Comments on: Hoist by their €500 petard

By: Josette

Josette — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 12:46:41 +0000

I was just thinking that the older ministers probably have a much better financial deal than the younger ones.

If you are over 65, you can get your full pension in addition to your income. If you used to be a Minister, even for a short time (like George Vella) then I believe you get a “ministerial” pension, which is a pension to which the normal capping does not apply. And it’s quite a handsome pension as it is calculated on the basis of the full current ministerial salary.

By: king rat

king rat — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 18:07:56 +0000

In reply to ciccio. Buttered on all four sides if possible , yum .

By: ron

ron — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 13:57:33 +0000

Dr Farrugia and Dr. Mercieca want to keep their private practice not because of their dedication to their patients but for other reasons, mainly pecuniary.

By: The proof is in the eating

The proof is in the eating — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 05:57:56 +0000

“Keep it up” u ibqa ikxfilhom awwarhom. Iz-zejd ga telgha f’wicc l’ilma u l-anqas ghadhom ghalaqu l-100 jum. Malta taghhom ilkoll u mhux taghna lkoll. B’dispjacir nghid dan il-kliem pero ma’ tistax ma’ tghidux. J’alla t-trasferimenti li qed isiru u li ghad jistghu isiru biex il-postijiet jittiehdu min tal- qalba tal-PL, ikunu ta’ dawk li ghal xi raguni ddecidew li jippruvaw lil Joseph Muscat. L-egoismu ta’ dawn in-nies ha jispicca jbghati pajjizna u prova ta’ dan qala l-Ministru tal-Finanzi stess meta habbar li d-defisit ha jkun ta 3%. Tal-misthija u ma nafx kif ma’ jndunawx li l-PL jew ahjar il-Partit Socjalista ghax issa qed jinhbew jew ahjaw qed jikklownjaw il-PN, li dan il-partit ma jinbidel qatt. Ghal darbohra zomm sod u keep it up.

By: P Sant

P Sant — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 19:50:16 +0000

Thanks to Labour, politicians who serve the nation have been denied a decent salary. Breaching ethics is not the way to go about saving a professional’s standard of living.

By: ciccio

ciccio — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 19:08:06 +0000

As you say, it is evident that Muscat is attempting to get around the problem he got himself into by permitting private practice.

However, this is going to lead not only to the day job suffering, but possibly to serious conflicts of interest as well.

For instance, we now know that Franco Mercieca has been given a waiver by the Prime Minister to carry on with his practice as eye specialist in private clinics, but not in public hospitals.

We also know that in his “rowtmepp”, Muscat has promised that the state will pay for operations to be carried out in private hospitals or clinics in order to cut waiting times in state hospitals.

So now, will Franco Mercieca be in favour of efficiency in state hospitals (especially in the ophtalmology), or will he be in favour of long waiting lists in state hospitals which will lead to operations being transferred to the private sector?

Which side is his bread buttered on?

By: zunzana

zunzana — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 19:01:07 +0000

Wara dak l’ghajjat u t-tixwix kollu ta’ qabel l-elezzjoni, issa jiehdu pacenzja il-ministri u joqghodu hermm minghajr iz-zieda ta’ 500 Euro fil-gimgha.
Veru kaz ta’ “Min xarbu kielu l-bakkaljaw”

By: Joe pace

Joe pace — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 17:51:22 +0000

With ministers keep working in their private practice, are we to assume that we’ve got a part time government?

By: king rat

king rat — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 17:49:24 +0000

Divide and rule , instill discontent and reap the benefits . Joseph seems to be a great agitator of the old Soviet school ( ban the bomb type ) , the question is can he govern ?

By: Insolja

Insolja — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 16:15:03 +0000

Is it too much to ask for a decrease in ministers’ wages since their workload has now been reduced thanks to an increase in ministries?