86 % of Auditor General’s Fixes Done: Why Malta’s Still Sweating the Missing 14 %

**Public Services Hit 86% Implementation of Auditor General’s Recommendations—But What About the Other 14%?**
*By Hot Malta Staff*

Valletta—If Malta’s public sector were a student, the latest report card would read: “Good effort, room for improvement.” The National Audit Office (NAO) revealed this week that government ministries and agencies have implemented 86 % of the Auditor General’s recommendations issued between 2018 and 2022—an all-time high that has surprised both critics and civil servants. Yet in a country where every €1,000 of misspent taxpayer money is debated loudly over *pastizzi* in village cafés, the lingering 14 % still looms like a dark cloud over the *piazzas*.

The numbers sound abstract until you translate them into Maltese everyday life: 14 % translates into 226 outstanding recommendations, ranging from faster processing of disability benefits to tighter oversight of concession agreements that affect our beaches. In Sliema, for instance, residents are still waiting for a promised traffic-impact study that was first flagged by auditors in 2019. “We see cruise-liner coaches idling outside our doors every summer morning,” says 67-year-old Mariella Camilleri, who lives on Tower Road. “The recommendation was simple: stagger arrivals, enforce coach time-slots. Four years later, nothing.”

Culture of *Mhux Jien*
Maltese political culture has long wrestled with what locals call *“mhux jien”*—“not me, not my fault.” The phrase is muttered in queues at *Servizz.gov* hubs and splashed across satirical Facebook memes whenever a new scandal breaks. Yet the 86 % compliance rate suggests the tide may be turning. Finance Minister Clyde Caruana, speaking on *TVM’s* *Xtra*, hailed the figure as proof that “transparency is becoming part of our DNA.” Critics counter that the remaining 14 % often involves the biggest-ticket items: hospital privatisation contracts, energy hedging deals, and direct orders that run into millions.

Community Impact
In Gozo, the delay in implementing a 2020 recommendation to digitise agricultural subsidy applications means farmers like 42-year-old Joe Portelli still submit paperwork by hand at the Ministry for Gozo. “I lose half a day driving from Żebbuġ to Victoria, plus fuel,” he sighs. “That’s €20 and three hours I could spend irrigating my tomatoes.” Multiply that by 1,700 registered farmers, and the island loses roughly €34,000 and 5,100 man-hours every application cycle—an invisible tax on rural productivity.

Meanwhile, parents of children with autism are watching the clock tick on a 2021 recommendation to create a centralised waiting-list database for specialised therapy. “We’re quoted waiting times of 18 months, but there’s no single number to call,” explains Ramona Attard, founder of pressure group *Voice for Autism*. “My son turned six last week; early-intervention services close at five. That 14 % isn’t a bureaucratic footnote—it’s his future.”

What Worked
The NAO credits the jump from 72 % compliance in 2017 to today’s 86 % to a cocktail of carrots and sticks: ministries now face quarterly scorecards published online, and permanent secretaries must sign “implementation commitments” tied to performance bonuses. The tactic mirrors Malta’s beloved *festa* rivalry—no village wants to see its statue last in the procession. The result: the Lands Authority finally published a public register of lease agreements, and *Transport Malta* began publishing real-time data on roadworks contracts, shaving an average of 11 days off project delays.

The Road Ahead
Auditor General Charles Deguara, whose term ends next March, warned that the final 14 % is “where the political pain lives.” Recommendations still flagged red include renegotiating the American University of Malta land deal and conducting a forensic audit of the €400 million electricity-interconnector purchase. Deguara’s parting advice: “Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee must trade handshakes for handcuffs when necessary—figuratively, of course.”

For ordinary Maltese, the takeaway is simple: applaud the 86 %, but don’t let the *ħobż* (bread) distract from the missing *ħall* (vinegar). Next time you’re stuck in Sliema traffic or waiting for a disability allowance, remember—the numbers on a spreadsheet in Valletta have a heartbeat in every village core. The *piazza* chatter has already begun: “Will we hit 90 % before the next *festa* season?” Only time, and perhaps a few more auditor’s nudges, will tell.