Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1141804
7 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 14 JULY 2019 would wish to criticise his own government more likely to do so if, apart from the political backlash, he would also face the prospect of losing his job? I think not." It comes as no surprise that the placement of these MPs in sensitive positions of leader- ship bolsters a system of politi- cal patronage and clientelism. "These authorities should be run efficiently and should not, for example, act as a screen for the engagement of unnecessary staff. Unfortunately, politicians need to contest elections and solicit votes. It is a known fact that employment with Gov- ernment, directly or indirectly draws votes. MPs entrusted with running these agencies are placed in a position where they can yield to constituents' demands," Hyzler says. Originally, the Gonzi admin- istration in 2004 allowed MPs who were employed with the public service – teachers, or nurses for example – to retain their employment salaries to bolster their MP's honorarium, which remains a 'part-time' job for most. Yet, by granting min- isters their previously forgone MPs' honorarium without any public notice, Gonzi – as well as Muscat's own campaign – conditioned any debate on raising both ministerial sala- ries and MPs' honoraria. "The reasoning of the 2004 amendments… was that lower grade public servants should not be debarred from serving as MPs since such jobs would not normally be politically sen- sitive… In reality the honoraria issue that created the backlash concerned increases to minis- ters not to backbenchers. Nev- ertheless, the major parties still appear wary of bringing up the issue again. "However, this issue needs to be addressed with urgency. We need to attract good people to represent us and it is unfair to expect the professionalism, dedication and commitment required if we do not pay them well. I also said that it is wrong for government to ad- dress the issue of low salaries by appointing backbenchers to these positions in a way that Parliament's integrity is under- mined," Hyzler says. "In any case conflict has to be avoided." Hyzler's proposal is offering MPs the option of serving as full-timers, choosing whether to be debarred from other work and therefore be paid ac- cordingly. But why offer them the option? "Because individuals con- sidered as high earners would be unwilling to forego their private work in order to be- come full-time MPs, even if the salary for full-time MPs is increased," Hyzler says, mind- ful of those MPs in successful legal and medical practices, as well as businesses, earning net revenues well above €100,000. "Such people should not be lost to Parliament. Whatever the system and the mechanism adopted, all MPs, part-time or full-time, should be debarred from holding appointments or consultancies with the govern- ment or the wider public sec- tor." But then that means that 'part-time' MPs with their own lucrative businesses and prac- tices and private consultan- cies can be freely wedded to big business and private inter- ests, something that would run counter to the "fundamentally wrong" practice of having MPs employed with the State (often on salaries far less than that offered by the private sector). Aren't these 'part-time' MPs' loyalties also compromised, politically? "The issue is that the Con- stitution prohibits MPs from being a party to contracts of works with government, and consultants are usually en- gaged by contracts for service. The legal interpretation that I reluctantly accepted for the purposes of the report is that contracts for works that are prohibited by the Constitution do not include contracts for service," Hyzler says of MPs offering their legal services to State entities. He then says MPs placed in positions of trust with minis- tries are not being recruited in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and there- fore their appointment raises serious constitutional issues. When he turns to MPs with private practices, Hyzler does concede that there are grounds for concern about "the influence of developers in politics, but I think this has more to do with the financing of political parties than with individual MPs. "Where individual MPs are concerned, a relationship with a private business more com- monly can give rise to a conflict of interest if, say, Parliament is discussing a bill or motion that affects the business in ques- tion. But Parliament has rules whereby an MP who has such a conflict must declare it and refrain from voting on the bill or motion in question. Pro- vided that MPs follow these rules, they cannot be regarded as compromised." NEWS The Malta Developers Association in agreement with the Building Regulation Office is producing a register of Economic Operators engaged in rendering Demolition, Excavation and Construction services. In this regard, MDA will be receiving submissions from these economic operators. The registration period is from: Wednesday 10th July 2019 until the 30th September 2019 Interested parties are requested to register online at: www.mda.com.mt/registry or visit: MDA's Head Office at Ursuline Sisters Str., G' Mangia, Pietà PTA 1227 Monday to Friday from: 8.30am to 1.00pm Applications by post will be accepted and forms may be downloaded from www.mda.com.mt. For more information contact: info@mda.com.mt / 2122 8184. REGISTER OF ECONOMIC OPERATORS ENGAGED IN RENDERING DEMOLITION, EXCAVATION & CONSTRUCTION SERVICES INCOME 1 INCOME 2 INCOME 3 INCOME 4 SPOUSE €35,735 €7 €11,737 €- €146,600 €37,058 €28,020 €- €- €23,962 €1,850 €11,737 €6,120 €- €82,250 €18,776 €64,562 €12,519 €- €62,444 €37 €19,212 €11,622 €6,454 €16,451 €- €- €- €- €- €10,693 €570 €11,737 €2,481 €- €16,931 €7,824 €11,531 €- €- €41,701 €11,531 €- €- €- €33,178 €18,776 €- €- €30,564 €64,477 €- €- €- €- €24,978 €16,353 €- €- €2,954 €18,897 €1,335 €23,945 €4,995 €13,959 €18,028 €29,312 €1,615 €5,445 €- €11,737 €19,448 €- €- €185,255 €- €- €- €- €- €20,103 €21,422 €- €- €23,523 €14,889 €7,726 €29,139 €7 €- €201,507 €19,212 €5,413 €3,000 €- €28,721 €5,554 €- €- €42,479 €23,704 €18,775 €- €- €34,275 €11,737 €5,997 €11,821 €- €38,027 €99,671 €11,398 €- €- €11,965 €22,774 €823 €- €- €- €85,187 €10,383 €19,212 €- €- €46,618 €22,364 €- €- €51,491 €52,090 €594 €- €- €22,729 €19,212 €1,348 €24,298 €- €21,539 €32,136 €- €18,776 €- €- €19,212 €45,212 €- €- €17,364 €24,240 €21,385 €- €- €- €37,998 €8 €- €- €- €44,340 €15,584 €- €- €23,307 €10,961 €65,911 €11,329 €27,386 €15,679 €- €- €- €- €- €54,275 €26,275 €6,877 €- €- €5,344 €495 €34,735 €15,750 €- €13,609 €36,738 €17 €- €- €18,512 €18,776 €- €- €- €31,652 €18,776 €- €- €28,200 €61,596 €- €- €- €24,506 €1,442 €19,212 €- €- €28,358 €514 €26,953 €11,531 €- €15,724 €28,390 €19,212 €- €- €- €11,737 €- €- €- €- €15,637 €21,252 €4,720 €- €9,340 €20,667 €66,837 €5,600 €- €19,597 €32,773 €2,562 €14,889 €18,759 €14,637 Abela, Robert Agius, David Aquilina, Karol Arrigo, Robert Azzopardi, Frederick Azzopardi, Jason Bartolo, Clayton Bartolo, Ivan Bedingfield, Glenn Bezzina, Toni Busuttil, Simon Buttigieg, Claudette Callus, Ryan Camilleri, Byron Comodini Cachia, Therese Cutajar, Kevin Cutajar, Robert Cutajar, Rosianne de Marco, Mario Debono, Jean Pierre Debono, Kristy Deguara, Maria Delia, Adrian Farrugia, Godfrey Farrugia, Marlene Fenech Adami, Beppe Galdes, Roderick Galea, Mario Gouder, Karl Grech, Claudio Grech, Etienne Grima, Clifton Grixti, Silvio Mallia, Emanuel Mifsud Bonnici, Carm Mizzi, Joe Muscat, Alex Parnis, Silvio Portelli, Marthese Puli, Clyde Refalo, Anton Said, Chris Schiavone, Hermann Spiteri, Stephen Stellini, David Vassallo, Edwin Zammit Lewis, Edward Zrinzo Azzopardi, Stefan Commissioner for public standards George Hyzler PHOTO JAMES BIANCHI