“Thank you for your collaboration over these years, through which we have made major changes to the Public Service for the benefit of the Maltese people.” This was the message from the Principal Permanent Secretary, Mario Cutajar, during his final visits to the Public Service Commission (PSC) and the Office of the Auditor General (NAO). During these visits, Mr Cutajar introduced Mr Tony Sultana, who will succeed him on the 1st of June 2022.
During the visit to the Public Service Commission in Valletta, Mr Cutajar thanked members of the commission for working hand in hand where necessary. This work has led to reforms which had given the Public Service a more human face. Mr Cutajar mentioned how 1,250 measures had been introduced in the past nine years, specifically aimed at reducing red tape and increasing efficiency in the Public Service.
Mr Cutajar and Mr Sultana also visited the Auditor General’s Office, which was described as an important stakeholder in ensuring the Public Service maintained the highest standards of governance and accountability. The Auditor General, Charles Deguara, thanked Principal Permanent Secretary Mario Cutajar for always having had the utmost respect for the institutions. He mentioned how, under Mr Cutajar’s leadership, for the first time the Public Service had not only taken note of the annual reports emanating from the audit institutions, including the NAO, but had issued replies in the form of publications detailing the implementation of recommendations made to the Public Service. On his part, Mr Cutajar said that the latest figures showed a 90% implementation rate of the NAO’s recommendations. These figures had been confirmed by the NAO itself.
During the visits, a set of commemorative stamps, which were issued on the occasion of Public Service Week 2022, were presented. These stamps pay tribute to the work of public officers who, in all circumstances, had kept working to their best of abilities in the country’s best interest.
