Christian Peregin
L-Istrina beneficiaries still unknown
The Malta Community Chest Fund, which this year organised the annual charity marathon L-Istrina, has so far failed to publish the list of organisations benefitting from the €2.3 million collected on Boxing Day.
Each year, the list of chosen beneficiaries is publicised beforehand so people could know who the money is going to, in the proportion that they would be receiving. But this year the list never featured in any of the press releases about the event and nor on the websites of L-Istrina or the MCCF.
Distributing the proceeds of last year's L-Istrina to 16 organisations in late October, President George Abela said that the MCCF received 48 applications in 2009 and 18 beneficiaries had been chosen.
However, neither the chosen organisations, nor the committee members have yet been made public.
The only time some of the organisations were mentioned was during the L-Istrina programme itself, when some volunteers of a few of the organisations were interviewed in video clips broadcast.
The Times has repeatedly asked the MCCF for a list of this year's beneficiaries after the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations, Kenneth Wain and the chairman of the Council of the Voluntary Sector, Robert Farrugia both said they had not been informed of the list of beneficiaries.
The only reply that was forthcoming from the President's Office was that it had "nothing to add" to the information issued when the story first broke that L-Istrina required ministerial intervention for it to be held legally, since the MCCF had not registered as a voluntary organisation under the 2007 Voluntary Organisations Act.
Although enrolment is not compulsory, it qualifies organisations to receive state funds and benefits, such as airtime on PBS, as L-Istrina received.
In a statement issued through the Department of Information, the President's Office said it was not legally bound to enrol and that the beneficiaries had been selected.
"These beneficiaries have not only been identified but have been duly informed by the Malta Community Chest Fund board that they were going to be this year's beneficiaries of L-Istrina."
"... it seems quite convenient to try to make people forget the features repeatedly carried out during this year's edition of L-Istrina of who these organisation beneficiaries were going to be," the statement said, without actually mentioning the organisations.
However, several requests later, the list has still not been released and no public explanation given.
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alfred caruana
Jan 16th 2010, 11:32
i simply think that it is not fair to leave the public that donated all this cash , especially this year, where no presents where given, ,just leave him in total darkness on who are going to be the beneficiaries and the percentage that all the entites are getting if they get chosin Also what i would like to know under what criteria the entities get chosen and by whom.
C. Fabri
Jan 8th 2010, 08:40
Quoting "Distributing the proceeds of last year's L-Istrina to 16 organisations in late OCTOBER" If I'm not mistaken, the Istrina comes in December right?
louise vella
Jan 7th 2010, 15:14
As regards information that it would be desirable to publish on the distribution of MCCF funds since 2000 would be for example: sum spent on washing machines, sum spent on refrigerators, preferably with the town or village (or perhaps the electoral district) of the beneficiaries.
louise vella
Jan 7th 2010, 14:52
2.
As the organisers of L-Istrina whipped up public emotions and enthusiasm to collect the money, they cannot distribute the money privately as if it were some secret. President Abela should not look on transparency and accountability as a burden, but as an opportunity to justify the trust put in him by the public.
While he’s at it, he should also publish the names of the “entities” that received money from the MCCF in the past and the sums involved. I would say he should start with 1990. If not, starting with the year 2000 would be good enough. That way we can see how public money given to the MCCF has been distributed since the beginning of the millennium – “the third millennium of the Christian era”.
louise vella
Jan 7th 2010, 14:51
1.
There is the law and there is common decency. When funds are collected from the public (and they now run into millions) the public should be told how the money is spent - again within the bounds of decency.
No one expects the public to be told that Mr X was given €300 to pay for his air ticket to accompany Mrs X to London where she had an operation. However, in the case of what are vaguely called "entities", many of which have a high public profile, common decency expects the beneficiaries to be clearly identified and the sums awarded to each to be specified.
As far as I can see from the MCCF website, this was never done in the past. So it has nothing to do with the person of the present President. No President has ever identified the "entities" he favoured with his generosity. The issue has become more visible this year because of the greater visibility given to L-Istrina by President Abela himself and, as a result, the higher sum collected.
r pace bonello
Jan 7th 2010, 13:33
Why all this secrecy? Before contributing next year I will make sure that the list of beneficiaries will be made public beforehand and that the MCCF will not be receiving public funds, cash or services, if not enrolled with the Commissioner of Voluntary Organisations - as stated in the law.
r.spiteri
Jan 7th 2010, 11:13
To readers, usualy l-istrina publish not just names of beneficiaries but also the % as to what they will be getting.........this year why not?