Updated - Adds Labour statement - PN Deputy leader Beppe Fenech Adami said this afternoon that the appointment of a the Energy minister's wife as an investment envoy for Malta Enterprise in Asia was the height of nepotism.
In a statement issued shortly after, Malta Enterprise defended the appointment and listed Mrs Sai Mizzi's qualifications.
Speaking at a press conference outside the Malta Enterprise offices in Guardamangia, Dr Fenech Adami said this was a position that had been created specifically for the wife of Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi, who is Asian. No call for applications was made, he noted, adding that the only criterion for Mrs Mizzi's appointment appeared to be that she spoke Chinese.
Political responsibility, Dr Fenech Adami said, rested on the prime minister, because what had taken place was in sharp contrast to his promises of meritocracy, transparency and good governance.
The opposition, he said, was expecting clear explanations from the government on the nature of the appointment and conditions of employment, including salary.
The Times of Malta reported today that Mrs Mizzi will be operating from an office in Shanghai on a basic salary of €40,000 apart from other allowances related to travel.
This morning Dr Mizzi said he had not used his influence for the appointment of his wife. He said he had discussed it as length with her but it was Malta Enterprise who had made the approach, and questions should therefore be directed to the agency.
See separate story at http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130924/local/konrad-mizzi-sees-no-reason-to-rersign.487530
Meanwhile, the minister responsible for Malta Enterprise, Chris Cardona, told The Times of Malta that he did not know how the appointment was made. See http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130924/local/cardona-says-he-has-no-idea-how-energy-ministers-wife-was-recruited.487461
MALTA ENTERPRISE EXPLAINS, LISTS QUALIFICATIONS
In a statement, Malta Enterprise said that Sai Mizzi is an Envoy of the Maltese Government with responsibility for promoting Asian investment in Malta and Maltese exports to the same region. She was engaged on August 26 for a definite period by Malta Enterprise. The countries she will target include China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore.
She will operate mainly from Shanghai. She is not involved in any energy related projects
"Envoys are not appointed through public calls. This is in fact not the first time that a Maltese government has appointed a special envoy with a specific mission related to investment promotion, nor is it the first time thatthese envoys were contracted through Malta Enterprise. Her salary and conditions are in line with those applicable in Malta’s foreign service, " Malta Enterprise said.
It said that Mrs Mizzi, who is a Maltese citizen, holds a first degree in International Trade from Dalian, China, pursued postgraduate studies at the Beijing Foreign Language University and has a Master’s degree in Investment and Finance from the University of Nottingham.
She specialises in business development, international investment and trade promotion, market research and project management.
She has in the past developed business plans in various industrial sectors to access the Asian markets and also supported the development of tourism promotion.
A few years ago, Mrs. Mizzi had also project managed the first version of the Visit Malta websites for the Japanese and Chinese markets. She also carried out market analysis for international companies pursuing opportunities in China and in Asia. She worked with Big Four audit companies for a number of years as well as with international export firms in Asia and Europe.
LABOUR PARTY REACTION
In a reaction, the Labour Party said Simon Busuttil and the Nationalist Party were in a panic because the government was on target to reduce the power and water tariffs and they were therefore resorting to personal attacks.
Since they could not find anything against Dr Mizzi, they were attacking his wife.
Dr Busuttil felt scandalised because the government had engaged a Maltese woman of Chinese origin to attract investment from Asia, but he had forgotten that the Nationalist Government used Mrs Mizzi's services. But at the time the government had confidence in her, as long as she was not the wife of minister Konrad Mizzi.
The difference, the PL said, was that the former government spent €4 million in direct orders for the former chairman of Malta Enterprise while the present government was investing in people to attract investment from different parts of the world, something which the Muscat government was already managing to achieve.