John Dalli’s No. 2, Godfrey Farrugia, says that Dalli has a right to employ his daughter as his personal assistant on hospital reform
I’m glad to see that this morning Times of Malta has picked up the story published on this website last Tuesday – that John Dalli has installed his daughter with him at Mater Dei Hospital – and has quizzed the official health minister, Godfrey Farrugia, about it.
His replies are fascinating. He seems to have no control over Dalli and no say in what he does. This is the man who got a hellish amount of flak because he took on his companion, Marlene Farrugia, in much the same role, with Marlene having to step down within 48 hours.
And yet here he is, forced to accept a situation in which the new health czar, John Dalli, does the same with his daughter. And he even has to be nice about it (because apparently that’s his nature anyway).
Times of Malta reports:
Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia said he was aware John Dalli’s own daughter was working as his personal assistant in his new role as Mater Dei Hospital reform chief.
Dr Farrugia said Mr Dalli had every right to choose whoever he liked for such a position.
The former European Commissioner appointed his daughter, Louisa, shortly after it was announced that he would head a reform team within the administration of the country’s main hospital, which has been plagued with chronic mismanagement since opening its doors in 2008.
Asked about this yesterday, Dr Farrugia said: “Every adviser has a right to choose his PA. He trusts this person and, therefore, yes (it’s acceptable).”
He said her contract had not been drawn up yet and neither had that of Mr Dalli, who, Dr Farrugia said was “working on a voluntary basis”.
Asked whether the government would make public the remuneration packages, Dr Farrugia said: “As always”.
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http://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/2013/07/health-czar-john-dalli-has-installed-himself-at-mater-dei-hospital-with-an-assistant-his-daughter/
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130719/local/Dalli-s-daughter-working-for-him-at-hospital.478597
5 euro on Godfrey being first Minister to resign?
So , since when does being a daughter or a near relative to a minister, excludes one from being employed?
[Daphne – It’s standard practice, Silvio. The same thing happens when two people in an office start an affair. One of them has to go. The reason is simple: you can’t maintain a professional distance from your sibling, son/daughter, lover, spouse and similar.]
Technically, you are right, Daphne, but nepotism is unbelievably common everywhere. Labour has shot itself in the foot by putting together an electoral programme that was very unrealistic.
You, Mr. Loporto, just like Minister Farrugia, just don’t get it, do you?
If Dalli was paying her salary out of his pocket or his own (or was it hee own?) comapny, then it would be less objectionable. In this case, it seems that she is employed directly by the health department and basically paid throuhg my taxes whenthe position was neither advertised nor any interviews held.
Meritocracy 100%.
Unless one is gay, of course. In that case sharing a filing cabinet together is fine and legitimate.
Gay rights?
How about equal rights for a change.
Since it is unlawful for a minister/councillor to employ someone related to her/him it should be an equally unlawful situation should a person’s lover happen to be his boyfriend, or her girlfriend for that matter.
This also applies to government tenders.
The law certainly needs changing.
If you will excuse my pun, until that happens, some people are simply having it both ways.
Are you really so obtuse, or do you do it just to annoy peoply?
“Dr Farrugia said Mr Dalli had every right to choose whoever he liked for such a position.”
So Labour has redefined the term ‘meritocracy’.
An adviser’s job is to give advice. Why does he need a personal assistant to do it?
A new governmental post – adviser to the adviser possibly both on voluntary basis. Any voluntary remuneration – by the government – will be passed to the African charity close to Dalli’s heart.
But then the GWU may speak about “prekarjat” and demand that they be given a proper salary and some additional perks. Why not?
To carry the can, when things start to get too awkward, perhaps? Remember the Bahamas affair?
Biex tehodlu hsieb id-dajeri.
Yet more steamrolling by ‘Malta Taghna Lkoll’…
Rumours from Mater Dei Hospital are that Dalli has some ex business associate from the IT field in as “consultant” and he has been commissioned to develop a hospital software system. What a mess. Bdejna bit-tahwid tas-soltu.
I guess Farrugia’s “hawwadi” skills didn’t quite come close to what was expected?
News of Dalli’s contract has emerged:
1. Turn up when you feel like it.
2. Employ anyone you want.
3. Name your price.
4. Er…….
5. That’s it.
6 Take a R&R trip to the Bahamas every so often to de-stress.
And since John Dalli is NOT officially and Constitutionally a Minister or PS, he is under no obligation to make a declaration of assets.
Now, wouldn’t that have made great and interesting reading! As they say in Maltese: trid tkun veru mazzun biex temmen xi haga li jghid Dalli.
Imma dan veru ragel marid. Il-gula li ghandu ghall-flus hi xi haga tremenda.
Sab prim ministru li jakkommodah ezatt. Il-ministru, naturalment, kuntent hafna bit-tifla ta’ Dalli tassisti lil missiera allavolja qed jghix kontradizzjoni ghax hu kellu jnehhi lil hanini tieghu minn mieghu.
Was I the only one to notice his hesitancy when asked whether he was aware of Dalli’s daughter’s engagement?
Such a massive vote of no confidence in Godfrey Farrugia. It is like Dalli employed him as his daughter’s secretary… it just misses written formalization.
How much further humiliation can this guy bear after crying on camera because he couldn’t cope?
San Gwann Dalli is working at Mater Dei on a voluntary service.
Voluntary service does not exempt one from the rules of correct professional practice.
I also work on a voluntary basis. Nobody forces me. BUT I get paid.
Dalli can choose any person to be his PA, or assistant, but only as long as he remunerates that person from his own resources, that is to say, including any resources he gets for his services.
But if that PA, or assistant, is in any way receiving public funds through service billings, variations, and so on, and which are not part of any remuneration paid to Dalli, then Dalli has no right to choose and the services must be subject to a public procurement process.
Now, that said, Labour specialises in paraventi and paraculi.
Therefore, the media should enquire if Dalli’s ‘political’ appointment is being used as a mechanism to avoid a public procurement process in assigning a consultancy contract for the Mater Dei to his business, which is run by his daughter – this of course if the government is paying for those consultancy services.
But even if the consultancy services are provided voluntarily and pro-bono (which reminds me of that Dalli trip to the Bahamas), the media should check if there are any ancillary services which may arise from time to time and which may be subject to billing.
Labourites on timesofmalta.com’s comments board are still bleating on about Dalli being a member of the Nationalist Party, as if his staunch loyalties are with the opposition.
There’s no way they can actually believe what they themselves are saying.
That’s why I avoid family firms – because suddenly you get the son, daughter, habiba (or habib), son-in-law etc zooming down onto a well-padded managerial role when they know zilch.
Didn’t know that our Joey would adopt this particular ‘private business’ trait.
Ghandi sensazzjoni li Dalli ghandu x’jikxef u Muscat qed izzommu taht ghajnejh. M’hiex toghgobni li Farrugia qed joqghod ghal kull ma jghidlu Muscat u issa Dalli ukoll.
Nahseb li Farrugia ma jdumx Ministru tas-Sahha.
How about someone of them makes Louis Grech do what he said before the election? If I remember correctly he said that medicine for POYC will not be out of stock if labour is in government, because he will bring the out of stock medicine by jet couriers on the same day. According to the number of unavailable medicines today, this is not the case.
Number 2 or number 3?
Who is the minister for Health, Godfrey Farrugia or John Dalli?
It is now evident that the Health Ministry suffers from the ‘All in the Family’ syndrome. What’s next? Gorg – Mater Dei’s Chaplain and Bastjan – Director of the POYC.
I should worry if I owned or ran a company importing medication for the government.