Of indolence and arrogance

The indolence in certain departments is unprecedented. I made an enquiry to the Malta Transport Authority (ADT) through Minister Austin Gatt's much flaunted e-government early this month. So far, no reply has been received.

Who is responsible for ensuring that these services are operating efficiently? I believe the answer must be nobody. So we spend money we do not have so that we can brag of a state-of-the art e-government information system which the ADT cannot be bothered to operate and Dr Gatt seems even less interested in assuring that the money that was spent at his behest is put to good use.

Such is the lamentable governance of this country. Even the Inland Revenue office is allowed to ride roughshod over the hapless citizen. Tax returns that were delivered far too late (indolence again) still have to be returned by the end of the month.

In this case, Big Brother can bludgeon the little man who, faced with a Lm1,000 tax demand which was not budgeted for, because in fact a refund was expected, finds himself threatened with a usury rate of interest that needs challenging in a court of law.

My experience of Nationalist administrations has been an unhappy one. Warden tickets, wrongly issued, compelled me to travel to Zejtun tribunal to answer to a parking infringement by a car which I did not own.

In that case all my efforts in pointing out that this ticket was wrongly issued were in vain. I had to go to the tribunal straight after being released from hospital, dressed in jacket and tie, in a sweltering mid-July day, at 1.30 p.m., only to be told that I can go because the ticket was wrongly issued!

It cost me Lm18 for two taxi rides from Attard to Zejtun, yet when I asked to be compensated I was curtly told to seek redress through a lawyer. No apologies. Evidently, the tribunal can treat me with utter contempt and I cannot even argue my case.

Such is life under worsening PN administrations; all controls have gone to the wind and the country seems to be rudderless.

Arrogance has become the order of the day. This is another administration which is truly behaving like an obnoxious bully, strong with the weak and weak with the strong.