WIthout meaning any disrespect to the individuals concerned, the "agreement" signed between the Principal Permanent Secretary (head honcho in the Civil Service) and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Police, Catering, Broadcasting and Marching About (just paraphrasing, it's Security & Home Affairs or something like that) is a document signed between the Organ Grinder and his monkey.
As I said, I really don't mean any disrespect to the gentlemen concerned, who are anyway just doing their political masters' bidding. I use the phrase merely to emphasise the inherent silliness of an agreement regulating the employment a bunch of people being signed by two blokes who are, respectively, the boss civil servant and his junior, a lesser, though not unimportant, boss in the Civil Service, which employs the people concerned.
The document is badly drafted, in that it is unclear whether the intention of the parties is to regulate the manner in, and length of time for, which the people who will be elevated next to the positions of Commissioner of Police, Deputy Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner will be appointed or whether it is meant to impose the new conditions on current position holders.
If it is the latter, which is very likely the case, except in the case of the Commissioner, who is there in an "Acting" capacity and therefore already "at the pleasure (mercy" of his cousin, the Minister, the "agreement" purports unilaterally to change a contract of employment that is in place and functioning.
If this were to happen in the private sector, all hell would be let loose.
Indeed, if it were to have happened when the PN were in Government, Chicken Licken would be running about and screaming and shouting that the sky was falling. But we have a Labour Government now, so God's in his Heaven and everything is fine and dandy in the world.
But the change to employment contracts (a change, incidentally which would be illegal in terms of the Employment & Industrial Relations Act, except that it does not apply to the employment of coppers) is not the main problem with this little gambit.
The real problem, as the Malta Police Association very rightly points out, is that it brings the continued employment of the incumbents of positions that are meant Constitutionally to be independent pretty much within the "grace and favour" purview of the Minister.
This is a minister, please bear in mind, who during his term of office has reverted us to a regime that would be familiar to the Roi Soleil of centuries long gone. "L'Etat c'est Moi" should be emblazoned on the (militarily protected) door of the Ministry, whence edicts that adopt the "Iure Imperrii" tone of our erstwhile colonisers emanate with disturbing regularity.
This is a minister, do please remember, who has told the Ombudsman to butt out, who has the Army eating out of his hand and who chooses to ridicule Opposition members who ask whether there is interference in public broadcasting.
The minister is the piper and he can call the tune, and this agreement, which contains no safeguards, allows this. Minister the Honourable Dr Manwel Mallia was unable to point to any safeguards in the agreement preventing this.
That is because there simply aren't any.
Mallia will have to forgive us, then, for taking his assurance that the agreement will not affect police independence of action simply because he expects to take him at his word that there will be no interference with the discretion of action that should be enjoyed by the Police in a democratic country, with a few pinches of salt.