‘Michelle Muscat's award is an insult to volunteers’

The Prime Minister’s wife is not a volunteer, but a prominent figure who carries out charitable work, or a fundraiser at most, people close to the philanthropic sector are protesting. Michelle Muscat was this week named national volunteer of the year by the government-appointed Council for the Voluntary Sector, but the news did not go down well with all. “When I saw the news on social media, I thought it was a joke,” said one person who spoke on condition of anonymity in fear of reprisal. Those who vented their frustration insisted it was not directed at Ms Muscat – although she could have refused the nomination – but at the council itself. The award’s nomination form has to be signed by both the nominee and the nominator. Without underestimating her philanthropic work, it was incomparable to the endless hours and stress of volunteers who worked in the shadows, one person said. “She does not represent volunteers, but prominent figures who carry out charitable work. “It is absurd and shameful that a council, which is meant to understand the volunteering sector, does something like this,” he said, adding it was upsetting that a key political figure took over an event dedicated to...