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6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 27 MARCH 2022 OPINION 2 maltatoday EXECUTIVE EDITOR KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt 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 • 10 DECEMBER 2023 Dear Rosianne, it wasn't the Opposition that spoke of pigs at the trough Editorial EVER since the Auditor General released the damning findings concerning Rosianne Cutajar's employment with the tourism school, the MP has gone on the offensive. She has used her position in parliament to ask about the employment of Opposition MPs with State entities in a bid to try and deflect attention from her own misdeeds. Sure enough, the information she seeks is of public interest but it would have been more complete had she asked about the employment of all MPs, including those on the government side. That is what we are doing. It would be more interesting still had Cutajar asked for the attendance records of all MPs on the public pay roll and whether they have some special arrangement to skip work because of parliamentary and constituency duties. And if no such arrangement exists, whether unjusti- fied absence from work is sanctioned in some way. This is what we are asking about as well. But Cutajar is not interested in obtaining a complete picture, or even the truth for that matter. Her intention is only to deflect atten- tion from her troubles by suggesting improprie- ty by Opposition MPs whose job is with a State entity. Even if there was some truth in what she is suggesting, it is irrelevant to her own circum- stances. Let us be clear on one thing: The thrust of the National Audit Office's investigation was not the fact that Cutajar was employed by the In- stitute for Tourism Studies - if she was suitably qualified for a job opening she had every right to apply and be employed if selected - but the fact that the job was created specifically for her. The NAO found no evidence whatsoever that the ITS board of governors or the school's CEO ever suggested, claimed or even discussed the need to employ a consultant directly answera- ble to the chief executive. The post was concocted by the tourism min- istry, at the time led by Konrad Mizzi, and Cutajar's name put forward for engagement. The ministry found an acquiescing CEO who employed Cutajar on a three-year contract that would have earned her €27,000 annually. The ITS board remained oblivious to Cutajar's em- ployment even weeks after she was engaged. Indeed, the CEO never consulted the board before signing on Cutajar. Furthermore, the NAO also questioned Cutajar's competence to deal with certain technical aspects listed in her job description. So, it is amply clear that the comparison Cutajar is trying to draw with Opposition MPs employed by the State is irrelevant to the issue at hand. The NAO does not speculate as to why the ITS job was created for Cutajar but it is reason- able to reach the conclusion from the circum- stances at the time that the MP was not happy on the backbench, having been looked over for a Cabinet post. The ITS job was possibly one way of placating the discontent. After all, it was Cutajar herself in WhatsApp messages exchanged with murder suspect Yor- gen Fenech in 2019, who complained about her predicament on the government side. She also tried justifying with Fenech her upcoming job with ITS by saying that if everybody else is pig- ging out then she would be doing the same. It is evident from Cutajar's own words that she was frustrated and that is when Mr Fix It Konrad Mizzi stepped in to concoct a phantom job to keep her quiet. Instead of trying to divert attention else- where, Cutajar should at the very least own up to her misdeeds in the absence of resigning outright from parliament. After all, it wasn't the Opposition that spoke of pigs at the trough to describe the situation in government but Cutajar herself. This doubling down by Cutajar may be music to the ears of some of her supporters but many more people, in the silence of their homes, are appalled at how State resources were abused. The latter may not be vocal about their disdain but will put the Cutajar incident on their list of grievances. When push comes to shove and other things start going bad, the Cutajar inci- dent will be yet another reason that determines how these people will vote, if at all. One would have thought that after a seri- ous dressing down from the Auditor General, Cutajar would have had the basic decency to keep a low profile. Instead, she chose the path of war. It is a pity that an MP who has so much potential to drive progressive change had to be involved in so much scandal. It is a pity that she does not have a modicum of self-respect to acknowledge she did wrong. But then again, politicians who admit wrong- doing and shoulder responsibility for their misdeeds are few and far between. Cutajar is certainly not one of them. Quote of the Week "I don't see why I am here." Former Enemalta CEO David Spiteri Gingell expressing his frustration to MPs on the Public Accounts Committee as to the reason why he was asked to testify 10 years after ending all ties with the company. MaltaToday 10 years ago 1 December 2013 Muscat retains strong trust lead, but 'Taghna Lkoll' loses its sheen A MaltaToday survey conducted over the past week reveals that Prime Minis- ter Joseph Muscat still retains a strong 17-point 'trust' lead over Opposition leader Simon Busuttil. However his performance rating a prime minister dropped by 4 points. Despite his popularity, a majority of respondents still disagree with the Indi- vidual Investor Programme approved by parliament last month. And although Muscat removed a controversial secrecy clause, those who agree with the 'golden passport' scheme remain the same as last month (26%). But outright opposition to the scheme has also dropped by four points, while those think the €650,000 pass- port acquisition should be accompanied by in- vestment has increased by five points – a development that comes in the wake of talks between government and op- position on revising the scheme. An interesting finding from this month's survey is that only 36% think the government is fully honouring its meritoc- racy pledge. While 25% say Labour has disregarded its 'Malta Tagħna Lkoll' slogan, 27% say this pledge is being honoured only in part. The survey also shows a shake-up in the list of concerns of the general public. While concern on the cost of living and utility bills has fallen to an all-time low, the environment and immigration have in- creased dramatically. Jobs now top the list of Maltese concerns, while the environment and over-develop- ment emerge as the third most- mentioned concern after the cost of living. Another concern that increased in ranking is public transport. ...