The Malta Maritime Authority scandal, the fate of self-employed and the need to cater for super yachts were the main topics discussed during the parliamentary debate to approve the Competitiveness and Communications Ministry budget estimates on Friday. The estimates were passed with 30 votes in favour and 23 against.

First to address the house was opposition whip Joe Mizzi who said that apart from the scandal at the MMA involving the acceptance of bribes to issue mariners’ licences, there were other rackets. He said that this involved the purchase of berthing spaces which basically involved people buying yachts and then selling them on the third parties with the said space included.

Mr Mizzi said that the MMA was a closed circle where certain people who are not qualified are given jobs, just to keep the racket going while other people who were good at their job were relegated to degrading tasks. Mr Mizzi also asked how it was possible that people were charged in connection with paying for licences, yet no one has resigned from the authority.

“Where is the transparency, were is the sense of morality? To date, there has not been a serious investigation into the goings-on at the MMA and we demand that it happens and soon,” said Mr Mizzi. He claimed that during the last few weeks, huge amounts of paperwork had been shredded at MMA offices so as to avoid more information coming to light. “But I will get proof and I will present it in parliament,” he said.

Opposition MP Jose Herrera made a very interesting speech about catering for super yachts ad the need for a proper yacht marina in Gozo. However, he opened his speech by praising the initiative to allow internet gaming companies to base in Malta, saying that there was a boom in operations, adding that he hoped there would be many more in the future. He also spoke about financial services in general, saying that if the sector continued to grow at the rate it is growing, it will soon overtake the tourism sector as net GDP provider.

Dr Herrera also remarked that this was a historic budget in the sense that it was the first one to be issued in the euro currency. The lawyer, a self-confessed yachting enthusiast, said it was good that more yachting marinas were being placed around Malta’s coast. “But we need more and better equipped ones. Today it is all about size – we need to be able to cater for super yachts and their owners who basically want to come to a country to enjoy their money,” he said.

He also said that Gozo needed its own yacht marina: “Mgarr harbour will not do, that is just a berthing terminal.” He said that Monaco, for example, used land reclamation techniques to build their marina and this was just one of the possibilities available to further increase berthing spaces. “Monaco is smaller than we are, if they can do it, I can’t see why we cannot,” he said.

Opposition MP Marie Louise Coleiro Preca opened her speech by pointing out that Friday was the 60th anniversary of the day when women earned the right to vote in Malta. “I was hoping that the government would have at least organised some for of commemoration,” she said.

She also made reference to a recent report issued by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which she said showed that the income of Maltese workers was not adequate to have a satisfactory quality of life. She also spoke about the Consumers’ Association, pointing out that improved information services are needed while the said CA and all other authorities which stand up for consumers need more funding. She closed by saying that the government did not have a long-term national strategy in place for the protection of consumers.

MP Joe Sammut geared his speech towards the self-employed and said that there was not enough in the budget to refer to them, or to offer solidarity and support in the face of rising difficulties. He reminded those present that self-employed people are the backbone of not only Malta, but also the European Union. Mr Sammut also spoke about the pharmacy of your choice scheme recently introduced by government to allow patients to pick up their medicine from, as the name suggests, a pharmacy of their choice. He said that the government needed to better inform the public and pharmacists themselves about the scheme as a failure to do so could result in people not getting the treatment they need.

Parliamentary secretary Edwin Vassallo spoke mainly on issues and initiatives offered to small and medium enterprises. He also said that it was high time that the Malta Labour Party gave in to the control of certain prices in certain markets. “The consumer division acts as a public watchdog, keeping an eye out and monitoring continuous price checks to ensure that all prices are regulated,” he said.

Mr Vassallo said that he, as the responsible parliamentary secretary, and the government as a whole was aware of the problems and difficulties faced by self-employed, entrepreneurs and owners of small businesses. He said that there were good channels of communication between the concerned parties and that ideas are exchanged so as to improve the situation.

He also said that as part of the ongoing fight to cut red tape and make things easier for those wishing to set up business, various newsletters, publications and leaflets were being distributed to the commercial sector to make announcements as well as to offer simple explanations in layman’s terms. Mr Vassallo also spoke about the huge strides taken in upgrading industrial areas and said that this was all being done to benefit the self-employed. He also said that there were several EU programmes which small and medium sized business owners were benefiting from and that similar programmes would be extended to those involved in wine production.

Minister Censu Galea wound up the discussion and expressed satisfaction at legal action instituted against a number of officials who were caught taking bribes in return for issuing mariners’ licences. He pointed out that it was the MMA itself that uncovered the case and that it referred the matter to the police as soon as its own internal inquiry was concluded. He said that the ministry also aimed to look into further allegations of corruption within the said authority.

Mr Galea also spoke about ports and port reform, saying that this sector made up some 13 per cent of the Maltese economy. He said the government believed that all Malta’s ports were important and the government recognised this fact. As a result, he said all local ports will continue to be upgraded to provide better services for all inbound, outbound and local businesses.

He also reserved praise for the way in which reform is being carried out at the Grand Harbour and expressed satisfaction at reaching agreement on the conditions of port workers and their administration. He said that the issue of port reform was an ongoing process which has already yielded some positive results. Mr Galea tied this in with the development of the Vittoriosa Waterfront project, which he said gives a better quality of life to people living in the area. Mr Galea said that various initiatives have resulted in more cruise liners arriving in Valletta, and pointed out that there will be even more once a new terminal is built on the opposite side to Valletta. He also made reference to the government’s vision for the redevelopment of the Grand Harbour area.

Speaking about the technological communications booms in Malta, Mr Galea said that this was all down to the hard work put in by the Malta Communications Authority and said that important changes to legislation were made, without which the country would not have seen the introduction of various large and competitive companies which now base themselves in Malta.

Mr Galea concluded his speech by criticising the opposition for not even mentioning the Department of Civil Aviation. He said that many of us simply take it for granted that we will board an aeroplane and then get off at our desired destination. He said that the amount of work the CA department put in was massive and imperative to the safety of Maltese and foreign travellers alike, adding that the said department is always on standby to deal with an emergency which may arise.