Shady dealings are tainting business sector, says MEA president

The prevailing atmosphere of secrecy, hidden contracts, mysterious conditions of employment for persons occupying various positions of trust were all fomenting a belief that merit is no longer a necessary precondition of success, Malta Employers’ Association president Dolores Sammut Bonnici warned.

“The fact that even the Commissioner for Data Protection’s warnings and decisions have been repeatedly ignored speaks volumes and sends dangerous messages that strike at the heart of governance and business ethics. These issues can only be ignored at the risk of losing what the country has managed to build over so many years,” she told the MEA’s annual general meeting.

She warned that governance issues were adversely affecting Malta’s international reputation and that this was not going to be changed by arguments as to whether this was a perception or reality, or whether certain incidents were being given more international coverage than they deserve.

“The harsh truth is that Malta is suffering severe reputational damage, and we are in the international limelight for reasons not to our liking,” she continued, saying that quite apart from the international reaction, it was also...