Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/550022
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 2 AUGUST 2015 26 Letters For years the Nationalist brand has been associated with economic growth, good management of the economy and most especially, low taxes. The 1987- 1994 years were golden economic years when the country's economy expanded at a tremendous rate. The country, its infrastructure and the people's lifestyle registered a tremendous boost. The worry then was that the economy was overheating! There was a feelgood fac- tor which allowed people to invest with full confidence in the country and the resources of its people. Much of this is now history. The country and its people are losing their self-confidence. The Nationalist party and government risks tarnishing its brand and being labelled as the party of high taxes and the government of zero growth. The electoral consequences are all too obvious. This could also explain the recent cosy two-party agreement on electoral changes. The cornerstone of the present govern- ment's economic policy is an over- dependence on taxation as the quick fix to control an ever-growing structural deficit. This approach fails to appreciate that deficits are best cut by the registration of surpluses which the country is very far away from. This route no doubt sug- gested and insisted upon by Brussels has simply drained people's disposable income and made people ever more cautious in their spending habits. The net result is the total absence of a feelgood factor. It is clear that government is being advised to implement its total taxation policy with immediate effect and far away from the final electoral lap. This strategy is being implemented in the hope that by election time the tide will have turned. *** A cosy relationship The last time the two parties agreed on anything, they sanctioned their privileged pensions regime. Suddenly out of the blue, two days ago, a general agreement on electoral changes is an- nounced. Agreement has been reached privately and secretively between the two parties behind the backs of not only third parties but also the electorate. They both agree in effect to make that the possibility of third parties being represented in parliament dif- ficult. It is seen as a threat to their long-term interests. Consequently Swieqi, an area where the widest dissent is being expressed is re- moved from the tenth district and linked to Gzira, a sure way of di- luting third party representation and a constitutional amendment is being suggested to keep Gozo as a region rather than the more acceptable approach of insisting that persons with a second home in Gozo be forced to vote at their normal house of abode in Malta. This all smacks of a two-party hegemony conducting business in an Italian 'partitocrazia', smok- ing-room politics. The two-party system is exhausted. It not only weakens our democracy but is an obstacle to economic development since the winning sides only utilises half the potential of the country. We fear that the recent agreement simply highlights that the two parties want this system to carry on. They may but the people certainly do not. 31 July 2005 Give us a break! Traumatic crossings to or from Gozo It is all very well to boast about record figures for tourism, and a booming traffic in Gozo visits. But if they want to maintain Gozo's share of the market, the government needs to improve the links between the two islands. And I do not mean by building a bridge or underwater tunnel, but by more frequent ferry cross- ings. On Monday, July 6 I took the 7.45am trip to Mgarr. When we got there, all 10 or so vehicular lanes at the ferry terminal at the Gozo end were full of cars wait- ing to cross to Malta. I do not know how long it took the ferries to clear that backlog. As far as I know, only two fer- ries were operating. One was laid off for the day. Then on Monday, July 20, I went to Gozo, as usual in the morning. Returning in the after- noon I got to the Mgarr terminal just as the Malita was leaving. It was 4.30pm. There were already four lanes of cars ready to board the next ferry and by the time the Ta' Pinu started disgorging its vehicular cargo at Mgarr, there were already eight lanes of waiting cars. The Gaudos was at its moor- ings. We waited for some 45 minutes in the broiling sun after the Malita left, before we started boarding the newly arrived Ta' Pinu. Surely that is a ridiculous situation. There must have been 10 lanes of cars waiting at the terminal by the time the Ta' Pinu started admitting its passen- gers and cars meaning to cross to Malta. At least four of those lanes of vehicles would have had to wait for the next ferry to make their crossing. Do the authorities know what it is like to wait for 45 minutes in the hot summer sun, with not a leaf for shade, waiting for the ferry to dock, while another is lying idle at its moorings? Why does not Gozo Channel Co. operate all three ferries in such situations? Who would want to return to Gozo in such unsavoury condi- tions? In such situations, it is rather a sorry end to a day's stay in Gozo. Even the ticketing is not sat- isfactory. I tendered a 20 euro note and five cents at the ticket window – I was travelling free as a Kartanzjan holder, paying 11 euros and five cents for the car. The cashier asked if I had an- other one euro in small change, so that he could give me a 10 euro note in change. I did have a euro in my pocket, but it took me a short while to fish it out. In the meantime the car drivers waiting for their turn were becoming impatient. There were only two cashiers serving, a third window was closed. Was that right – with never-ending queues of five or six cars at each window? Gozo Channel's management must pull up their socks. There should be someone at the ferry terminal to inform the company of any backlog that is building up, and the company should get the third ferry into service if necessary. Even if only for two trips to clear up such backlogs. There are elderly people among the passengers wanting to cross. It is inhuman to make them wait so long in the summer heat. Raymond Borg Mosta Beautiful but marred Our capital city is overall a beautiful city blessed with nu- merous buildings of historical interest. Yet it is marred by a general appearance of shabbi- ness when one ventures into certain areas. Some streets are character- ised by dirt and rubbish. Efforts have periodically been un- dertaken to address this but it seems to no avail. The authori- ties can of course do more, such as providing more rubbish bins, and greater vigilance in dealing with offenders. The solution however ulti- mately lies in changing the attitude of all concerned, both those who reside or work in Valletta and those who visit Valletta. Surely it is a small sacrifice to discipline oneself to refrain from littering Valletta's streets. It is only when all of us learn to desist from littering public places that the overall appear- ance of our capital city will improve. Paul Micallef Valletta maltatoday Key Public sector rich-list Comparing political appointees and public sector CEOs with the civil service and elected officials Chairman of para-statal company or PLC Commissioner CEO, Governor, Director- General or Genral Manager Chairman of regulator, autority, agency, consultative committee Executive Chairman (fulfils CEO's function) €10,000 €20,000 €30,000 €40,000 €50,000 €60,000 €70,000 €80,000 €90,000 €100,000 Performance bonuses and other benefits Invariably, executive chairman, CEOs and certain other political appointees will be paid a 15% performance bonus at the end of the year, apart from enjoying fully- serviced company cars, fuel allowances, fully expensed mobile phones, landlines, internet subscriptions, health insurance, and other travel allowances. Where data was available, MaltaToday quantified all bonuses and allowances into final salary Yana Micallef Stafrace Commission for Domestic Violence €2,329 Philip Sciberras Management Committee St Vincent de Paule, €2,329 Oliver Scicluna Chairman, National Commission Persons with a disability €6,988 Peter Grech Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit €4,660 Carmen Fearne Children & Young Persons Advisory Board, €10,000 Tony Zahra MIP, €13,000 David Borg Wasteserv €13,000 Philip Sciberras Embryo Protection Authority, €13,954 Charles Mizzi Kordin Grain Terminal, €13,976 Joseph Portelli Malta Stock Exchange, €13,976 Deo Debattista OHSA, €14,000 Albert Leone Ganado Malta Statis- tics Authority, €16,975 Robert Sarsero Malta Freeport Corporation, €18,000 Franco Debono Commissioner of Laws €18,401 Vince Cassar MEPA, €18,724 INFOGRAPHIC MATTHEW VELLA Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation, €18,816 Anthony J. Tabone Broadcasting Corporation €19,709 Antoinette Vassallo Housing Authority €20,100 Silvio Parnis Consultative Council for the South, €22,000 Luciano Busuttil Kunsill Malta ghall- Isport, €14,000 Mario Friggieri Refugee Commission €27,764 Charles Buhagiar BICC, €29,101 Joe Cordina Gozo Channel €30,000 Helen d'Amato Commmission for Children €30,700 Anthony Agius Decelis Commissioner Against Bureacracy, €37,000 Engelbert Grech Malta Film Commission €38,000 Albert Marshall Malta Council for Culture and the Arts €38,494 Stephen McCarthy Housing Authority €42,012 Lawrence Mizzi IPSL, €42,105 Pierre Fenech Mediterranean Conference Centre €48,180 Emanuel Camilleri Privatisation Unit, €42,500 Adrian Said Projects Malta €43,000 Tonio Montebello WasteServ, €56,452 Lou Bondì National Committee for Festivities, €54,000 Phyllis Muscat CHOGM task force, €52,724 Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando Malta Council for Science and Technology, €51,789 Aaron Farrugia Malta Freeport Corporation €50,723 Philip Rizzo ETC, €50,440 James Camenzuli Foundation for Medical Services €57,000 Marcel Pizzuto MCCAA, €57,011 Kenneth Gambin Heritage Malta, €59,579 Johann Buttigieg MEPA, €66,193 Clifton Grima Mount Carmel Hospital €60,000 Alfred Grixti, Foundation for Social Welfare Services, €62,700 Carmen Camilleri Ciantar ARMS, €65,919 Paul Bugeja Malta Tourism Authority €76,400 Tony Sultana MITA, €70,212 Anton Attard Public Broadcasting Services €74,466 Jonathan Cardona Identity Malta, €75,000 Philip Micallef Air Malta €125,000 Joseph Cuschieri Malta Gaming Authority, €114,005 Vincent Mifsud MIMCOL/MGI, €119,599 Scale 6 €26,512 Accounting Manager Audit Manager Clerk Assistant Counsel Education Officer Head of Building and Restoration Head of School Higher Specialist Trainee Manager, Medical Laboratory Technology Services Manager, Office of Co-operatives Manager, Radio Communication Services Principal Economics Officer Principal Environment Inspector Principal Environment Officer Principal Health Promotion Officer Principal Inspector (Health and Safety) Principal Pharmacist Principal Probation Officer Principal Public Cleansing Officer Principal Scientific Officer Principal Social Worker Principal Statistician Principal Trading Standards Officer Registrar (Dentistry) Senior Allied Health Practitioner Senior Architect and Civil Engineer Senior Engineer Senior Environmental Health Practitioner Senior Legal Officer Senior Midwifery Manager Senior Nursing Manager Senior Notary Senior Operations Officer Senior Practice Midwife Senior Practice Nurse Senior Psychologist Senior Quantity Surveyor Senior Staff Grade Senior Veterinary Officer Scale 5 €27,707 Advanced Allied Health Practitioner Advanced Practice Nurse Assistant Director Asst. Dir. Pharmaceutical Assistant Registrar Chief Architect Chief Curator Chief Economics Officer Chief Engineer Chief Environment Officer Chief Inspector of Customs Chief Nursing Manager Chief Quantity Surveyor Chief Scientific Officer Chief Statistician Dep. Director, Civil Protection First Counsellor Notary to Government (Gozo) Principal Information Officer Principal Notary Principal Psychologist Principal Veterinary Officer Project Manager (IT) Resident Specialist Senior Accounting Manager Senior Clerk Assistant Senior General Practitioner Senior Registrar (Dentistry) Sports Officer II Superintendent of Police Scale 4 €32,239 Advanced Pharmacy Practitioner Assistant Attorney General Assistant Commissioner of Police Chief Electoral Commissioner Chief Notary to Government Consultant Director Managing Psychologist Principal Assistant Registrar Principal General Practitioner Senior Counsellor Scale 3 €35,683 Ambassador Clerk, House of Representatives Deputy Attorney General Deputy Commissioner of Police Director General Exec. Secretary, PSC Secretary to the Presidency Scale 2 €38,937 Commissioner of Police Permanent Secretary Scale 1 €42,290 Attorney General Perm Sec, Ministry of Finance Principal Permanent Secretary Secretary to Cabinet TOP CIVIL SERVICE JOBS SCALE 1 to SCALE 6 SALARIES Joseph V. Bannister Malta Financial Services Authority, €82,105 Ivan Falzon Mater Dei Hospital €84,000 Josef Bonnici Central Bank Malta €85,000 Mario Vella Malta Enterprise €85,000 Frederick Azzopardi Enemalta, €95,000 Marianna Scicluna MFSA, €85,000 James Piscopo Transport Malta €85,000 Serves as an MP Kenneth Farrugia Malita Investments plc €25,000 Peter Grech Attorney General €78,955 Miriam Theuma, Agenzija Zghazagh €33,869 Mark Camilleri National Book Council, €37,713 Martin Scicluna National Commission Further & Higher Education, €12,460 Gavin Gulia Malta Tourism Authority, €18,000 Jason Micallef V18 Foundation €13,000 Marie Louise Coleiro Preca PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC Over €71,000 PRIME MINISTER JOSEPH MUSCAT Over €68,000 Peter Paul Zammit, Chief security national events €38,937 Michael Cassar Commissioner of Police €38,937 Silvio Schembri Responsible Gam- ing Foundation, €39,000 Maria Micallef Air Malta, €18,000 Edward Woods MCA, €22,800 maltatoday Comparing political appointees and public sector CEOs with the civil service and elected officials €50,000 €60,000 €70,000 €80,000 €90,000 €100,000 INFOGRAPHIC MATTHEW VELLA Tonio Montebello WasteServ, €56,452 Lou Bondì National Committee for Festivities, €54,000 Phyllis Muscat CHOGM task force, €52,724 Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando Malta Council for Science and Technology, €51,789 Aaron Farrugia Malta Freeport Corporation €50,723 Philip Rizzo ETC, €50,440 James Camenzuli Foundation for Medical Services €57,000 Marcel Pizzuto Marcel Pizzuto MCCAA, €57,011 Kenneth Gambin Heritage Malta, €59,579 Johann Buttigieg MEPA, €66,193 Clifton Grima Mount Carmel Hospital €60,000 Alfred Grixti, Foundation for Social Welfare Services, €62,700 Carmen Camilleri Ciantar ARMS, €65,919 Paul Bugeja Malta Tourism Authority €76,400 Tony Sultana MITA, €70,212 Anton Attard Public Broadcasting Services €74,466 Jonathan Cardona Identity Malta, €75,000 Philip Micallef Air Malta €125,000 Joseph Cuschieri Joseph Cuschieri Malta Gaming Authority, €114,005 Authority, €114,005 Vincent Mifsud MIMCOL/MGI, €119,599 Advanced Pharmacy Practitioner Assistant Commissioner of Police Joseph V. Bannister Malta Financial Services Authority, €82,105 Ivan Falzon Mater Dei Hospital €84,000 Josef Bonnici Central Bank Malta €85,000 Mario Vella Malta Enterprise €85,000 Frederick Azzopardi Enemalta, €95,000 Marianna Scicluna MFSA, €85,000 James Piscopo Transport Malta €85,000 Peter Grech Attorney General €78,955 Marie Louise Coleiro Preca PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC Over €71,000 Clarifi cation In MaltaToday's infographic of page 8-9 on public salaries (MaltaToday on Sunday, 26 July, 2015), the honorarium paid to Maria Camilleri as chairman of the national family commission was sourced from the House of Representa- tives' parliamentary questions. The chairperson in question was in this role for the period of May 2013 to May 2014, a role that ended with social policy minister Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca's appointment as President. Ms Camilleri has no official government role.