Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi announced that the government wants to improve efficiency, accountability and transparency in the public sector while changing the negative perception about government employees once and for all.

Dr Gonzi yesterday officially launched a seminar on Public Internal Financial Control.

The seminar outlined the concept of Public Internal Financial Control which will provide a structured and operational model to assist the national government in re-engineering the internal control environment to ensure that public funds are safeguarded.

The Prime Minister said that during the past four years, the country worked hard to strengthen the country’s finances in order to reach the set criteria to enter the euro zone.

“Times are changing and we cannot afford to be complacent. There are many changes taking place internationally with the price of oil and cereal constantly on the increase,” he said.

Dr Gonzi said Malta constantly had to keep up with the times and added that the country’s small size is an extra advantage making it easier to adapt to the changes.

“We are constantly moving forward,” he said.

He told those present at the seminar that they are the crucial players in helping the country move forward to become the best in Europe.

“Public officials are vital instruments for the growth of the country’s economic activity,” said Dr Gonzi.

The Prime Minister pointed out that there is still a negative perception about public sector employees – that someone is simply a “government employee”.

“This has to change – officials in the public sector have to be the driving force in pushing forward the private sector,” he said.

Dr Gonzi pointed out that due to Malta’s high employment statistics, there will be a problem of training enough people as quickly as possible to take up the new jobs that are being created.

Once again, the Prime Minister spoke about the importance of not being complacent.

“This is a constant battle – we are aiming for a budget surplus in 2010 and we can’t stop, especially in light of what is going on internationally,” he said.

Increasing productivity, which in turn is crucial to the country’s rate of economic growth, is one of the government’s main aims, said Dr Gonzi.

The Prime Minister referred to President Eddie Fenech Adami’s address to mark the opening of parliament where the President spoke about the importance of sustainable development.

“The country is facing a new chapter, that of sustainable development. While in the past we had particular financial aims, now we have to increase our focus on sustainable development considering carefully how each decision will affect the environment and social activity,” said Dr Gonzi.

He also spoke about the importance of good governance and said that the government would implement a number of measures to ensure that this was fully implemented within the next four years.

“The government will strengthen the function of internal auditing and invest heavily in the best resources while strengthening the internal control in the public sector,” said Dr Gonzi.

The Prime Minister also spoke about two important bills that will soon be discussed in parliament: the Whistleblower Act and the Freedom of Information Act.

Referring to the Whistleblower Act, Dr Gonzi said that the concepts behind this bill are already established but will be fully strengthened when the law is passed.

The Freedom of Information Act will grant citizens new rights. This will allow them to have access to information, showing that the government’s workings are transparent.