Proposed law ‘will dilute academic input’ of Maltese Language Council

A group of Maltese academics have joined forces to warn that proposed legal amendments will weaken the Maltese Language Council by drastically reducing its academic input.

As it stands, the council is composed of 11 members – the chairperson, one representative each from the Akkademija tal-Malti, the University’s Department of Maltese, the Institute of Linguistics, the Associations of Maltese, the Attorney General, the Arts Council, the Institute of Maltese Journalists, the Education Division (nominated by the education minister), and two of the heads of the council’s technical committees.

However, education minister Evarist Bartolo has proposed that the council be extended to 13 members – to include representatives of the Broadcasting Authority, the University’s Department of Translation Studies, the Book Council, and book publishers, and to remove the heads of the technical committees.

“Up to now, the council has had eleven members, seven of whom were qualified in Maltese and four were not necessarily specifically qualified in Maltese,” the academics said in a statement. “Following the government’s proposals, the new council should have 13 members, six of whom will be qualified in Maltese while seven will not necessarily be qualified.

“We do not agree that the majority of council members could be people who are not fully qualified in Maltese, our national language.”

Moreover, the draft law proposes changes in the appointment of the heads of the council’s technical committees (including committees for ITC and terminology). As it stands, heads are appointed from a list of people recommended by the Akkademija tal-Malti and the Department of Maltese, but the draft proposals suggest that they be proposed by five (out of 13) council members instead.

“According to the new proposals, the council will have seven members who might not have any specific qualifications or, indeed, any knowledge, of the Maltese language,” the academics said. “This means that five members who might not be qualified in Maltese will be able to nominate the head of a technical committee.”

They also criticised the proposed changes that grant the council the final word on technical language disputes between itself and a Commission of experts – composed of the council’s chairman, executive director and the heads of the technical committees.

“If the law passes as proposed by government, important decisions will be taken by a council with a majority of members who might not be adequately qualified,” they warned.  

The statement was signed by the Akkademija tal-Malti, the Departments of Maltese at the University and the Junior College, the Institute of Linguistics, the student organisation Ghaqda tal-Malti, and the Ghaqda tal-Qarrejja tal-Provi tal-Malti.