Skip to main content

Il-każ ta' Franco Mercieca

Din hi l-opinjoni tiegħi dwar il-kwistjoni ta' Franco Mercieca, li dehret fil-ġurnal 'Illum' ta' nhar il-Ħadd 16 ta' Ġunju 2013, bħala tweġiba għal dawn il-mistoqsijiet:

  • X'jidhirlek mill-kwistjoni ta' Franco Mercieca? Qed tingħata l-importanza mistħoqqha jew hija 'blown out of proportions'?
  • Temmen li l-waiver lil Franco Mercieca kienet żball?
  • Taħseb li l-pożizzjoni ta' Franco Mercieca għadha tenibbli? Taqbel ma min qed jgħid li għandu jirriżenja?
  • Taqbel li din il-kwistjoni ma kienetx mistennija mill-Gvern u li qed timbarazza lill-Prim Ministru?
  • Id-dħul ta' Franco Mercieca bħala speċjalist tal-għajnejn hu ħafna aktar minn dak ta' segretarju Parlamentari. Taqbel li din ir-raġuni tiġġustifika l-waiver? Taħseb li d-diskors li kien sar fuq l-onorarja issa qed jaffettwa negattivament lid-deputati Laburisti?


Naħseb li l-kwistjoni kollha tal-każ ta' Franco Mercieca hija l-kawża viżibbli tal-ħsara li għamel il-Partit Laburista meta iddemonizza u dawwar b'mod partiġġjan id-deċiżjoni li kien ħa l-Kabinett preċedenti li l-Ministri jibqgħu jitħallsu l-onorarja ta' Membri Parlamentari. Huwa vera li l-komunikazzjoni ta’ din id-deċijoni ma kienetx tajba, pero’ huwa veru wkoll li din setgħet kienet soluzzjoni fit-tul għall-problema li kien jaffaċċja kull Prim Ministru meta jiġi biex jifforma Kabinett, u d-dilemma li kien jiltaqa’ magħha kull professjonist meta jiġi biex jaċċetta kariga fl-Eżekuttiv.

Ir-riżultat issa hu li biex Joseph Muscat ma jmurx lura mill-kritika li għamel fuq l-onorarja, qed jaċċetta li jgħawweġ l-etika biex iħalli Ministri jew Segretarji Parlamentari li jibqgħu iservu b’mod privat, bl-iskuża tal-ġid tal-pazjent. L-iskuża kienet li dan ser isir biss nhar ta’ Ħadd u mhux waqt il-ġranet ta’ xogħol, li dan ser isir bla ħlas, u li dan ser isir biss f’każi speċjalizzati li jista’ jara biss Franco Mercieca. Fuq l-aħħar waħda diġa tqajmu dubju kemm hi vera, u fuq it-tnejn l-oħra inkixfet il-verita’ li qed jinkisru it-tnejn li huma. F’dan l-istadju allura għandna każ fejn jew il-Prim Ministru gideb meta għamel dik id-dikjarazzjoni u qal li Mercieca mhux qed jara każijiet bħall-kataretti, jew inkella kien Mercieca li gideb lill-Prim Ministru. Quddiem sitwazzjoni bħal din, naħseb li l-pożizzjoni ta’ Mercieca mihix tenibbli. U jekk inhu vera li hu daqshekk indispensabbli għall-pazjenti, mela allura ma kinetx għaqlija id-deċiżjoni li jservi ta’ Segretarju Parlamentari. L-etika tar-rwol ma tinbidilx mal-persuna. Hija l-persuna li trid tinbidel skont l-eżiġenzi tar-rwol li sservi.

Il-fatt li issa Franco Mercieca iddikjara li ħa jkun qed iwaqqaf din il-prattika privata turi li din kienet deċiżjoni oħra żbaljata ta’ Gvern li qed jaġixxi b’mod reattiv għal dak li joħroġ fil-media jew għas-sentimenti populisti. Ir-riżultat aħħari hu li minn pajjiz li kien qed jiddiskuti għandux ikollu Parlament full-time, spiċċajna qed niddiskutu jekk ikollniex Gvern part-time. Dan ma tantx hu sinjal progressiv.

Dal-każ joħroġ ukoll differenza kbira. Meta fl-1966 Ċensu Tabone kien inħatar Ministru, Borg Olivier ma kienx aċċetta li jibqa’ jaħdem ta’ oftalmologu, lanqas fil-ħin liberu tiegħu, minkejja li l-Kodiċi ta’ Etika kien baqagħlu 28 sena biex jinkiteb. Id-differenza pero’ kienet li dak iż-żmien, l-etika, il-professjonalita’ u l-ġentlomerija kienu parti mis-sens komun, u kienu jmorru lil hinn minn dak li neċessarjament issib miktub fil-kodiċi u l-liġijiet.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Shema Yisrael, the cries of the Palestinian people

You live a peaceful life in a modest home. You've never bothered anyone and you've never caused trouble. Out of the blues, a group of people claim that they should live in your house. Why? Because they have been persecuted in a war, and they claim that some 5,000 years ago, their God had told them your home was their promised land. Somehow, the whole community agrees with their wishes, and asks you to grant them your spare-bedroom. You oblige. After a few months, they take the whole top-floor. In a few year's time, they take over your kitchen. After a few more years, they own your house and keep you and your family locked in the bathroom. They don't even allow you to get out, while they strip-search you the few times they do. Even if it's a medical emergency. Sometimes not even medical personnel and ambulances are allowed to see to your needs while your children die in your hands. Desperation starts hitting you. Life seems to offer no hopes. In moments

The Great Energy Proposal

I followed the example of a facebook comment uploaded on another blog to work out the savings my household will make with Labour's energy proposals. Our bill for of €717.80 for 7 months is divided into: An electricity service charge of €36.86 Electricity consumption of €404.83 A water service charge of €33.46 Water consumption of €242.65 Through the new tariff scheme, reducing the electricity consumption bill by 25% and the water consumption bill by 5%, our bill will read: An electricity service charge of €36.86 Electricity consumption of €303.62 A water service charge of €33.46 Water consumption of €230.52 A total of €604.46 for the same 7 months. A reduction of €16.20 a month. But this reduction comes at what price? This grand plan, the one we have been expecting for all these years, will materialize  if  we find a private investor ready to fork out €500 million in capital investment,  if  we reach a 10-year fixed price agreement,  if we manage to b

Why I am dropping out of the Anti-ACTA protest

Like many avid internet users, I have followed with interest the debate about ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement). After reading numerous articles, watched sensational videos, and discussed ad nauseam with friends, I have realized that what I have come across is a campaign hi-jacked by lies, myths and misconceptions as to rival Malta's misinformed divorce referendum campaign. I have to say that the videos on Youtube   got me worried. I quickly signed the petition, joined the Anti-ACTA groups, and prepared myself for a full-blown fight against the big-governments who want to intrude on our privacy and freedom of expression. Like our MEP Edward Scicluna invited us to do in the University debate last Wednesday, I did not try to understand the details of ACTA but rather saw who the players behind it were. But as usual, my logical instincts took over, and his call to not try to understand ACTA actually pushed me to read the text. And here's what I now know: ACTA is