Dwar ir-rapport devastanti tal-Awditur Ġenerali fuq it-tmexxija tal-proprjetajiet tal-gvern, ħafna mill-kummenti kkonċentraw fuq il-governanza. Hemm aspett ieħor, forsi tal-istess importanza, li joħroġ mir-rapport. Għandu jqanqal ukoll tħassib qawwi. Jikkonċerna l-amministrazzjoni mitluqa u laxka tal-artijiet u proprjetajiet tal-gvern.

Żgur li din ma saritx hekk fl-aħħar tliet snin. Tirrifletti qagħda li nbniet matul deċennji sħaħ, taħt gvernijiet differenti li – ejja ngħidu – ftit taw kas ta’ x’kien għaddej. Fil-każi li daħal fihom l-Awditur Ġenerali, il-proċess amministrattiv segwit xejn ma kien ċar. Ir-rekord ta’ kif tħejjew id-deċiżjonijiet kien nieqes għalkollox jew imħarbat. Wieħed jista’ jassumi li dil-ħaġa tgħodd għal każi oħra, skandalużi jew le, fl-istess qasam.

Issa jekk iċ-ċivil “antik” kellu xi ħaġa tajba, din kienet il-mod metikoluż kif kull fettuqa kienet tiġi reġistrata. Dis-sistema ġiet żarmata matul is-snin. It-tmexxija tal-artijiet tal-gvern hi magħrufa bħala waħda fost l-aktar staġnati, bil-problema tkompli ssir akbar wara li l-artijiet tal-Knisja għaddew għand il-gvern.

Il-kurżità hi li dan ġara f’pajjiż fejn l-art hi mitqiesa bħala l-aqwa ġid li jista’ jkollok. Ġara meta l-gvernijiet kollha kellhom l-akbar għatx għad-dħul finnazjarju mingħajr ma jkollhom għax iżidu t-taxxi.

Donnu kien hemm min kellu interess matul is-snin li jħalli l-amministrazzjoni tal-proprjetajiet tal-gvern tintelaq u tillaxka.

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Smart City

Jista’ xi ħadd jagħti lill-pubbliku Malti rendikont eżatt ta’ fejn jinsab il-proġett ta’ Smart City illum?

Jista’ dar-rendikont jinkludi rapport kronoloġiku dwar l-iżviluppi li seħħew fil-proġett matul is-snin?

Jista’ jinkludi wkoll paragun bejn dak li ġie mwiegħed dwar il-proġett u dak li twettaq fir-realtà?

Tant saru wegħdi, tant tqajmu perspettivi dwar Smart City sa mill-bidu nett tiegħu li bla dubju, hu fl-interess nazzjonali li jkollna f’idejna rendikont bħal dan.

Ftit tista’ tifhem għaliex għadu ma sarx.

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Permessi

Il-burokrazija għadha magħna.

Hi ħaġa ċara li soċjetà ċivili bilfors trid tħaddem sistema fejn biex iċ-ċittadini jwettqu ċerti proġetti li se jkollhom impatt fuq ta’ madwarhom, iridu l-ewwel jakkwistaw permess. Mhux biss il-proċess li bih jinħarġu l-permessi jrid ikun trasparenti – irid ukoll ikun effiċjenti u mħarrek.

Fost il-vizzji li għandna bis-sistema ta’ permessi tagħna hemm eċċess ta’ permessi meħtieġa biex tagħmel xi ħaġa, jew permessi li jiddependu minn oħrajn li jridu joħorġu qabilhom biex jistgħu huma jinħarġu.

Pereżempju assigurawni dan l-aħħar li anki biex taqsam kamra interna f’darek b’ħajt tal-ġipsum trid permess.

Sadattant, Malta tgħodd fost il-pajjiżi Ewropej li minħabba l-burokrazija li jkollhom jiffaċċjaw, in-negozji ġodda jeħtieġu l-aktar żmien biex itellqu ħidmiethom.

English Version – Administrative concerns

Most comments regarding the Auditor General’s devastating report about the lands department concentrated on topics related to governance. However there is another matter, perhaps equally important, that features prominently in the same report. It too gives rise to the utmost concern. The administration of the government’s lands and properties is to put it mildly, sloppy and lax.

This certainly did not come about during the last three years. It reflects changes which developed over decades, under successive governments which, let us say, gave scant attention to what was going on. In the cases investigated by the Auditor General, the administrative procedures that were followed were quite opaque. The record covering the preparation of decisions was totally missing or confused. One can assume that the same is true for other cases in the same department, whether scandalous or not.

Now, if the “old style” civil service had one virtue, it was the meticulous manner by which every administrative detail would be registered. With time, this system was dismantled. It is widely acknowledged that the management of government lands is among those most logjammed. The problem became more acute after lands owned by the Church were transferred to government.

What is curious is that this happened in an island where land is considered to be the best asset to hold. It also happened when all governments had the greatest incentive to increase their revenue without needing to raise taxes.

It seems as if over the years there were people who had an interest in letting the management of government properties become slack and lax.

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Smart City

Could the Maltese public be given an exact account of the situation today at Smart City?

Could such an account include a report about how the situation developed over the years, and this in chronological order?

Could it also include a comparison between what was originally envisaged for the project and what was really accomplished?

Right from the start, so many promises about Smart City were made, so many perspectives were promoted that it is in the national interest for such an account to be published.

It is incomprehensible that it still needs to be carried out.

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Permits

Bureaucracy is still the order of the day.

Clearly, civilised society must organize a system by which citizens who implement projects that will have an impact on their fellows, have first to obtain permission to go ahead. The process by which permits are issued has to be a transparent one; it also must be efficient and speedy.

Among the defects inherent in our permits system there are the excessive number of permits required to carry out a project, plus the arrangement by which the issue of permits remains subject to the prior issue of other permits.

For instance I was recently assured that you even need a permit in order to divide an internal room in your own home with a gypsum wall.

Meanwhile, Malta is among the European countries where due to the bureaucracy that they must deal with, businesses waste the most time in trying to launch their new activities.

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