Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/598356
Opinion 21 maltatoday, SUNDAY, 8 NOVEMBER 2015 Roberta Metsola & Marthese Portelli is understandable that the ARMS CEO was not aware of the conditions of the title of the GWU's property, this could hardly be the case with the GWU's financial and legal consultants. That they did not inform the board of ARMS Ltd about this problem is an unexplainable – and unacceptable – shortcoming. Keeping mum about it does not absolve the two GWU consultants of the charge of conf lict of interest. As a result these two individuals have committed a disservice to both organisations that they were involved with at the same time. They definitely pulled a fast one on ARMS while leading the GWU up the garden path Ignoring a public contract in such a blatant manner and keeping it 'secret' until it is exposed cannot be but a short lived silly hope... unless they felt that they belong to the untouchable elite who evidently have targeted the Lands Department from day one as some gold mine to be exploited in such a ham-handed and short-sighted manner. This should be yet another wakeup call for the government to take the Lands Department bull by the horns. A matter of perception What I find most intriguing is that the story about the irregular GWU leases did not raise too many eyebrows while the revelations of former PN Minister Joe Cassar, did. Is it because the latest story takes over and becomes the talk of the town and everything one hears is a three day wonder? Is it, perhaps, because the Joe Cassar saga is easy to understand while the GWU mess is a maze of legal niceties? Or, is it because no particular politician is involved in the GWU story? Is this a ref lection on the perception of the average Maltese citizen on politicians? Sadly, I fear the last question is the correct one, rhetorical though it may be. This is confirmed by the rumours that Labour has an arsenal of improper conduct cases under the last Gonzi adminsitration and that this ammunition is going to be used over the months leading to the next general election. Again, this might not be true at all, but just a figment of the popular imagination. But this is what the rumour mill feeds on. And Malta – as I like to say – is a rumour infested country and one has to take everything with a pinch of salt... until some odd rumour proves to be true. micfal@maltanet.net What I find most intriguing is that the story about the irregular GWU leases did not raise too many eyebrows while the revelations of former PN Minister Joe Cassar, did Joe Cassar, fell victim to enticements then did the honourable thing What could we do with €11 million? T he government has agreed to fork out €11 million from national funds in order to complete the Salina Coast Road. They have given up on the EU funds allocated to the project following irregularities in the awarding of the contract which were flagged by the European Court of Auditors. This is worrisome. This €11 million was meant to be part of the EU funds allocated to this project but, as a result of these irregularities, the Government has accepted to bailout the project. In its particular interpretation of transparency, the Government has been trying its utmost to bury the news in an avalanche of spin. We were told that the funds were not, in fact, lost but will somehow be "re-allocated". This excuse betrays a lack of respect for the intelligence of the discerning Maltese public. Even if the €11 million in EU funds are somehow reallocated – and there is no guarantee that this could happen – the project will still have to be completed with taxpayers bearing the brunt. The share that could have come from EU funds has been transferred to all of us. It is understandable that Ian Borg and Joe Mizzi do not want to be remembered as the "€11 million men" but they have to understand that when it comes to EU funds the government cannot simply do as it pleases. To add insult to injury they have changed their stories on this issue so many times that people have lost sight of the truth. First they said they would try to allocate the funds to focus on education and environmental projects, then they said they would spend on more roads, then they went back to education. The left hand does not know what the right hand is doing. It is one of the clearest manifestations yet of the haphazard, 'anything goes', culture that characterises every level of this administration. Clearly we hope that they manage to avoid losing these funds. Should they fail, and the funds are lost, it would represent the single greatest loss of EU funding in Malta's history. No one wants to see that. However, the fact remains that the Maltese taxpayer will still have to fork out €11 million to pay for the Salina Coast Road. This is not small change. What is particularly surprising was that the government has given up on the funds without so much as a whimper. Usually, in cases like this, Member States make their case to the European authorities concerned and attempt to show that their national processes are correct. This did not seem to happen in this case. There are two possibilities in trying to explain this gaffe in the utilisation of EU funds. The first is that the Government knew of the irregularities in the public procurement process and went ahead regardless. This would have been staggeringly irresponsible. The second is that they did not know of any irregularities, in which case it is yet another example of maladministration and bad governance. If this was the case, however, and they thought that the procurement procedures they used were correct, then they should have argued Malta's position. Whichever of these two was the case, the taxpayer will now have to pay in order for Ian Borg, Joe Mizzi and Transport Malta to save face. It is not only about the €11 million. As hard and expensive lesson for the Labour government as it may be, it shows how urgently we need to examine Malta's public procurement processes and how they are being applied under this administration. The public have a right to know what argumentation, if any, was used to explain Malta's position and to do that we need absolute and full transparency. This government cannot continue to govern in the shadows. Roberta Metsola is a Nationalist MEP, Marthese Portelli is a Na- tionalist MP and spokesperson on transport and the environment YOUR FIRST CLICK OF THE DAY www.maltatoday.com.mt Should they fail, and the funds are lost, it would represent the single greatest loss of EU funding in Malta's history