Cuzzocrea also intervenes on the resignation of the rector Paolo Todaro, the academic senator and trade unionist of the FGU Gilda, author of the complaint on reimbursements which gave rise to the storm that hit the University of Messina. «Legitimacy, irreproachability, transparency, effectiveness of administrative action, respect for human dignity and workers’ rights should be the watchwords for those who administer public affairs – says Todaro – and they should also and above all be so for those who govern the Universities, areas of excellence in which future professionals, administrators, teachers, men and women of tomorrow are trained. Despite myself and not without internal suffering, I believe I did the right thing in not looking the other way when I saw what was happening, asking for answers first and, in their absence, transmitting the documents to the administrative and judicial authorities afterwards, for investigations. necessary to verify compliance with the rules and basic principles of legality. I believe I have fulfilled my precise duty as an employee but also as a trade union representative and ultimately as an academic senator, the most voted for at the University and the Polyclinic, towards the entire university community of Messina which for some years has been experiencing authentic abuse both from the point of view of minimum trade union rights and from an administrative point of view through often authoritarian and self-referential management. The University of Messina is everyone’s heritage, not only the students, teachers, managers, doctors and technical-administrative staff who work there, but it is an extraordinary resource for the entire city, for the entire province. The Gelmini law on University Autonomy and the University Statute itself have given enormous power to the rector but this cannot mean that this power is exercised without respecting the rules placed at the foundation of democratic and civil life. But if the absolute power granted to rectors is already intolerable, it is not permissible for this power to be exercised without any transparency as this affair is sadly demonstrating. When antibodies against every form of potential illegality are not activated within one’s administration, these cathartic reactions which should stimulate everyone’s consciences to understand where the error has nestled are welcome. This is because responsibilities can never be attributed to a single person but also involve that part of the university community which, sometimes for personal interests, has pretended not to see by looking the other way. Now it is up to the investigative bodies to shed full light on the facts exposed and on the repeated journalistic investigations which rise to the news day after day, damaging the image of the University of Messina, rejecting to the sender the accusations of having thrown mud but rather of having uncovered a potential Pandora’s box. And I hope that the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Messina and Catania, the National Anti-Corruption Authority, the Court of Auditors, the Ministry of University and Research, will shed full light on what the management of the ‘University of Messina, in the sole and exclusive interest of the citizens, the student body and those who have worked with dedication and served with a spirit of service in recent years. The University has the obligation to turn the page by re-establishing democratic rules of honesty and transparency in total discontinuity with the most recent past.”
John
John, founder of Odnako, combined his journalism degree with technical expertise to revolutionize global news consumption. Before Odnako's 2011 launch, he gained diverse experience across the media and tech fields, setting a solid foundation for his mission to provide comprehensive, unbiased news. His vision and leadership have since established Odnako as a trusted, innovative news platform worldwide.