Serving with integrity

Politicians and public servants are expected to give their best in conscientiously serving the whole community, and it follows that the general public is expected to sustain public service without obstructing or creating unfounded suspicions.

Istrongly believe that the most important feature of public administration is the good management of all the resources on behalf of the state and government ministers have this vital role in the specific sectors with which they have been entrusted. I also believe that effective public administration moves through the coordination of people working on set tasks according to specifically established policies. Effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability are complementary concepts that encourage us to carry out our duties and avoid wasting time and energy on fictitious doubts of hidden agendas which may surround our work.

Although I am aware of the endless expectations characteristic to a closed society with a particular texture, my focus is and will always be on achieving results. My 15 years of experience representing the Gozitan community in Parliament has taught me that such expectations are part of a deeprooted clientele culture which, over the years, has been adopted and nurtured by previous administrations. While fully appreciating that there will always be individual cases that deserve particular attention – to which I will give my very best to achieve what is just and fair – such instances should not be allowed to blur the full appreciation by some for the constant work carried out for the benefit of the whole community.

People’s rights

Let me be very clear: instances involving vulnerable people merit all our energy as politicians and the Labour Government has been committed to create legal structures and proper platforms that recognise rights rather than favours. I will always be proud of the fact that, during my years working in the disability and elderly sectors, I was responsible for creating the position of a Commissioner for the rights of people with disability and a Commissioner for the rights of the elderly.

Full awareness of people’s concerns and a continuous focus on everything that needs to be done to reach our goals is what motivates me in carrying out my duties at the helm of the Gozo Ministry. Loyalty to the approved electoral proposals goes hand-in-hand with the key elements of integrity through which I assume responsibility and show full and transparent loyalty to the people I am called – and expected – to serve.

I believe these are the core values of public administration and leadership. Furthermore, during my stay at the Ministry for Gozo I am determined to erase a most unfair perception that, in Gozo, any level of work is acceptable. I firmly believe that, in the end, people will appreciate that quality supersedes quantity – a basic concept that Gozitans deserve. This will be our mark and it should define