Monday, 7th July 2008

Lame ducks and business realities

Albert Gauci Cunningham, Buġibba

Unlike those organisations which acted all surprised when the privatisation of Malta Shipbuilding was announced, the average taxpayer (mostly the middle class) who has paid out hundreds of millions in subsidies, was not.

In today's world lame ducks have no future and business is business. No one wants to be part of a loss-making entity. The idea that your place of work is a charity which sustains the individual under any circumstance has lost all its relevance, if it ever had any.

Privatising the shipyards has to be seen solely in this context and if successful it'll prove to be the best thing that ever happened to this notorious white elephant.

It is now in the hands of all the stakeholders, who owe a little bit too much to the rest of us, to see to it that this one last chance of turning the shipyards to profitability reaches fruition. Collaboration is fundamental, but to collaborate you need ideas, plans and the foresight to see how, why and when these plans should be implemented. It shouldn't be just a buzzword used to buy time, waiting for the others to do the dirty work for you.

It is in no one's interest to put spokes in the wheels, especially those who in words heralded a new political season. The lame duck has to go and live up to the business reality in this globalised world.

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Article © Allied Newspapers Ltd., printed on Monday, November 23, 2009. This article is for personal use only, and should not be distributed.

Comments

c galea (on 8/7/08)

For years we have heard how much of the taxpayers money is being lost by the shipyards,and I am not going into that issue. One question I would like to ask though. I have never heard anyone talk about how much of the taxpayers money is being lost by those government workers that do not even bother to show up to work let alone do any work.?

Joe Martinelli (on 8/7/08)

laurence schembri, I don't expect you to understand, so to reply to you would be pointless.

Just continue with your blinkers on. The MLP thrives on characters like you.

By the way - save on travel taxes - buy a one way ticket to Timbuctoo.

Tonio Bugeja (on 7/7/08)

The shipyards should have been done with years ago. If the GWU is so keen about it, it should take it over, lock stock and barrel and run it itself. It will be in a position to do all the nice things it preaches to its members. Nobody will interfere! The government should make the offer and give it over FOC. Nothing is a charity organisation and it has mopped up enough of our hard earned taxes. The government should provide a time frame and get over with it. I am sure that the government coffers will be less dried up. The maltese will draw a sigh of relieffffffffffffffffffffff!

laurence schembri (on 7/7/08)

What I`m dying to find out is, who leaks all this information to Martinelli. If our economy is performing so well, why is it that Tonio Fenech keep taking my dosh away in illegal taxation every time I have to travel? Get a grip Joe.

Charles Camilleri (on 7/7/08)

Denise you need some lessons in how Governments run the country. Privatising or closing the Drydocks means that the Government will no longer continue to borrow money to support this laming duck. On the contrary saved money will be used to pay our past debts. No company whether Government owned or private one can go on losing money indefinitely. The day of reckoning will come. If you follow foreign news you will understand what i mean. Thousands of workers are laid of daily because of companies making loses. This is just economic reality.

Joe Martinelli (on 7/7/08)

Denise Briffa, the millions the government saves from privatizing the shipyards will go towards improved services and capital expenditures which you yourself may have demanded in the past. That, in itself, will be your gain.

The privatization has nothing to do with lowering of taxes. Had that been so, the government would be paying you for not paying taxes after the privatization of Mid-Med, Bank of Valletta, Sea Malta etc.

Would be nice if all services are provided free of charge (and free of taxes) all the time by all governments. It is simply not possible and isn't done elsewhere.

The shipyards are insolvent and once subsidies stop, bankruptcy follows. Bankrupt companies lay off ALL employees. Privatization will save a substantial number of jobs and the rest will hopefully be relocated and others will receive an early retirement package.

No one relishes inheriting unemployed persons. Past experience indicates that our economy is performing well enough that it will be able to absorb the ones who will end up without work

Denise Briffa (on 7/7/08)

Everybody is complaining about the Shipyard now, saying it has been wasting our taxes for all this time, fine, but do you think Maltese taxes will be less? Do you think that you will gain from the shipyard being sold? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO you won't! The taxes will still increase, all that these complainers would have gained is over 1,000 unemployed. Good business sense Wow!!!

Lame ducks and business realities

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