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18 maltatoday EXECUTIVE EDITOR Matthew Vella MANAGING EDITOR Saviour Balzan Letters to the Editor, MaltaToday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt Letters must be concise, no pen names accepted, include full name and address maltatoday | SUNDAY • 16 DECEMBER 2018 17 December 2008 Mayhem in appointment and payment of ministry consultants THE annual report by the National Audit Office has found an increase in ad hoc con- sultants and advisors appointed with various ministers, without being backed up by proper contracts. The report was presented to parliament on Monday evening, and is a yearly rundown of accounting procedures and auditory checks on the government's set-up. According to the report, in 2007 there were 43 consultants employed on a part-time basis with 11 ministries. The report found five out of 11 ministries had failed to forward replies to the Auditor- General's questionnaire and contracts in re- spect of five consultants were never forwarded. Three consultants rendering services to the government were employed without a formal written contract. Work and hours worked by the consultants was also not being documented. Only one ministry said that attendance records were maintained to verify the number of hours per- formed by three consultants. Another ministry stated that its consultant signed attendance sheets on his own initiative. "Top management may not be in a position to effectively control the number of hours worked by each of its consultants. The minis- try may not be adequately covered in its future request to OPM to extend the particular con- tracts of service," the report said. From the 24 out of 38 contracts surveyed (63%), it was noted that duties were not speci- fied in detail in the contracts, which the NAO said would not render the ministry able to hold the consultant directly accountable. On controls over work performed, the NAO said the ministries lacked adequate monitoring of performance. One adviser entered into two separate con- tracts in 2004 with two ministries, for the pro- vision of 10 hours and 30 hours advisory ser- vices per week. The individual was found to be a pensioner. Although rendering a total of 40 hours were week to government, he was only being deducted a 15% part-time tax on income earned for advisory services. Payments to six consultants included amounts in excess of those specified in their contracts. Extra payments were made related to bonuses and weekly allowances, cost of liv- ing allowance and other allowances. The NAO added that the tax guide for fringe benefits had not been complied with in calcu- lating the taxable fringe benefit arising from the use of fully expensed cars by three consult- ants. The NAO also said that consultants were appointed personally by the ministry. Only seven of the 43 part-time consultants were ex-government employees held in employment over the retirement age. MaltaToday 10 years ago Quote of the Week The President's outspokenness will be missed Editorial ''Without social justice, I am convinced that there cannot be the fullness of Democracy and long-lasting peace.'' President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca on Republic Day AS President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca's final term draws to a close, it may be opportune to revisit the concept of the Presidency and its rel- evance to Maltese society today: i.e., almost half a century after the office of the President was first established when Malta became a republic in 1974. Needless to say, Maltese society has evolved considerably since then; even if this evolution has not been matched by any corresponding Constitutional changes to either the role of the Presidency, or the definition and consti- tution of the Republic which he or she repre- sents. While all the various presidents have to date set some form of personal stamp on the role, the constitutional definitions of the President's duties and responsibilities have remained virtually unchanged since its incep- tion 40 years ago. Interestingly, however, Coleiro Preca's ap- pointment in 2014 had signalled one small amendment: when designated as George Abela's successor by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, the former Social Policy minister was allowed to retain certain aspects of her for- mer portfolio, if only in a consultative capac- ity. Legislative reforms also allowed the Office of the Presidency to contribute towards draw- ing up a national social policy. Coleiro Preca has also distinguished herself from former presidents, precisely on account of her outspokenness on social issues, above all others. Her annual End of Year address has never steered clear of controversial or sensi- tive affairs; and to her credit, these incursions onto political terrain were always prudent enough to avoid diluting her other, more es- tablished Constitutional responsibility: i.e., to act as a focal point for unity. Her final address was certainly no excep- tion. Once again, the emphasis was on the most vulnerable in today's society: "No econ- omy can celebrate human dignity, unless the needs of the most vulnerable are kept at the heart of its operations. For this reason, the vulnerable must receive all the support that they need. An economy that truly upholds hu- man dignity is one which ensures that nobody is pushed to the peripheries of our society." And for the umpteenth time, the President also felt the need to remind us about our civic responsibilities towards immigrants: "Fundamental Human Rights represent the foundations, upon which the fullness democ- racy and peace are built. Indeed, these are the strongest roots of our Republican Constitu- tion. I believe that the Universal Declaration, alongside our Constitution, must always be the cornerstone of the ways in which we live together, and how we treat one another. For this reason, we must insist that the rights of visitors and newcomers to our islands, includ- ing migrants, must be upheld in their fullness, without complacency or favouritism." But while it is easy to criticise populism from a safe distance, President Marie-Louise Coleiro also seems to be cognizant of the ex- tent to which the State itself may be respon- sible for populist attitudes: "In today's world, we are witnessing the results of what takes place, when governments abandon the social contract in favour of excessive private accu- mulation of profit. People not only lose hope in the established political class, but also, they seek reassurance in populist ideologies. It is useless for us to urge our peoples to disregard populism during the European parliamentary elections…" Perhaps because it was her last annual ad- dress as President, one cannot escape notic- ing a more particular insistence on this as- pect. While openly criticising the government may go beyond the Constitutional duties of an incumbent President, Marie-Louise Colei- ro Preca's speech was nonetheless infused with subliminal warnings to the effect that government is disregarding certain effects of its own policies. Her concern for the environ- ment is a case in point: "The question of the environment in our country remains a cause for concern to our children and young people. They require us to be far more prudent and ethical, regarding the ways in which we treat our natural environment. Their thoughts about the important need for green spaces, and their concerns about what is happening to the Maltese countryside, remain prominent in the dialogue that we have together…" Elsewhere, her criticism was more precise and stinging still. Pointing towards Statistics from the Structure of Earnings Survey, pub- lished by the National Statistics Office, the President highlighted the drastic difference in pay between men and women. "It is of serious concern that the more edu- cation a woman acquires, the greater the gen- der pay gap and the disparity in income. As we all believe that increased education brings greater access to opportunity, it is worry- ing to note that more education could mean more discrimination. Our country must strive harder, in the field of gender equality." This is particularly significant, because the 'field of gender quality' is where Government often trumpets its achievements – not with- out good reason – the most. In an age when so many other national institutions appear wary of directly contra- dicting government in any way, Marie-Louise Coleiro's brusque outspokenness may yet go down as the most welcome, and sorely needed, variation she brought to the role of President. It will certainly be missed. The Presidency is an autonomous arm of the state, supposedly independent of gov- ernment, with the added ceremonial role of acting as a point of reference for the entire country.