Another absolutely ridiculous and wasteful Iced Bun: COMMISSIONER AGAINST BUREAUCRACY
The new Commissioner Against Bureaucracy, who has to cut bureaucracy by “25 per cent”
The prime minister announced this morning, standing at the top of the steps at the main entrance to the Auberge de Castille while reporters cowered below like subservient ants, that he has created a new role: Commissioner Against Bureaucracy.
It has been filled by the Labour MP and erstwhile leadership contender Michael Falzon (my childhood neighbour) who needed something to keep him feeling involved.
The prime minister said that Michael’s brief is to “cut bureaucracy by 25%”.
Every day brings something new to laugh at in despair.
So now we have this incongruous situation where a member of parliament is also a state commissioner. I’m assuming that cutting bureaucracy is going to be a full-time job. So will Michael Falzon be giving up his job and salary at the bank, or will he be doing all three jobs at once?
Well, if Franco Debono can reform the whole of Malta’s body of legislation on a part-time basis while strutting around the main streets of Valletta and Cafe Cordina all day, then Michael probably thinks he can cut bureaucracy by 25% in between doing the bank’s legal work and attending parliamentary sittings, to say nothing of his involvement in the Labour Party proper.
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Leo Brincat can always advice him on multi-tasking and juggling with his duties at the bank and those as an MP.
Michael Falzon has to shoot at something. He will now ‘shoot’ at bureaucracy. Better than birds.
‘advise’
Kemm qed ikollna ahbarijiet interessanti hux?
Voting Labour – the gift that keeps on giving.
The job description mocks itself really effectively, don’t you think?
[Daphne – Yes, Mark, I most certainly do. It’s especially funny because I know Michael Falzon as a rather morose, fairly easy-going and bumbling shambles of a man, so he fits the comedy-skit effect rather well.]
About “Every day brings something new to laugh at in despair” brings a lot of memories of the Mintoff years when we used to say “Ha naraw biex holom Mintoff illum”
Have they hired a fantasy writer to come up with this?
This may be a figurehead post that will allow the PM to ampute what is necessary in order to introduce ANY new measure.
That’s what any simplicity process does. Though a genuine exercise will seek to first identify positive values that it will want to retain and negative values that it will want to shed.
It is not ANY new whimsical measure that should be adopted but one that is designed around a qualified focus.
If the PM is intent on genuinely following his mentor’s Singapore example and genuinely-intentioned in his objectives, then the first focus ought to be on significantly overhauling the teaching of English and setting the highest possible standards in this area.
This is what Singapore focused on first. You can’t have one without the other for significant results.
Daphne, haven’t you noticed yet?
They HAVE given you your iced bun.
Every day of this government is a perfectly-written script for this blog.
Concrete objectives stated in percentages make them look smart.
Reminds me of first episode of ‘Yes Minister’, when newly appointed Minister for Administrative Affairs Jim Hacker (Paul Eddington) wants to “cut through the red tape”… with Sir Humphrey (Nigel Hawthorne) pledging he will get Hacker “house trained” in a short time.
I wonder how long it will take for our civil servants to get Commissioner Falzon house trained?
So what will . Michael Farrugia, Parliamentary Secretary for Planning and Simplification of Administrative Processes be doing now?
Sending emails to Falzon , who will reply with a CC to all the other cabinet ministers and a BCC to Joseph Muscat, who in return will call a meeting at Palazzo Parisio which Gonzi PN restored to its former glory.
I meant Villa Francia not Palazzo Parisio.
We also have a PS for Planning and the Simplification of Administration. I thought that the reduction of bureaucracy is what this PS should have been doing over the past 100 days.
Shades of Yes Minister/Prime Minister
AGAINST BUREAUCRACY?
What do they called this endless string of wacky appointments?
“So now we have this incongruous situation where a member of parliament is also a state commissioner. I’m assuming that cutting bureaucracy is going to be a full-time job. So will Michael Falzon be giving up his job and salary at the bank, or will he be doing all three jobs at once?”
Well, you forgot about his hunting trips, so he will have to do this new job in between Parliament, the bank and travelling to North Africa or South America for the abundant hunting seasons.
Ah, almost forgot. Isn’t he also involved in some fireworks committees?
http://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/2013/03/bye-baby-bunting-michael-falzon-tal-lejbers-gone-a-hunting-in-argentina-ghax-mejtin-bil-guh-jahasra/
Creating this new role: isn’t that actually ADDING to bureaucracy?
Well, Muscat had already added 100% to bureaucracy when he increased the size of cabinet from around 12 to 23. And if that was not enough, he recently added John Dalli as the Minister for Health in substance if not in form.
These may well be the next new ‘Commissioner’s’ job vacancies available in Malta.
Commissioner for Tunnels & Bridges, Commissioner for Podiums, Commissioner Against Bad Press, Commissioner for Fashion, Commissioner Against Secret Smartphones, Commissioner for Iced Buns, Commissioner for Rewarding Switchers…
Commissioner for The High Society.
When the large contracts start rolling in, we shall need a Commissioner for Commissions.
To be swept away with the Commissioner Against Commissions.
One of the most visible features on the Maltese islands are the “hittan tas-sejjieh”. How about making Silvio Parnis a commissioner for dry walls? In the South,these walls are in a pitiful state of disrepair.
This also brings about another question: what on earth is Michael Farrugia’s job as Parliamentary Secretary for the Simplification of Administrative Processes (or whatever stupidly named title he has)? Doesn’t this involve cutting bureaucracy?
Has this been shifted from Farrugia’s hands to Falzon’s now?
The prime minister said that Michael’s brief is to “cut bureaucracy by 25%”. How on earth is that measurable?
Muscat learnt something from Alfred Sant, when during local councils’ election campaigns, Alfred Sant used to give a %number to the performance of the local councils. The MLP local councils used to get a rank ranging from 88% – 99%!
Last week it was reported in the media how John Dalli had decided to assist the Labour government. Consequently, it was reported how the PM appointed John Dalli as the new Labour Minister for Health in substance if not in form.
Yesterday, The Malta Independent reported how John Dalli told the paper that when he left his post of Minister for Health in 2009, Mater Dei was a part time hospital, but that things may have improved since then.
Things have certainly changed a lot since 2009, including at the hospital.
The irony is that when John Dalli left in 2009, Malta had a full time government. But the government he now joins is a part-time government.
He’s come a long way since his days spent sitting in a cardboard box in Muse’s grocery store. And jolly good luck to him. Pity the rest of us have to put up with this lot and their over-inflated egos.
It is all about finding substitutes for the hames mitt ewro fil-gimgha zieda that Muscat cannot now reinstate.
Last week Franco was walking through Zachary Str and then down Republic Str in one of his daily strolls during office hours.
A pathetic routine which he does regularly all alone.
Good to notice he is wearing new black shoes although his bow-legged walk remains.
[Daphne – The gait of a New York hood.]
It’s called “walk the walk” in the Bronx.
New Jersey. You really need to watch the Sopranos. So informative. It’s the Labour Party and related sub-culture to a ‘t’.
First 25% less on electricity bill, now 25% less bureaucracy. It’s beginning to sound rhetoric.
If Falzon wants to hit the floor running he should persuade Muscat to cut the cabinet by half. That’s 50% off bureaucracy at a stroke.
Silvio Parnis up next.
I know how you can cut bureaucracy by 25%. When you need to get something done at some government department, instead of sending you round 10 different offices and finally telling you to come back another day, now they will send you 7.5 offices and still send you back home empty handed.