The Infrastructure Ministry said today that it had a responsibility to Parliament and the people to ensure that Enemalta operated in conformity with government priorities, and while it had reduced its input in the day-to-day management of the corporation, it would never renounce its role in the formulation of policy and its implementation.
The ministry was reacting to reports in the Labour media and comments by the Leader of the Opposition who had quoted an internal Enemalta report claiming there was substantial political interference in the corporation.
The ministry said the report was compiled by the then management shortly before the general election. It was meant to give an overview of the situation at the corporation so that the transition from one administration to another was smooth.
The report reflected only the views of the management of the time and was never seen by the current minister (Austin Gatt) or his secretariat, before it was referred to by the Opposition.
The ministry noted that while a reference to substantial political interference was listed among the weak points of the corporation, government support was listed under the positives.
"While the political interest in the administration of Enemalta might not please the management of the corporation, the minister and the ministry have a responsibility to parliament and the people to ensure that whatever is done at Enemalta and the other public corporations is done well and in conformity with the government's priorities," the ministry said.
"It is very clear in the Constitution and ordinary law that corporations such as Enemalta are not independent of the government, and while the present government has consistently reduced interference in day-to-day management, it will never reduce its role in the formulation and implementation of policy.
"If this is interference, then the ministry declares that it cannot agree with the management's conclusions" the ministry said.
It further pointed out, however, that the report never said that there was any ministerial interference or influence during procurement processes.
Therefore, the Leader of the Opposition was attempting to deceive the people when he implied that the contents of the report showed that the minister or the ministry had interfered in the selection of the tender for the extension of the power station, the ministry said.
LABOUR PARTY REACTION
The Labour Party in a reaction said the minister was trying to downplay the importance of the report, saying it did not reflect the views of the ministry or the current management.
The fact was, however, that the report was written by a person who enjoyed the confidence of Dr Gatt, a person whohad been appointed to a senior position in the corporation by the minister himself and had also sat on various boards. This was a person who knew exactly what was going on in the corporation.