Replacement of sports department by council criticised

Labour MPs Michael Farrugia and Joseph Cuschieri on Wednesday criticised government plans to replace the department of sports with a sports council made up almost exclusively of persons nominated by the government.

Speaking during the debate on the sports bill, Dr Farrugia said the bill showed that the government was not happy with its own set-up for sports, and was looking for a remedy by changing the structure and the role of the Malta Sports Council.

The council would, unfortunately be composed solely of government representatives, except for one representing the Malta Olympic Committee. Why should there not be more sports organisations represented on the council?

The past of other similarly set up organisations had already shown what this would mean in practice, serving only as a front for the government.

The bill purported to be against any sort of discrimination regarding access to sporting activities. But another section said that any such discrimination could not be enforced in court.

On a point of explanation, Parliamentary Secretary for Youth and Sports Jesmond Mugliett said there were other mechanisms that could be brought into play against such discrimination.

Dr Farrugia said he could see what Mr Mugliett meant, but it was not so clear from the bill. He suggested this should be put right in committee stage.

Dr Farrugia said he hoped that the new register of sports organisations, which would make those registered eligible for assistance, would not lead to discrimination among organisations competing in the same sector.

On another point of explanation, Mr Mugliett said registration was binding only on organisations which had contractual arrangements with the government for the administration of certain sports facilities. The organisers of ad hoc sports events, such as a shooting, would not be expected to register. In any case, the board's decision to register or otherwise any organisation could be appealed from.

Dr Farrugia said this could be used to foster unity among various organisations which worked independently of one another for the same goals. This was true even of some NGOs. It was the sort of pluralism that the country's limited resources could not afford.

He said local councils should be given a greater role in sports activities in their localities, especially among young people, and arrangements should be made for schools to make their sports facilities available to their communities. But this should not be done against payment, which could ultimately induce a local council to set up its own "free" facilities, leading to more duplication of efforts.

Dr Farrugia spoke about the dangers of the use of illicit drugs in sports.

He said the Kerygma Movement deserved praise not only for the way it organised its marathon activities but also for the serious way in which it insisted on medical assessments of its volunteers. This attitude should be a shining example to other NGOs in similar lines of activity.

Mr Joseph Cuschieri (MLP) said the House had before it yet another bill to set up an authority, council or other similar structure at the expense of an already-existing government department. A better alternative would have been to bolster the ailing department and help it to function better.

The worst thing about the scenario was that none of the workers in the department knew anything yet about what was to become of them.

The fact that the minister could allocate a sporting facility to any organisation without a parliamentary resolution did not bode well. The government should seriously reconsider this situation, especially since it involved precious national wealth.