A saga ‘not well handled’ at all

This week’s talk of the town centred on Sai Mizzi Liang’s generous remuneration package worth €13,000 a month. This months-long saga had a number of facets that evidently were badly mishandled.

1. First and foremost, had Mrs Mizzi Liang not happened to be the wife of the current Energy Minister, would she have been employed as a trade envoy? This is a fine example of how the meritocracy pledge has been doomed even before this Cabinet was sworn in.

Not only has this government failed to keep its promise of doing away with appointing people based not on their political affiliation but on their skills and abilities – it has in fact done the exact opposite. It has appointed the closest of relatives of a high-ranking member of the executive. This appointment is in itself an antithesis of what Muscat stood for during the last general election campaign.

2. Mrs Mizzi’ Liang’s duties are commensurate with a Malta Enterprise trade envoy. Such duties are certainly distinct from and less comprehensive than those associated with an ambassadorial post. It is for this reason that previous trade envoys were never granted salaries and perks attributed to ambassadorial posts. This begs the question: had Mrs Mizzi Liang not been a minister’s immediate relative, would a Labour government grant her ambassadorial benefits? The answer is also a definite no.

But now that Mrs Mizzi Liang has been granted such benefits, she is entitled to a residence and a chauffeur-driven car at her service, whenever and wherever she pleases. She is also entitled to almost €9,000 to “settle in” her country of employment, which happens to be her own home country! And we must pay for the transportation of her belongings, of course! An ambassador is also entitled to free travel, including their family; an insurance policy; hospitality costs; pocket money for outfits and free education for children; among other perks. All this adds up to €13,000 - fourfold of what has been claimed by this government.

In its damage control stunt, the government published the contracts of previous and current ambassadors: Christopher Grima, Francis Tabone, George Cassar, Godwin Montanaro, Joseph Cassar, Joe Zammit Tabona, Noel Buttigieg Scicluna, Richard Muscat, Victor Camilleri and Walter Balzan. Apart from the fact that I have much respect for every one of them, having spent four years as a political coordinator to then Foreign Minister Tonio Borg, I am aware of the situations our representatives are confronted with from time to time and the responsibilities they shoulder round the clock.

The point here is, however, that Mrs Mizzi Liang’s duties are not commensurate with those of an ambassadorial role and likewise, she should have never been granted ambassadorial perks. As such, publishing all these contracts is truly irrelevant to the issue at stake and a disservice to all our men and women out there serving in our name.

3. But now that Mrs Mizzi Liang enjoys such generous perks paid out of public funds, can Joseph Muscat tell us what she has delivered of value till this day to the benefit of the people of this nation? Is it not reasonable to ask for tangible results from an employee who is so highly paid through taxpayer money? Not one single result in foreign direct investment or the like has been forthcoming. This is another reason why the matter has “not been handled well” at all.

4. In resisting publishing Mrs Mizzi Liang’s contract, the government has spurred further speculation. The opposition has been criticising the government for breaking yet another electoral promise, that of being transparent. The Mizzi Liang saga is another fine example of a party in government that has trampled over what the majority voted for. This government is in complete darkness and secrecy. I surely would have not objected had the Prime Minister forked this generous contribution out of his own pocket money. This is, however, taxpayer money and this so-called transparent government has no right whatsoever to keep such things secret for months, just as if this was a communist state.

5. In comments to the media, Mrs Mizzi Liang stated that any person with a normal IQ would never believe she gets €13,000 monthly. The sooner this government and its representatives realise that the majority of the electorate are not stupid, the better. Irrespective of the government’s substantial majority, it has no right in abusing of taxpayers’ money for the benefit of the inner few.

Ultimately, this country is bogged down with two ambassadors for China. That is an expense we can do without. Now that Mrs Mizzi Liang’s contract has been published (only because the government was forced to and not because it wanted to), the opposition has been proved right. In this situation, the government will now probably turn on the opposition to call us negative once again.

Anybody striving for transparency, meritocracy, honesty and accountability cannot possibly be labelled negative. How ironic for the government to threaten the opposition with ‘negative’ labels when it promised us all that it would be a promoter of these values. While the Prime Minister must shoulder political responsibility for this state of affairs, it is we who will have to shoulder the financial burden for his mistakes.

Ryan Callus is Opposition spokesperson for planning and simplification