Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1516790
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 • 3 MARCH 2024 Sofia Inquiry: A turning point Editorial THE three members of the Jean Paul Sofia pub- lic inquiry board – Ombudsman Joseph Zammit McKeon, Auditor General Charles Deguara and perit Mario Cassar – must be commended for the report they penned. The board did not sugar-coat its observations so as not to 'hurt' people. The board did its job well and the manner by which it discharged its functions gave it the moral authority to make pertinent and uncompromising observations on the construction sector, the people tasked to regulate it and the fail- ings across the board that enabled the Corradino tragedy that killed 20-year-old Jean Paul Sofia to happen. Let us be clear… before the inquiry board had the opportunity to take a deep dive into the systems that regulate the construction industry, many had spoken about lax enforcement by the authorities that allowed developers to cut corners. Unfortu- nately, ears remained shut and eyes closed. In Sofia's case, cutting corners had fatal consequences. From the amateurish way, public land at the Cor- radino Industrial Estate was given to the rookie de- velopers, which the inquiry said should have never happened, to the lack of inspections on the building while it was being constructed, the whole process was fraught with failings. This leader hopes that the Sofia Inquiry will now serve as a turning point on several counts. It should serve as a turning point for public of- ficials, well-paid CEOs and chairpersons, and all those in the public service tasked to regulate, in- spect and oversee different sectors of the economy. In a very pertinent observation, the inquiry board referred to public officials and their attempts to accommodate developers at all costs, while hiding behind anonymity and bureaucracy to escape the consequences of their shortcomings. Public officials have to shoulder responsibility for their actions and must be accountable for the decisions, or non-deci- sions, they make. In one of the salient comments the inquiry board remarked: "In a normal country, negligent or ir- regular behaviour leads to civil legal consequences and sometimes criminal consequences. Someone, somewhere must understand that what is bent can- not remain so but must be straightened. It's wrong to say everything goes on the mistaken premise that people forget over time. When those who are obliged to defend the common good, stop doing so, the risk is that the illegality becomes acceptable, and the rule of law gravely prejudiced." The inquiry board's observation is very true across the width of the public service. This is an attitude problem – the anything goes attitude that in Sofia's case proved fatal. It is not acceptable that a CEO paid €80,000 or more adopts a lax attitude towards governance. If things are wrong, they should act to correct them. If public policy is creating lacunas, they should speak up with policy makers to enact the necessary legal changes. Instead, throughout the inquiry, we had a litany of public officials shirking responsibility for the failings that underpinned the Sofia tragedy. Public officials – from the very top to the bottom – must be empowered to make decisions within clear, transparent policy frameworks and shoulder responsibility for these decisions. And they must be given the resources to work efficiently and effective- ly. But the inquiry must also serve as a turning point for politicians. Staffing authorities with cronies, who may not have the required competence or who are simply yes-men is a disservice to society and the bona fide operators they regulate. When politicians act in this way they only help foster a culture of 'anything goes', which is only a short distance away from impunity. While the public inquiry did not enter into the merits of political responsibility its findings are a damning indictment of politicians as well. Politicians are to blame for starving authorities from the required resources; interference in oper- ational decisions and unwillingness to ensure en- forcement is thorough and effective. This leader hopes that the humility being shown now by government politicians after having opposed a public inquiry last year, continues to be reflected throughout the coming weeks and months. We can only hope that the next time MPs are forced to vote on a matter despite their conscience telling them otherwise, they will find the courage to serve the common good. The third turning point concerns the construc- tion industry. We can only hope that this sector has learnt its lessons. We will not hold our breath. Within this context, the inquiry argued against self-regulation, calling instead for strong regulatory authorities with the ability to bite were necessary. "If someone is going to argue that these recom- mendations are rigid and too draconian… they ha- ven't understood the gravity of the situation which cannot improve with good will alone," the board said. On Wednesday in parliament, the Prime Minister spoke boldly about the need for the construction sector to 'shape up, or ship out'. He was correct because the sector has long acted like it owns the country. But the Prime Minister must also acknowl- edge that the construction sector's cowboy attitude was in part due to the appeasement of politicians. The Sofia inquiry is as much an indictment of the construction sector and the authorities that regulate it, as it is of the politicians who enabled the circum- stances to occur and persist. This leader hopes the inquiry's recommendations are implemented with expediency because it is only in this way that Jean Paul Sofia's memory can be honoured. Quote of the Week "If someone is going to argue that these recommendations are rigid and too draconian… they haven't understood the gravity of the situation which cannot improve with good will alone." The Jean Paul Sofia Inquiry commenting on inept oversight of the construction sector and the need to move away from self-regulation. MaltaToday 10 years ago 1 March 2014 State moves in to take control of local wardens THE running of Malta's local enforcement sys- tem has become too costly to keep up with the expectations of the two private companies which provide Malta's and Gozo's 44 local councils with wardens, CCTV cam- eras, and speed cameras, and the only way it can survive is to issue more tickets and col- lect more fines. But Labour seems to be living up to a warn- ing sounded by Joseph Muscat in 2011 that the "sub- sidised racket" of local enforcement would longer be tolerated under a new govern- ment. "Yesterday, parliamentary secretary for local government José Herrera unveiled plans for a new centralised unit to take over the manning of local wardens. Herrera has pledged a 30% reduction in costs - a reduction that industry insiders de- duce can only be achieved by cutting out the private sector. But the parliamentary secretary said that today's system was built on the misleading as- sumption that it should make money for local councils when in reality, uncollected fines and a decline in contraventions and speed- ing offences being committed, has rendered the system unsustainble to run. Herrera's solution will be to turn the LES in- to a national unit of wardens serving councils, rather than the private operators taking over 70% of the total fines issued over the years. Labour taking on 'subsidised racket Malta's local warden system is in the pro- cess of being reformed, 14 years after it was first introduced – but the jury is out on what government's plans for a centralised unit means for people like Kenneth De Martino, whose Guard & Warden Service runs the gamut of local enforcement services, deploy- ing wardens to the coun- cils, monitoring CCTV systems and also processing speed camera fines. ...