Party is re-elected, we simply would be having more of the same!
Politicians, especially those who have been in office for a considerable long-time following re-elections, tend to become arrogant.  Not all, but with politicians who remain past their sell-by date, arrogance appears to be the rule rather than the exception. When they reach this level of comfort within their office, they tend to make decisions and take steps upon what is in their best interest without considering the effect that their decisions have on the voters who put them there. They grow aloof from their constituents and have neither the time nor the inclination to consider how what they do impacts on the lives of those whom they represent. 
‘Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.’ There seems to be something inherent in the holding of power that goes to people’s heads. The resulting misrule seems especially conspicuous for those leaders who were installed in power via the electoral process, in spite of the fact that we assume that elected leaders would be less likely to abuse the power at their command and more accessible to ordinary citizens.
In most cases, they are supported by their henchmen, who they themselves had appointed to high offices.  Any citizen unrest and reaction is countered by a new scheme to twist and turn the issue to deceive the public. The political opposition to this arrogance is rare and few. Rather than creating a need to protect ourselves from such government haughtiness, it seems that our response has been one of mindless complacency, an almost ‘do whatever you want’ attitude. Where are the voices of dissent and protest? Where is everybody? Are we so morally lazy, uninterested, distracted, overworked and burdened with debt that we do not even have enough energy to claim what is rightfully ours and sacrosanct to us all – an honest accountability of our governance? It seems that we are not only gutless, but most likely complicit!
We must hold all elected officials accountable. They represent you and me, not their inner circles. We must question the waste, the patronage! Public officials may ignore public concern at their peril.  People power will definitely finally triumph!
Blinded by arrogance and hubris, the Prime Minister isn’t even trusting his own political team but is spinning the PN electoral campaign around his personal ego! Are the PN candidates so timid as to stand so stupidly silent on this manoeuvre? Is it diffidence on their part or are they waiting in earnest to see him going over the cliff?
There’s an old Indian saying: “When you grow, grow like rice, for as rice grows, it bends forward; do not grow like grass, for as grass grows, it grows straight.” The essence is that humility is the key to development.
If I have learned anything, it is the fact that ‘pride always comes before the fall’. “When a man is wrapped up in himself  he makes a pretty small package.” – John Ruskin

Joseph M. Cachia
Vittoriosa

I refer to the a bill presented by Joe Brincat MP on removing prescription on corruption. The article states: “The law carries a prescription of five years in cases of corruption, meaning a person accused of corruption has to be brought to justice within five years of being indicted for the crime”.
I am no law expert but I believe that prescription is actually suspended the moment a person is charged with a crime and thus the above statement does not make sense because once a person is accused before the criminal court, the law of prescription cases to be applicable. Thus, the criminal action cannot be extinguished once court proceedings are instituted.
 
Clayton Fenech
Via email

Reference is made to your editorial entitled ‘None of your business (interests)’ as well as to the report entitled ‘Sant hits out at lack of good governance’ both published in MaltaToday Midweek on Wednesday 6 February 2008.
It is absolutely untrue that the firm Sant & Mugliett is involved in some way or another in the supervision of the Manwel Dimech Bridge project. Contrary to Alfred Sant’s allegations Sant & Mugliett has nothing to do with the Manwel Dimech Bridge project.
The project is supervised by a joint venture made up of the German company König, Heunisch und Partner and Design and Technical Resources Ltd (MT). The actual construction works are being carried out by another different joint venture.
Minister Mugliett is in no way connected to either the joint ventures mentioned or to Design and Technical Resources Ltd. itself. Furthermore Design and Technical Resources Ltd. is totally distinct from Sant & Mugliett which was only set up to acquire ownership of the premises from which it was operating (unlike the involvement of Labour MPs with particular contractors who secretly accompanied a Labour delegation on an official trip to Dubai).
Having said this, Minister Mugliett followed and adhered to the Code of Ethics for Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries (Clause G.45), the same Code of Ethics which the Labour Ministers in Alfred Sant’s Cabinet had to follow and adhere to between 1996 and 1998.
Minister Mugliett acted in accordance with the provisions of this Code of Ethics and hence he does not have any conflict of interest as alleged by the MLP and implied by your paper.
It’s pertinent to remind that Labour Leader Alfred Sant refused to meet the ADT with regards to the Manwel Dimech Bridge project, while his Deputy Leader Charles Mangion (as PAC Chairman) did not accept Minister Mugliett’s call for the PAC to request the Auditor General to investigate the allegations made by Leader of Opposition. This proves that the Labour Leader knows pretty well his allegations are false.
It is evident that it is very convenient for the MLP to continue with its mud-throwing throughout the electoral campaign. Such a deceptive campaign by the MLP, who is aspiring to get elected in Government again, shows a great lack of respect towards the electorate.”

Cleavon Vella
Communications Coordinator
Ministry for Urban Development and Roads

It is so obvious that he PN’s strategists together with Dr Gonzi, have decided to avoid having ministers accompanying Dr Gonzi in his meetings with constituted bodies, during his Sunday morning speeches at PN clubs, on the electoral campaign billboards, on newspaper adverts. And even during the PN’s first activity of the electoral campaign – the mass rally – where Dr Gonzi was surrounded by youths wearing a T-Shirt with this slogan GONZIPN! Why?
Dr Gonzi knows quite well that a good number of his ministers and parliamentary secretaries have not performed as they should have. Indeed, stories of very dubious nature concerning the great majority of voters that sleaze and downright corruption had taken hold of the present administration.
Dr Gonzi is aware that there has been a constant call for a reshuffle of his Cabinet coming even from quarters which traditionally support the PN. But instead of heeding their genuine advice, Dr Gonzi ignored them and instead came out claiming that ‘all his ministers were doing an excellent job.’
If that was truly the case, today, on the eve of the general election, Dr Gonzi would have been parading his ministers and parliamentary secretaries with pride instead of hiding them away from the public gaze!

Eddy Privitera
Mosta

MaltaToday would like to clarify that Mr Thomas Woods has never been charged with accepting any bribes by the Police, but only investigating by officers. This is to say that Mr Woods is not facing or being tried on such charges. Any inconvenience created is deeply regretted.