Some reflections on Malta and beyond

On October 6 my wife and I travelled back from Malta on Air Malta and as she had hurt her leg needed assistance to board the plane. May I thank the staff at the airport and on the plane for their kindness and consideration. One of the benefits was a complimentary copy of The Times that I found most interesting and informative and prompted me to write a few words.

The article Student Heckles Transport Minister Over Bus Service did sound as familiar as the complaints made by the guests in our hotel. Arriva operate in Britain and at first attracted similar comments.

The problem may not be of Arriva’s making, they have tendered for a contract and the wording of the contract determines if they are failing.

I imagine trying to obtain a copy of the final version of the contract documents invokes the usual retort that it is commercially sensitive. It is worthy of note that the only part of a contract that is commercially sensitive are the rates and prices the company tendered. Many contracts these days are based on a “quality submission” and these documents are masterpieces of salesmanship with words strung together in an elegant and compelling yarn worthy of Alistair McLean or Tom Clancy.

If this is the basis of the Malta Transport contract then it should be available for inspection or reproduction so that everyone on the island can judge if that is what is being provided. In some respects Arriva have a difficult job to manage change, but openness helps.

I then read two articles that dovetailed nicely together, Airport Handles More Passengers and Air Malta Restructuring – the former giving the useful data the airport handles 2,781,802 passengers per annum and the latter that Air Malta loses €3 million per month and that equals €36 million per annum. Assuming Air Malta carries 50 per cent of the passengers then dividing €36 million by 1,390,901 passengers yields €26 per passenger. This is not an astronomical sum for an airline that treats people with care and dignity and not as gullible fools loaded like cattle.

Maybe Air Malta should advertise the quality of their premier service – generous luggage allowance, no surprises like “you didn’t check-in online, that will be an extra €85 and no charges for paying by credit card”. Oh, and don’t forget the warm welcome and helpful attitude.

Finally, there are several articles on the plight of the eurozone and the problems surrounding Greece. It is a bit much I know for a Brit to criticise the EU, God only knows how much corruption goes on in our own Parliament with MPs being sent to prison for false accounting. In the past if Greece got into financial difficulties the drachma was devalued and the pound had a better purchasing power, nobody’s salary was affected but the price of imports and external services became more expensive. Now within the EU auditors refuse to sign off the annual accounts as monies spent cannot be reconciled; it is reported that some MEPs are manipulating the system for personal profit.

The EU for better or worse is one for all and all for one but there is no accountability or ownership for actions taken. If a company is in financial difficulties an administrator is appointed and if it can be shown that the directors are involved in financial irregularities they can be barred from a directorship for several years. Why then have the EU not followed this tried-and-tested system but lent money to the Greek government and yet not required the politicians to be disbarred from Parliament for 10 years?

Also, why are the senior civil servants not dismissed for gross misconduct and why have they not devalued the euro? Oh sorry they are all politicians, Teflon people and they will continue as such. As Voltaire said, “it pays to execute an admiral now and then, it tends to encourage the others”. If you think my views are a bit strong on this subject, it is probably due to reading the book 80 Billion Euro Man, a diatribe on the Irish EU bailout.

So here is wishing Malta all the best for the future and to say how envious we should be that you have such an informative paper as The Times.