Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/216204
24 Opinion maltatoday, SUNDAY, 24 NOVEMBER 2013 2013 Marlene Mizzi Please stop whining! I t was an eventful week in the European Parliament in Strasbourg this week. The highlight for me was certainly the presence of Malala Yousafzai, the young Pakistani who was awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. Another highlight, on a more mundane level, was the acceptance by the EP of the Reding report on gender rights and balance on boards. The proposal put forward earlier in the year by Commissioner Viviane Reding is proposing that by 2020, women should make up for at least 40% of non-executive directors in companies. The two events seem hardly comparable, but on closer analyses they are convergent, as will be seen. When Commissioner Reding asked me to co-author an article with her on the issue of gender balance of non-executive directors, I have to admit that I was rather reluctant to do so at first, because my position against using women as numbers to satisfy rules and regulations stand – and will always stand. On a personal level, I have always maintained that mandatory quotas would ultimately do more harm than good. Women appointed to boards in such manner would probably be perceived as being appointed not on the basis of merit but merely on basis of their gender. In other words, it might simply be a boxticking exercise. But it is also pertinent to point out that at no point does the Reding report mention the word 'quota'. The thrust of it is fairness to an under-represented gender. It also makes it clear that women should not be chosen because they are women, neither should they be put aside because they are women. I also made it clear that the principle of meritocracy is not to be forfeited. The report shows respect and belief towards the capabilities of women, and I can certainly neither fault nor obstruct such initiatives aimed to promote women's capabilities and merits. The focus of the proposal is basically that of allowing women to be able to break the so called 'glass ceiling' and join the men in the corporate world on the same level. In fact, while women constitute roughly half of the European workforce and generally graduate in larger numbers than men, they still only constitute only 2% of people on boards. This is down to various factors. There is no denying that the current status quo is not sufficient. However, the reality is that although things are moving forward in a positive way, they are moving too slowly. Working to a target of 40%, with more than six years to reach such targets, companies have more than enough time to find capable and qualified women who would be excellent candidates as board members. There is no need to shock the system with the imposition of rules making it immediately mandatory for the appointment of females – admittedly it is not always easy – an imposition which in my opinion, would only backfire in the long run. During the same session, the European Parliament also had the Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai should be an inspiration to us all honour of awarding the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to a teenage girl from Pakistan whose brave fight is the right to education. She was targeted by Al Qaeda and badly injured for her stance. Malala Yousafzai's story has been told and retold all over the world. This young girl had the courage to stand up against one of the most dangerous terrorist organisations in the world, in order to insist on her right to get an education. The reason for Al-Qaeda shooting her in the head was simply that they did not believe that girls in the 21st century should be allowed this right. Fortunately she recovered, and is resuming her mission for the right of education for women in Pakistan. Her speech in parliament was the best speech I have heard. It stole our hearts and pierced our minds. It overshadowed the most eloquent of politicians! Her plea for education is being heard all over the world – and this small girl with a great mind and gynormous determination has alerted all of us to the hunger and thirst for education of certain nations and cultures – something which we, in the western world, take for granted. Yet, in the 21st century, even European women are still fighting for an equal footing with their male counterparts. In divergence with Malala, European Mary has all the tools at her disposal to succeed, is as educated as her ambition takes her and does not face hostility in seeking to be so. European Mary has no excuses. The convergence between European Mary and Malala is that, in different degrees, they are fighting for equality, recognition, balance and fairness. Where Malala has excelled far better than many of us, is her rise above the hostilities of her environment and culture, and fought for what she believes is hers by right – education. She is a long way, perhaps, from fighting for a seat in a boardroom, but she has taught the female gender a very big lesson: in the face of all adversity, if you believe in it, do it. Don't let your own gender hold you back. In fact, don't let anything hold you back. It is in this spirit that I supported and voted for Commissioner Reding's proposal. Women and other underrepresented sectors (which are also considered in the report) have to realise that nothing should hold them back from their ambitions and from reaching their potential. I also believe that European women have it in them to redress their underrepresentation on boards – and on other decision-making bodies – on their own, without having to face the stigma of having been put there for the sake of satisfying statutory requirements. European Mary has no excuses, and let's stop trying to find them. In fact, I hope that the next few years will lay to rest gender issues once and for all. The road has, admittedly, been an uphill slope for women, and the infamous glass ceiling has not been easy to smash. But it is nowhere as frightening and traumatising as looking down the barrel of a gun and having your face blown up for standing up for your rights and beliefs. So women the world over, should look up to Malala Yousafzai, who has faced remarkable enemies – culture, bigotry and violence – yet with determination and courage she is fighting to achieve what she believes in. What a lesson to all of us... so let's stop whining and get on with it! Marlene Mizzi is a Member of the European Parliament Licensed With most people choosing to rent initially, when relocating to Malta, more and more, we find many tenants getting burnt by landlords who refuse point blank to transfer the utilities into the tenants' name and therefore the tenant is forced into paying the Domestic rate (35-60% more – as opposed to residential) in cash to the landlord on a monthly basis, with rarely a receipt. Many never see a bill, and have to trust that they are indeed being charged accurately, wishing they had known beforehand the possible government-approved scam that exists. I have been asked consistently in the last years, if properties placed as available with Estate Agents are 'licensed' or 'registered' for rental and why when the subject of licensing is raised by knowledgeable tenants, with the agents, the subject is either washed over, with a "yes yes," or ignored completely. The facts are: that a license is only required when leasing to a tourist ('tourist' usually defined as someone who stays three months or less) and if the lessee has been residing in Malta for more than a year, then a license is not required, so it seems that if you take a lease on a property, you are a tourist for the first three months and the property should be licensed (and therefore taxed – lessors would also have to register with the VAT and Income Tax Department). But if you remain with the lease after three months, a license is not actually required, as you are a resident. All holiday accommodation, short lets, should be licensed. There are so many grey areas surrounding the licensing or not of long let properties which makes research quite difficult. It seems to me that all properties for rent should be licensed/registered. It is actually getting more and more difficult for prospective tenants to find properties where the Landlord will indeed agree to a change of name on the utilities, entitling the tenant to residential rates. Isn't it time that agents took a