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Government’s manoeuvring on the university council ahead of the election for rector has irked academics who are decrying the loss of the institution’s autonomy.
Deans, lecturers and heads of department who spoke to MaltaToday spoke of a “return to Mintoffian imposition” in the block nomination of Juanito Camilleri for rector by all government appointees on the university council.
His nomination was preceded in late January by a clean sweep on the university council of all the government appointees except three members who were reappointed: Godfrey Grima, Angela Callus and Paul Attard.
“We immediately smelled a rat when government changed its representatives on the council, as the rector’s election day was drawing nearer,” a non-government representative on the council said. “But we never expected it to be so crass.”
By Tuesday, the government’s plan fell into place: All its 13 representatives had nominated the highly respected 39-year-old chief executive of Melita Cable and former Go Mobile CEO, as contender for the election of university rector, just days after all the 10 deans had called on incumbent Rector Roger Ellul Micallef to submit his nomination for a third term at the helm of university.
Assuming that all those who nominated Camilleri will vote for him, they will be faced by another 12 votes of members on the council, excluding the incumbent rector himself, if any election is held at all.
Members elected on the council say Ellul Micallef, who could not be reached for comments, was still undecided towards the end of the week even though his colleagues kept encouraging him to contest despite what seemed like a foregone conclusion.
Describing it as “a coup”, one professor said it was important Ellul Micallef contested.
“This manoeuvring by the government was so ‘in-your-face’ it takes us back to Mintoff’s times of imposition on university,” the academic said. “It goes to show how autonomous the university is from the government.”
The letter sent by the deans from all the university faculties to Ellul Micallef earlier this year urging him to stand for re-election carries more of a moral authority than elective power.
The 10 deans are the only academic people in office at university to be directly elected from their peers in faculty elections, although only two of them sit on the university council that elects the rector: Dominic Fenech of the Faculty of Arts and Ian Refalo of the Faculty of Laws. On the other hand, government’s representatives are directly appointed by Lawrence Gonzi, and one by education minister Louis Galea, the same minister who appointed Camilleri on the new National Commission on Higher Education in the first week of February. Another member, Mgr Annetto Depasquale, is appointed by the Curia. Only council members can nominate candidates for the rectorship.
Sources said the deans appealed to Ellul Micallef to stand again in a bid to pre-empt the government. In fact, the council was informed of the letter shortly after the new government representatives were appointed, making it clear that the heads of faculties wanted Ellul Micallef re-elected as a statement against government intervention.
“The government bench was informed of the deans’ full backing for Ellul Micallef even before they came up with their name,” a council member said. “Their response was like carpet bombing, leaving no doubt as to who was government’s choice.”
With the 13 signatures, Camilleri’s election looks like a foregone conclusion although it may still not turn out to be a landslide victory if the other members are on the deans’ side.
If he contests – and close colleagues of Ellul Micallef say he is likely to submit his nomination on closing day coming Wednesday – the incumbent’s votes might expose a clear rift between academics and the government, not so much because they are against Camilleri but as an assertion of autonomy.
Camilleri, who got only 186 votes in the 1998 general election, says he was only approached by council members to contest the rector’s election about two weeks ago.
“I don’t consider my election a foregone conclusion,” he told MaltaToday.
He seems oblivious about the government’s manoeuvring.
“Frankly this has happened so quickly over the last days,” he said. “But you cannot really imply that I’m the government’s choice. Council members appointed by the government act in their personal capacities and they’re all people of quite some standing.”
Apart from the reappointed three members, the prime minister’s appointments are: Alan Caruana, Joseph W Izzo, Frank Mifsud, Bernie Mizzi, Charles Sciberras, David Spiteri Gingell, Joseph N. Tabone and Winston V. Zahra.
Considered a relative outsider to university, Camilleri is an IT specialist and associate professor with six years experience heading the state-owned mobile telephony company, Go Mobile since its inception, steering it to an extraordinary 50 per cent market penetration in competition with Vodafone.
Last September, he moved to Melita Cable as CEO.
“It would be very oversimplistic to say that the only contribution I can give to university is in IT,” Camilleri said, reacting to reports explaining government’s backing for him ahead of the SmartCity@Malta project launch.
“University also needs to boost the humanities, because it is through them that we can make Malta more culturally sophisticated and that would also benefit tourism. I can understand academia because I was a researcher and a lecturer for around eight years, and I can use my experience in industry to build a good bridge between the academic and the real world. Ultimately it’s up to the council members to decide and I wish Ellul Micallef all the best if he’s their choice.”
On the other hand, Ellul Micallef climbed the university ladder after working as a medical consultant and lecturer in hospitals and universities abroad. Five years ago, he was uncontested but in 1996 he defeated philosopher Kenneth Wain at the ballot with 22 out of 23 votes to become Peter Serracino Inglott’s successor, after having served as pro-Rector since 1991.
kschembri@mediatoday.com.mt
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