Franco Mercieca considers return to lucrative practice
Parliamentary secretary who clinched arbitrary ‘waiver’ on code of ethics to keep private practice, could be about to step down
19 February 2014, 12:00am
Miriam Dalli
Miriam Dalli
2 min read
Franco Mercieca is expected to leave his job as parliamentary secretary
Parliamentary secretary Franco Mercieca has refused to confirm or deny his intention to step down from his minister's role, to resume his ophthalmological practice.
The Gozitan MP, elected to the House in his first political foray and instantly appointed as parliamentary secretary for the elderly, will be returning to his lucrative surgery, MaltaToday has learned.
Rumours of Mercieca's impending departure from the Cabinet of ministers were rife during Labour's last general conference.
His appointment to junior minister was met with controversy when he became the only Cabinet member to be given special permission from the Prime Minister to continue working in his practice, despite the provisions of the Code of Ethics - a code which is currently under review - barring ministers from pursuing their professional careers.
As a reshuffle looms in the Cabinet, MaltaToday is informed that staff within the parliamentary secretariat for active ageing and disability rights has already started seeking alternative jobs: spokesperson Owen Galea was recently shuffled into the Public Broadcasting Services' newsroom to handle TVM's online website.
Contacted by MaltaToday, the junior minister refused to confirm or deny rumours of a change in his role as parliamentary secretary. "These matters are the prime minister's prerogative and whatever happens is up to the prime minister," Mercieca said.
However, he admitted to being "more attracted" to his profession as an ophthalmologist than to politics: "I am at the peak of my career, with skills that are not being put to use in my role as parliamentary secretary."
Drawing comparisons with other members of the Cabinet, Mercieca said his professional skills, unlike those of lawyers or architects that can "adapt them to their parliamentary work", cannot be adapted.
"My situation is more particular. I am a specialist not making enough use of my skills because there's not much use of them in this environment," he said.
Mercieca, an ophthalmologist specialising in refractive surgery and corneal transplantation, has been the subject of several media reports for continuing practicing his profession - with the prime minister's blessing - while holding a Cabinet position.
News of the limited waiver had sparked a debate on the €42,000 minister's salary, believed to be incommensurate with the work carried out when compared with salaries earned by chief executive officers working for the public sector.
When questioned whether the drastic decrease in salary was a factor he considered when resigning from his post, Mercieca replied that every Cabinet member knows what comes with the role. "[Ministerial] salaries are what they are, but everyone knows that before accepting the post," he said.
The junior minister admitted that it was "difficult" for him to explain why he had accepted the parliamentary secretary role in the first place: "It was a decision I took at the time, a decision I don't regret."
Denying any knowledge of members of his staff seeking alternative jobs, Mercieca however noted that he could not stop them from seeking "a more secure job" with the government.
Miriam Dalli joined MaltaToday.com.mt in 2010 becoming assistant editor f...
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Franco is definitely much more of use as an eye doctrine rather than politician.
However if he resigns from ps it's the people's gain but also the government loss
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The Alchemist: Easy to answer. He may have found that his vocation as a doctor is more important and useful to society.
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There people who are natural politicians and others who are pushed in.
Abdullah alhrbi •
@tontonmacoute
I beg to differ.No she is not. Your reply merely subscribes to the great Maltese maxim 'black and white thinking above and to the detriment of everything else' Small wonder Malta persistently fails it's creative sons and daughters
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Il-flus l-ewwel u qabel kollox - PN or PL.
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Il-flus l-ewwel u qabel kollox - PN or PL.
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Il-flus l-ewwel u qabel kollox - PN or PL.
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@bebbuxu - why therefore the change of heart?
Paul Sammut •
The PN shenanigans can be expressed in just two simple words "Destructive Opposition." No more and no less.
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I did not know Dr. Mercieca personally until I was invited to serve as a consultant on disability within the MFSS starting 01/05/14.
Allow me to say that I have found him to be a caring,a very intelligent and yet a surprisingly humble man without any ulterior motives.
If he is to move on, may his work in other realms be as blessed as his achievements in this sector have already been; if he is to stay, we who work with him would be overjoyed.
This challenging Ministry is blessed to be led by two politicians with incredibly large hearts of gold. The handful who have thrown dirt at Dr. Mercieca are pitifully misinformed. Philip Rizzo
Abdullah alhrbi •
@tontonmacoute
I beg to differ.No she is not. Your reply merely subscribes to the great Maltese maxim 'black and white thinking above and to the detriment of everything else' as does her heading. Small wonder Malta persistently fails it creative sons and daughters.Throw him in your gunnysack would you?
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@gpp She's saying it as it is: Mercieca should have chosen, either public service in politics, or the hybrid private-private practice he leads. Everyone has their prices.
Abdullah alhrbi •
Really Miriam Dalli what a disingenous heading.Focus on ' Lucrative' she screams! indeed. Couldn't you have focused on the real time human dilemma facing a surgeon who needs to spend X amount of hours in the operating theatre and time spent in public service as a politician? Why didnt you take a more challenging approach and ask why it is that Malta insists on making it incredibly difficult to attract the best talent to its political class and keep it there??? Perhaps you could embark on another challenge to Maltese society and investigate why talent and creativity are so scarce amongst the political elite?I dont think that the P.Sec for ageing and disability is out of his depth here I believe it's the Maltese political system that's out of synch.
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@The Alchemist. Taf jekk ghamilx herkk ghax ihob lill pajjizu. Semmili Ministru/Segretarju Parlamentari mil-gvern precedenti li l-Hadd flok ma joqghod igawdi il-familja immur li-Sptarijiet biex jara l-pazjenti u joperahom. Dan ghax ihobb il-flus jaghmel hekk jew ghax u Malti u Misrani bil-fatti? Ara Simon allavolja sab Partit Fallut u kien ghadu kif akkwista somma konsiderevoli mix-xoghol li ghamel ghax shell ippretenda li ghandu jiehu is-salarju mil Partit bhala leader
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I would agree with Franco Mercieca's decision as it eliminates any quirkiness in the system. I hope this would not discourage other honest professionals to serve the nation.
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Why for Pete's sake why did he accept the position in the first place when now he's having doubts. Hope not that is the love of money above anything else. But then again he knew beforehand what the salary of an PS is. Isomma he will make way for another.
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He's more useful in his profession. As Parlamentary secretary he was lost. Talinqas he had the guts to decide to leave.
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It is glaringly obvious that this gentleman should be operating on people, not sitting in parliament. Get out quickly, do more operations, make more people better, make more money and leave your seat to somebody who's primary priorities and skills are to improve the country for the common good. And good luck to you - no malice intended.
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Jiena ma nafx ghalfejn dan il-plejtu kollu fuq Franco Mercieca u l-'lucrative job'. Jiena kull meta mort ghandu ghal-konsulta hadli 15 euro u drabi ohrajn xejn. Meta kelli bzonn ta' konsulta minghand konsulenti ohrajn haduli 60 euro. Allura Franco Mercieca ghandu l-lucrativce job?
Mario Pace •
This all boils down to the PN lambasting Dr. Mercieca because of the code of ethics. Primarily for me this isn't true. The PN knows that Dr. Mercieca was one who helped the PL gain the Gozo District in the last election and they will do everything to try and win that back.
Deap in their heart they know what ability Dr. Mercieca has and it doesn't matter to them if lawyers, etc give lectures at university. But NO for Dr.Mercieca to keep on practicing his profession that's a BIG SIN.
Shame of the PN.
