Ministerial aversions

In an age when most human activities or occupations in the public and private sectors are measured in terms of specific outcomes and timeframes, Social Policy Minister John Dalli clearly comes across as averse to this professional trend. Establishing these principles should be viewed as a vital element of good management.

In July 2008, when asked to comment on a report drawn up by the Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs of the European Commission, which said that technical economic computations made by EU experts indicated that Malta can save up to three-fifths of its current spending on health care, Mr Dalli's reply was that he prefers to wait to analyse the formulas used to reach this figure. The minister has to date failed to come out with a target date for the determination of his analysis.

According to the latest Euro Health Consumer Index, published on November 14, Malta has slipped in Europe healthcare rankings, particularly in some important healthcare areas such as waiting-time for operations and MRI scans, direct access to specialist doctors, MRSA infections, the operation of new technologists and in access to new drugs in the national subsidised system including those related to cancer treatment (The Times, November 14). Since the March 2008 election, Mr Dalli has refrained from identifying specific quantified outcomes with timeframes for these seemingly intractable health problems.

The Sex Offenders Register is still on Mr Dalli's agenda thanks to the insistent advocacy of the Minister of Education, Culture, Youths and Sport, Dolores Christina. When I suggested to Mrs Christina in my Talking Point to make haste slowly (June 13) and furthermore said that Mr Dalli was on the right track in making a proper analysis first of this delicate issue, my advice was never designed to absolve Mr Dalli from setting a specific outcome determination for an introduction of the Register. A Social Policy Minister should know that the interests of our children are paramount.

On August 24, 2008, Mr Dalli hit the MaltaToday headlines: Dalli Tells Sex Health Expert To "Zip Up". According to MaltaToday, Philip Carabot, head of the genito-urinary clinic working on a national policy on sexual health, was prevented by Mr Dalli from giving media interviews or talking to the press. Owing to Mr Dalli's high-handed intervention and seemingly prudish/phobic attitude on sex issues, Malta is still without a comprehensive policy on sex education. Mr Dalli comes across as a cut above the others.

The Malta Gay Rights Movement attacked Mr Dalli for calling a proposed EU anti-discrimination directive "premature" (October 23). Mr Dalli is reported to have said that the directive should not prejudice national practices in areas such as marriage, the family, sexual and reproductive rights.

It is my understanding that Mr Dalli turned down a request for a meeting with MGRM. Listening and making compromises are considered a vital requirement for an effective politician, particularly in the social policy sphere. The least Mr Dalli could have done was to meet MGRM in the first place and offer them a negotiated settlement of the EU directive. This move would have given them reassurance and a sense of being treated with human dignity.

Mr Dalli's stand on divorce is now public knowledge. He conditionally favours divorce (The Sunday Times, July 13). His premature call for a public debate on this issue must have come as a bitter pill for the Prime Minister to swallow. Being the pragmatist that he is reputed to be, the Prime Minister entered into a "holy alliance" with Mr Dalli by putting his weight behind him in declaring a discussion on the divorce issue with his Cabinet.

The honourable course open to Mr Dalli and the Prime Minister will be to set a target date for a winding-up of the productive public debate that has ensued and declare whether the introduction of divorce legislation is a distinct reality under the present circumstances. Otherwise, the public would justifiably interpret the politicians' silence as a game they love to play, thus reinforcing what Charles De Gaulle stated years ago: "Since a politician never believes what he says, he is surprised when others believe him".