Robert Musumeci’s observations on the proposed MEPA reform – part 7
Highlights
During the last years, the Director General’s Office at MEPA was set up to fulfill the function of a Chief Executive Officer. For reasons which remain unknown to date, these efforts failed to materialize and the Director General’s role was never clearly defined so much so that he never took over the post of CEO. Whilst MEPA was under the portofolio of the Prime Minister in 2008, Mr Austin Walker was appointed as executive Chairperson of the said Authority. Despite his professional background not being related to planning matters, Mr Walker has managed to carry out his role with utmost diligence, consistently striving to maintain a rational approach with all stakeholders. Against this background, the reform places considerable onus on the functions of the MEPA Chairman. In fact, it seeks to consolidate the top management framework as follows:
• MEPA is to have an Executive Chairperson on a full-time basis, pending finalization of the reform.
• MEPA is to recruit a Chief Operations Officer (COO) to manage the day-to-day running of MEPA’s operations and assist the Chairperson in the implementation of the reform. Notwithstanding that the Chairperson would maintain exclusive responsibility for the execution of this reform, the COO would assist the Chairperson throughout the reform phase, particularly with those measures that are of a more operational nature. The COO position would be transitory, developing into a CEO position over time after the conclusion of the reform process. This would permit the new CEO to have had the hindsight and participation in all of the reform process thereby permitting a sound launching pad for his mandate.
• Following the completion of the reform, the Chairperson’s executive powers are to be migrated to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) position.
• All Directorates will report to the CEO who will have the full span of control of MEPA’s operations
• The CEO shall be empowered to make decisions and manage operational problems which may arise within or among Directorates.
Robert Musumeci’s observations Given the scale of MEPA’s operations, one may safely conclude that MEPA requires a full-time non-executive Chairperson and a separate chief executive officer. Nonetheless, the reform framework makes little reference to the exact role of the non executive Chairman, which shall be distinguished from the role assumed by MEPA’s appointed CEO.
The public is certainly expecting that once the reform is implemented, the non executive Chairperson must ensure that MEPA’s way forward is consistent with Government’s vision. Nonetheless, it is important to ensure that the Chairman’s role remains a non executive one. On the other hand, the appointed CEO must ensure that appropriate co-ordination and efficiency amongst the various Directorates prevails at all times in the interest of all and sundry.
Albeit the Chairman may interfere with the Directorate’s operations in order to ensure that MEPA fulfills its core mission, it is imperative that his office must abstain from interfering in the application process. The Chairman is a voting member of the MEPA Board and has a distinguished role from that of the CEO heading the Directorate. (whose role is to make planning recommendations to the MEPA Board, which in turn are confirmed or rejected by the MEPA Board chaired by the non executive Chairman) For this reason, it is imperative that the current Executive Committee (which is an ad hoc committee represented by members from the Directorate and the MEPA Board, and which convenes in the absence of applicant to discuss applications) should be abolished with immediate effect to ensure transparency. In parallel, the non executive Chairman must ensure that he (or his representatives) refrain from any type of discussion on any planning applications with the Directorate in the absence of applicant (or his representative). In other words, the reform must ensure that any informal meetings relating to planning applications, which are currently held between the Directorate and the MEPA Chairman (or DCC Chairman) are to be abolished fortwith. Otherwise, applicants (or their representatives) shall be allowed to hold “free” discussions with MEPA members (or DCC members) in the absence of representatives from the Directorate.
Next week MEPAWATCH will focus on proposed timeframes regulating development applications
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Whilst MEPA was under the portofolio of the Prime Minister in 2008, Mr Austin Walker was appointed as executive Chairperson of the said Authority. Despite his professional background not being related to planning matters, Mr Walker has managed to carry out his role with utmost diligence, consistently striving to maintain a rational approach with all stakeholders. Against this background, the reform places considerable onus on the functions of the MEPA Chairman. In fact, it seeks to consolidate the top management framework as follows:
