Excessive bureaucracy still plagues the public service despite the promises and commitments made by politicians, including Joseph Muscat, before the last general election that a Labour government would make the cutting of red tape one of its priorities.
Some progress may have been made here and there but people are still experiencing unnecessary bureaucracy and coming up against brick walls when they need to report administrative shortcomings or the breaking of rules and regulations.
A story in this newspaper last week about the difficulty met in reporting a complaint about a kiosk that had taken over a public area in a popular place represents perhaps the ultimate in the ugly face of excessive and unnecessary bureaucracy in which some sectors of the public service, and also government agencies, still wallow. When the simple act of filing a complaint becomes a task that requires stamina to follow up and more than a good dose of patience to see to its settlement, it is clear that the problem is deep rooted.
The regulatory set-up governing hawkers and the running of kiosks has so many tentacles that anyone wishing to set things right is likely to come up against a massive bureaucratic net that is hard to pierce. There are no fewer than six different authorities handling the issue of permits to hawkers and the enforcement of rules and regulations governing their operations.
It is the Malta Tourism Authority that regulates fixed kiosks, but one-off permits are granted by local councils. Permits for tables and chairs are issued by the planning authority and, as expected, the health authorities come into play when food is served. A trading licence is required from the trade department, and the transport authority would need to ensure that a mobile kiosk does not constitute a safety hazard.
This is a chain of bureaucratic hurdles that can well put off the small, well-meaning traders, leading the less-scrupulous to easily avoid going by the book. It is a risible situation that ought to be tackled straightaway. It does seem at times that the sector is hard to monitor and it is only when a gross irregularity makes headlines that action is taken, if at all.
Laissez-faire is so pervasive that people sometimes despair at the extent to which people are allowed to break the rules and regulations. Simplifying the regulatory network ought to make it easier for all concerned, but it looks as if it is taking far too long to bring about solid progress. Just before the last general election, Dr Muscat was quoted as saying that, if elected, he would be the greatest enemy of bureaucracy.
On the basis of such commitment, the country had expected the government to tackle excessive bureaucracy with greater energy than that shown so far.
It has now been announced that plans are in hand to set up a one-stop shop where government services will be directly accessed from 25 government offices in Malta and Gozo. If these plans meet the general expectations, the government would have made a good step forward. However, it is better to wait to see how they will work out in practice before passing judgement.
Certain government services are already available online, and some other measures have also been taken to cut red tape. However, the wheels of the government’s administrative machinery would need to be oiled more frequently if Malta wants to achieve the level of efficiency required in an economy seeking to remain competitive in fast-changing economic circumstances.