Enthusiasm at times bogged down by bureaucracy – PM
Inexperienced government made procedural errors, PM says
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said yesterday that the shortcomings highlighted by the Auditor General on the Café Premier bailout and the fuel hedging procedures that involved Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi were due to inexperience.
Speaking on the second anniversary of Labour’s election win, Dr Muscat said that the government’s enthusiasm to work and implement reform is often bogged down by bureaucracy.
Asked whether the government can hide behind its inexperience, given the civil service is there to provide continuity between governments and one of the first acts of the Labour government was to ask the permanent secretaries to resign, Dr Muscat said:
“It is a valid point, I am not going to make excuses. The point I am trying to make is there is a lack of experience in the interface between politicians and the civil service as a whole.
“Let me be an open book. I think there are two issues. Firstly, the government has such a thirst to take action, that sometimes we see the civil service as being excessively bureaucratic. It feels like a weight at times, but the civil service is there for a reason. The Auditor General tells us that certain procedures should have been adhered to.
“We still have to strike an adequate balance between procedures and our rush and desire to take action, and the fact that civil service procedures need to be updated.
“The civil service has to update itself to the realities of today’s world. In a world of information technology and social media, you have a civil service that is paperbased. On a daily basis I spend 45 minutes signing papers.
“A rethinking of the systems is under way. The rethinking is not only for today’s government. This is a rethinking which is needed for future generations....”
Most of the issues flagged in the Auditor General’s two reports are down to procedural shortcomings and not about the actual decisions taken, he said.
Asked if he will resign if the June 2016 completion date for the gasfired station is not respected, Dr Muscat said his pre-election pledge to reduce energy tariffs has been respected.
The problem with the government’s fuel hedging agreement with the Azeri state company was that one transaction was not documented, he said. Dr Muscat said that Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi personally encouraged the Azeri company to enter into a hedging agreement, as a result of which petrol prices fell by two cents.
Dr Muscat said he would be “worried” had the hedging agreement not been minuted by the fuel procurement committee.
The Prime Minister said there is a “trend” in these shortcomings in that they show a lack of proce- dural experience by the government.
He accused the Opposition leader of not taking action against former Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono, whose husband allegedly used government funds for private work, a claim that has been denied by Mrs Debono.
Dr Muscat said Dr Simon Busuttil took five seconds to decide to suspend former ministers Ninu Zammit and Michael Falzon following the Swiss Leaks report in The Malta Independent, but is still to take action on Mrs Debono.
On healthcare, Dr Muscat said the government had taken care of two pressing problems, namely that of out-of-stock medicines and waiting lists.
The Prime Minister said there are structural problems delaying the government tackling the issue of patients being treated in corridors.
He mentioned the structural problem at the emergency department due to weak concrete, which hampered the government’s effort to expand space at Mater Dei.
“The population paid for something and was given an inferior product. The government is analysing its options to provide more space for patients. I believe the private sector can be brought in...
Decisions will be taken soon, we will not shy away from taking the most courageous decision if need be.”
The best is yet to come Muscat
Speaking about his government’s track record over the past two years, Dr Muscat said the new government has exceeded people’s expectations.
The government inherited a stagnant economy which has since been turned around, and businesses are optimistic about the future, the PM said.
The government has also introduced a myriad of social changes particularly with the introduction of civil unions. He augured that the Opposition will cooperate when it comes to the gender identity bill currently being discussed in Parliament.
He said the government’s cash-for-passports scheme has turned into a success, and prospective Maltese citizens are investing in the economy and creating jobs.
On pension reform, Dr Muscat said the government has two redlines, namely raising the pension age and introducing obligatory private pensions.
The government is not suffering from reform fatigue, and the best is yet to come, he stated.