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The Prime Minister’s former communications man will earn a compound Lm18,000 for his position as executive director at the National Euro Changeover Committee, where he will serve for the coming three years.
Alan Camilleri’s contract was tabled in Parliament earlier this week. His contract, which starts from January 2006, will earn him a salary of Lm12,320 and will be topped up by a performance incentive bonus of up to 15 per cent (Lm1,848). He will also be paid Lm100 every month in the form of a disturbance allowance, and an additional Lm1,000 for the second and third years of his contract. He will also receive a Lm2,400 car allowance and free telephone facilities.
Camilleri is responsible for the NECC’s operations to ensure a smooth transition from the Maltese currency to the Euro until January 2009. It is a likely scenario that the PM’s former PRO could be theoretically answerable to a Labour prime minister by that time.
Camilleri had been Lawrence Gonzi’s communications coordinator since he was social policy minister. Last November he successfully planned the Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting as logistics director.
Camilleri’s role as a media person has however invited condemnation from the Institute of Journalists, after MaltaToday revealed an e-mail he had sent to the editor of The Malta Independent on Sunday deriding a journalist for asking questions about government’s financial advisors.
“Mr Camilleri’s attitude in the journalist’s regard when he was exercising his right and duty to ask questions of public interest that related to a matter of current controversy is not justified, and does not help journalists in their work.”
Camilleri was even criticised by the chairperson of the Housing Authority, Marisa Micallef, who wrote that “when the PM of a country is far, far more polite and less arrogant to anyone and everyone than his PRO, you know something is wrong.”
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