Economy Minister Chris Cardona and the man he entrusted with attracting foreign direct investment hold differing views on how to brand the island.

While Dr Cardona yesterday said Malta should have a single image to heighten the island’s profile abroad, the head of Malta Enterprise, Mario Vella, felt that was not suitable when trying to attract investment in different economic sectors.

Both were speaking during a discussion panel on foreign direct investment as part of a day-long conference organised by EY.

Dr Cardona said Malta lacked visibility abroad, citing Qatar and South Africa as examples of countries that invested heavily in a single brand that upped their profile. He lamented the “disjointed” efforts of various agencies.

But Dr Vella insisted none of the large, industrial companies came to Malta because of “an advert”.

“They came here because we knew what door to knock on, who to speak to and what to offer them by way of incentives.”

He later softened his stand, insisting that having a core image was good as long as it was accompanied by “a tapestry” of characteristics that projected a different message to the various sectors Malta wanted to target.

‘Joining EU boosted brand of Malta Inc.’

The issue of visibility in the international scene was raised by Alastair Campbell, who served as director for communications and strategy under former British prime minister Tony Blair.

He was the keynote speaker at the event, delivering a lively speech in a relaxed manner that included spurts of British humour.

Mr Campbell said Malta had a good image but it was not powerful enough.

The island should adopt “a master image” that should be used by different government agencies to promote a single brand.

“Marketing is not cheap and easy and is relatively harder and more expensive if you’re small but every single investor is part of Malta Inc. and they should be used to send out a clear, simple message,” he said.

He noted that Malta’s brand was boosted when it joined the EU, acknowledging the acrimonious debate that preceded accession and the Labour Party’s stand then against membership: “At least, the debate here is settled, unlike in Britain.”

In the presence of Opposition leader Simon Busuttil, Mr Campbell said it always felt good to be in a country where Labour won by a landslide but cautioned the government that it could not govern by relying on the initial energy that characterised the start of a legislature.

“You do not govern on goodwill, you govern by governing well,” he said

Referring to the Labour quip, Dr Busuttil opened his addressed by pointing out he would focus on substance that had an impact on image. He criticised the government for lowering unemployment in “an artificial way” by increasing public sector jobs.

He said the business sector had to be less dependent on government demand, should target excellence and seek alliances to go international with their operations.

“In all this, the government should play a supervisory role by adopting strong regulation and not get directly involved in the economy.”

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, in a short message via video conference facilities, emphasised the economic success that put Malta ahead of many European countries.

He outlined his vision of a nation that would be to the Mediterranean what “Singapore is to Southeast Asia and Dubai to the Arab Gulf”.

“We can do more with our democratic credentials. Malta should stand out as a cosmopolitan oasis of stability in the Mediterranean,” Dr Muscat said.

University Rector Juanito Camilleri put his finger on what he described as a problem of “aptitude and attitude”.

This gave rise to a culture of dependence in which children felt they were entitled to a job provided by a company brought here by “a superman prime minister” – the dig was to all the political class.

“We need to have students who go abroad and expose themselves to the world. Children who study for a job but are prepared to retrain themselves and adapt to changing circumstances.

“Nobody owes us a living and this has to be inculcated into our psyche if we are to have home-grown entrepreneurs who see themselves as future employers not employees.”

Perceptions of a country

EY released its Attractiveness Survey yesterday, which noted the perceptions of business leaders from foreign companies that invested in Malta over the years.

The survey is published across Europe every year.

Key findings include:

• 79 per cent consider Malta attractive for foreign direct investment, down from 91 per cent in 2011.

• While all companies surveyed in the banking and insurance sectors agreed Malta was attractive, the figure dropped to 58 per cent in the manufacturing sector.

• In Malta, manufacturing was ranked sixth out of seven sectors respondents believed would drive growth in the next five years, contrasting with the rest of Europe where manufacturing ranked second.

• 56 per cent of firms plan to expand this year, up from 53 per cent last year.