Government benefits for voluntary organisations

Reference is made to the article PBS Airtime Given To Siġġiewi Home "Was Against The Law" (January 6). I want to clarify first the reported statement of the home's director, "confirmed by a Curia spokesman" that the Curia was discussing the issue with the Office of the Prime Minister "and the commissioner's legal adviser".

The statement misrepresents the situation which is that the commissioner's legal adviser, Max Ganado who, as the journalist correctly said, drafted the law, is also supporting the Prime Minister's Office on the law and its development. I have never had any objection to that for obvious reasons. However, the presence of Dr Ganado, or lawyers from his firm, at any discussions that took place, and that may still be taking place between the Office of the Prime Minister and the Curia, does not mean that I am involved in the discussions.

Indeed, the contrary is the case: I was kept out of these discussions and left in the dark about them until I read about them from the media.

Subsequently, after long insistence, I was called to a meeting at the Office of the Prime Minister, together with the Chair of the Council for the Voluntary Sector, in May 2009 and given a copy of the correspondence between the Curia and the OPM. We came out of that meeting with the assurance that an outcome of the discussion was forthcoming and that, in the meantime, the government would respect the law with respect to all voluntary organisations, the Church's included.

This assurance was unfortunately not respected because things continued in the same way and the non-enrolled Church organisations have continued to enjoy the government benefits unhindered in different ways, despite my protests, and still continue to do so now.

The PBS chairman's statement that she is "comfortable" with the police permit and that PBS "will continue to carry out the public service as far as we can" is unfortunate and unacceptable. If it signifies the PBS's, a state agency funded with public funds, intention to proceed in violation of the law and its own internal guidelines on the use of TVM airtime for charitable fund-raising, No. 19 specifically which states that applicants for such airtime must be enrolled with the commissioner. This is indeed worrying. The public interest requires Claire Thake Vassallo to explain herself.

Finally, no voluntary organisation is forced to enroll with the commissioner. The MCCF was not forced in the past and it isn't now; this is not the spirit of the Voluntary Organisations Act or mine.