Malta Enterprise still refuses to list Sai Mizzi Liang’s achievements as the Prime Minister’s business envoy to Asia even if her three-year contract ends today.
Minister Without Portfolio Konrad Mizzi said earlier this year his wife had decided not to extend her contract. However, Economy Minister Cardona, who is politically responsible for Malta Enterprise, yesterday indicated he did not exclude giving Ms Mizzi Liang another government appointment.
In July 2015, almost two years into her contract, Ms Mizzi Liang had defended her €13,000 a month job saying an evaluation of her performance and whether her contract was good value for money should be made at the end of her stint in Shanghai, from where she hails.
“Judge me by my results and not by what people say. Judge me by what I do for you”, she told journalists at Smart City when Joseph Muscat inaugurated a representative office of Chinese telecoms company, Huawei.
However, when the Times of Malta asked Malta Enterprise for a list of the investments coming Malta’s way and any initiatives taken as a result of Ms Mizzi Liang’s work, the government agency said it could not furnish any information.
“Malta Enterprise does not publish its employees’ performance appraisals nor information regarding particular projects, including investments and initiatives,” a spokeswoman said. “Malta Enterprise cannot disclose names of companies concerned because of commercial sensitivity and because Maltese law rightly protects prospective investors,” she added.
A request was made by this newspaper under the Freedom of Information Act and Malta Enterprise, which falls under the political remit of Economy Minister Chris Cardona, last week asked for an extension of the period set by law for a reply to be given. It said “it needs to consult third parties [Ms Sai Mizzi] before it can decide” on whether to provide the information.
It is not clear whether another person will be appointed to succeed Ms Mizzi Liang. Malta Enterprise did not say whether it would be issuing a fresh call for applications and the Prime Minister’s Office did not reply when asked whether Dr Muscat had already appointed anyone in her stead.
Ms Mizzi Liang’s appointment by Dr Muscat soon after Labour’s return to power stirred controversy not only because she was a Cabinet minister’s wife but also due to the financial package involved.
In an unprecedented move, her employment conditions were pegged to those of an ambassador, even though Malta already had an accredited diplomat in China.
Apart from a handsome salary, she was given free accommodation and schooling for her young children, a chauffeur-driven car, free communication services, business class return tickets for all members of her family and other allowances.
Soon after her appointment, Ms Mizzi Liang was also appointed as Malta’s consul general to Shanghai. The government bought a multi-million-dollar property in central Shanghai from where Ms Sai Mizzi Liang operated.
What Sai Mizzi Liang said
“I don’t know why they are attacking me like this, probably because I’m Chinese, a foreigner. I’m upset but I have to live with it” (July 2014, Guiyang, China).
“My job is a salesman for Malta… Please judge me when I deliver the results. There is a Chinese saying: it’s not important what you say but it’s important what you do. Judge me by my results and not by what people say. Judge me by what I do for you” (July 2015, Smart City).