Emanuel Camilleri has been appointed Planning Authority Chairperson. Yet he has no clue what the Rural Policy Design Guidelines are.  Labour’s man to lead the Planning Authority has no idea about basic planning guidelines. What’s worse is that during his Parliamentary Appointments Committee grilling, he argued he wasn’t obliged to know about the guidelines since he’s not yet taken up his role. That’s like the Chief Surgeon arguing he can’t be expected to be able to operate patients, since he will only take up his post next week.

Camilleri’s parliamentary appointments committee session was painful to watch. The man knows nothing about planning. He has no experience in the field. He’s an accountant. Since 2013 he’s led the OPM Privatisation Unit.

What’s worse is that Camilleri has no opinion about anything remotely related to planning.

Is Malta a victim of overdevelopment?  Camilleri had no opinion on the matter.

Should the Planning Authority take a more prominent role in controlling development? No opinion about that either.

Is he in favour of more high-rise buildings? “I do not want to express an opinion,” he replied.

His only comment was that “a balance needs to be struck between the environment and development”.  That’s the sort of inanity secondary school students would write in their MATSEC exam.

Has this balance been achieved?  He doesn’t know.

So if Camilleri doesn’t know what the guidelines state, has no opinion on development, doesn’t know whether the right balance has been struck between environment and development, what does he plan to do as Planning Authority Chairperson?

His answer - he’ll simply stick to “existing policies” and Partit Laburista’s electoral manifesto. 

Labour’s proposals include “initiating a discussion regarding stricter rules for development in ODZ”, “urban conservation areas will be irrevocably defined”, “introducing a skyline policy”, and that “greater consideration will be given to the environment when approving development permits”. Camilleri’s not too familiar with Labour’s proposals either.

Camilleri will be leading an authority making key decisions about hundreds of millions euro worth of development.  It’s a high risk post for bribery and corruption. Yet Camilleri declared openly that he’s not ready to make his assets declaration public. He insisted these are personal matters.  It’s not just the balance between conservation and development that Camilleri has no idea about.  It’s also balance between public interest and private matters he’s clueless about.  He reassured us that if he became aware of a conflict of interest he would recuse himself.  He will decide for himself on his own conflicts of interest. Nobody else would be able to, as his asset declaration is secret. 

Clearly Camilleri still inhabits a civil service from the colonial past where top civil servants were not accountable to the public.  But this is the 21st century.  Malta’s an EU member state. Conflicts of interests should not be judged by the person involved but by an external independent authority.  That’s the role of an Ethics officer and a supervisory board in European Union institutions such as the European Securities and Markets Authority. The declaration of interests must be submitted annually and scrutinised by the Ethics officer and the supervisory board. The declarations of Chairs is made public on the website of the respective authority.  But Camilleri thinks he can keep his declaration secret and wants to decide on his own conflicts of interest.  Where does he think he is, North Korea?

You don’t blame him. Chris Cardona intervened in 2014 to suspend proceedings of a subcommittee adjudicating casino licences bids. Initially Camilleri claimed “no minister ever interfered” in his work. When challenged he suddenly remembered he’d testified in court about the case. With such a poor “memory”, he’s hardly the right choice for PA Chairman.

Labour MPs on the Parliamentary Appointments Committee let us down again. Camilleri is manifestly unfit for the role. Labour still endorsed him.  The committee is a joke, an insult. Camilleri wasn’t scrutinised, he wasn’t challenged, he wasn’t grilled.  This was an utter waste of time. The committee is just Labour’s rubber stamp. It doesn’t even pretend to do its duty. It just blindly endorses incompetents.

Camilleri knows little about planning. He knows less about ethics and asset declarations. This is the mediocrity Labour keeps inflicting on the nation. Is it any surprise none of the institutions function? Labour believes anybody can fill any role - no expertise, no knowledge, no experience required. This explains the country’s dangerous levels of amateurism.

The Armed Forces deputy commander, Mark Mallia is now heading Identity Malta - despite his lack of experience in the field. Brigadier Curmi, Armed Forces Commander is now Transport Malta CEO - with no expertise in transport. Clifton Grima, now Minister of Education, was appointed to the sensitive position of Mount Carmel CEO - no wonder mental health services are in the state they are. Johann Buttigieg, who was a MEPA case officer against whom disciplinary action was recommended by the MEPA auditor, was made Planning Authority chief and subsequently Malta Tourism Authority CEO. While PA chief, Buttigieg told Yorgen Fenech “we can do business together, whenever you want”. Who would appoint a MEPA case officer tourism boss? Who would appoint Buttigieg to any post? Kurt Farrugia, whose only skills were being Joseph Muscat’s spokesperson and verbally abusing political adversaries, is Malta Enterprise CEO. Claude Mallia, a 47 year old architect is CEO of government’s air traffic control company despite knowing nothing about air traffic control. Jonathan Cardona, formerly passport chief salesman, is CEO of Enemalta. What does he know about energy?

Labour appoints CEOs lacking the most rudimentary knowledge and skills in the fields they should be leading. This is not just corrupt practice.  It’s dereliction of duty.  It’s a betrayal of the nation. It’s trakemark Labour contempt for expertise, professionalism and competence. None of Labour’s mediocrities would ever stand a chance in the real world. Some simply because they’re grossly unqualified and inexperienced. Others because they’re morally suspect. Most because they’re entirely unfit and dangerously incompetent. Will Labour ever put the country before its devious political interests?