Appointments in the public sector are based on recommendations from “party headquarters”, according to a German research foundation.

This was one of the reasons why Malta scored a lowly 5.1 out of 10 in policy performance, one of three tests on sustainable governance compiled by Bertelsmann Stiftung, a private foundation.

Malta was included for the first time in the sustainable governance indicators study released this week, covering the period May 2011 to May 2013. It assesses 41 developed countries.

The Maltese authors who contributed to the index – Godfrey Pirotta, director of the Institute of Public Administration and Management, and Isabelle Calleja, head of the University of Malta’s International Relations Department – commented on the underuse of qualified policymakers.

“Discrimination or lack of political trust on behalf of the government has caused this problem and until merit becomes the established criteria for government recruitment and promotion, the problem will persist,” they wrote.

As the period under review only coincided with the first two months of a Labour government, the authors simply took note of the electoral pledge to put merit as the benchmark for public appointments.

Whether the government has lived up to its commitment is still to be seen but the authors noted such an exercise could only succeed if a proper audit of skills and qualifications within the public service is done.

“This has never happened, as the standard practice for appointments and promotions is essentially a recommendation from party headquarters,” they said.

The index linked to policy performance analysed three areas: the environment, the social field and the economy.

Malta failed in environmental policy, scoring 4.5. The result was conditioned by dismal efforts to invest in renewable energy, lack of recycling, faltering biodiversity and just four out of 10 for government efforts to safeguard the environment.

In social policy, Malta scored 5.2, with the authors saying the primary causes were the relatively low educational attainment and a social-protection benefits system that did not fully protect against poverty.

Questions over the sustainability of the healthcare system and pensions and the low employment rate of women also dampened the social policy score.

On the economic front, Malta scored 5.5, boosted by what the authors said was “a strongly consultative economic approach”.

Of particular note was the large size of the informal economy, a factor that shifted the tax burden to formal wage earners.

Budget deficits were moderately high and “understated”, while debt was reaching “risky levels”, the authors said, noting that research and development was an underdeveloped sector.

Enemalta’s massive debt and the country’s total dependence on oil imports for its energy needs were also cause for concern as the post-general election developments were not factored into the analysis.

‘Conspicuously absent’ integration policies

Failure to adopt policies that allow for integration of refugees from Africa can only lead to future problems, warned Dr Pirotta and Dr Calleja.

The problems could be exacerbated by the country’s small size, they added.

“Malta must implement clear integration policies which, so far, have been conspicuously absent.”

However, their observations were not limited to African asylum seekers but also to EU citizens who live in Malta and suffered discriminatory practices in utility bills and public transport fares.

The EU had already demonstrated that Malta’s attempts to discourage immigrants through discriminatory policies would not be tolerated, they said.

“Good governance dictates that a thorough study of the situation should be conducted to ensure future policy considers immigrant interests... and is not discriminatory,” the report said.

A democracy that lacks quality

Malta may have a very high participation rate in elections, but the quality of its democracy only ranks 38th among 41 countries.

The island scored 5.3 from 10 in the Bertelsmann Stiftung sustainable governance indicators study.

Its ‘best’ performance was in the study’s third test related to governance, with a score of 5.4.

The lack of party financing laws and campaign finance monitoring mechanisms, coupled with the multitude of exceptions attached to the freedom of information law and the absence of a referendum, through which citizens can propose their own legislation, dragged down the democracy score.

Another blotch was the appointment of judges by the government, with the authors noting that Malta was the only European country where the Prime Minister enjoyed “almost total discretion on judicial appointments”.

Other factors for the low ranking were the pro-government, State-owned media and the political parties’ dominance of the broadcasting sector, which contributed to a much polarised environment.

The authors noted there was lack of effective anti-corruption measures and government information remained difficult to obtain.

On the governance side, the authors insisted that ministries had to strengthen internal policy and research processes, allowing them to address issues in “a more professional and coordinated manner”.

They said the ministries’ failure to coordinate policy in the 2011 bus reform brought chaos to the roads and hardship to commuters.

“An attempt to clean up the mess only resulted in a hefty increase in subsidies and payments to the private operator,” they said.

If the government’s strategic capacity was to improve, legislators must abandon their “traditional secrecy” and be ready to engage more fully with civil society, the authors argued.

“There is a general tendency to consult the public only after decisions are taken.”

The authors called for more human and financial resources to be committed to Parliament and its committees.

They raised the question as to whether MPs should be full-time parliamentarians rather than part-timers.

Where they stand

	Malta	Cyprus	UK	Italy
Policy performance	5.1	4.7	6.9	5
Democracy	5.3	6.4	7.3	6.8
Governance	5.4	3.9	6.9	5.9

Source: SGI study, Bertelsmann Stiftung

ksansone@timesofmalta.com