Sammut: Abela lied when quoting PN manifesto to justify anti-deadlock mechanism

Opposition MP Mark Anthony Sammut accused the Prime Minister of falsity when quoting the PN manifesto to justify an anti-deadlock mechanism in the appointment of the standards commissioner.

The MP told parliament on Tuesday, the 2017 Nationalist Party proposal referred only to senior appointments in the public service, such as the head of the Civil Service, the Commissioner of Police, the Commander of the Armed Forces, the Governor of the Central Bank, the Chief Statistician at the National Statistics Office and the members of constitutional bodies such as the Broadcasting Authority, the Public Service Commission and the Employment Commission.

The PN at the time had also suggested that these public service roles should be filled after nominees were approved by a two-thirds majority in parliament. The anti-deadlock mechanism was intended to overcome any impasse.

“The PN's proposal makes no reference to the role parliament is discussing now,” Sammut said.

Sammut’s was reacting to PM Robert Abela’s reference in parliament on Monday to the PN’s manifesto.

Abela said the 2017 Forza Nazzjonali manifesto includes a pledge to introduce an anti-deadlock mechanism for appointments that require a two-thirds majority in parliament.

He pointed out that the Labour Party’s proposal is identical to what is now being proposed by government, with the exception that the current amendment is confined only to the appointment of a Standards Commissioner.

The PN MP also accused the Prime Minister of being disrespectful when speaking of candidates’ names publicly. “Candidates used to be discussed in private,” insisted Sammut. “Never were they mentioned in public and humiliated like this.”

Government published the legal text of an amendment last week to introduce an anti-deadlock mechanism in the appointment of the standards commissioner.

The proposal allows the standards commissioner to be appointed by parliament through a simple majority vote if the nomination fails to garner a two-thirds majority in two previous voting rounds.

This was introduced after the government nominated former chief justice Joseph Azzopardi to the role of standards commissioner. This has been rejected by the Opposition, leading to an impasse as the post needs a two-thirds majority. 

The Nationalist Party has been highly critical of the new anti-deadlock mechanism, calling it anti-democratic. Opposition leader Bernard Grech said that the legal bill is an attempt by the PM to install whoever he wants into the role of standards commissioner.

Concluding his speech, Sammut said the Prime Minister does not want a hard-working commissioner.

“The government wants to continue making deals, advertise itself with people's money, giving direct orders, abusing and do whatever it wants,” Mark Anthony Sammut concluded.