Miriam Dalli reprimanded by Standards Commissioner over partisan government statement

Minister Miriam Dalli was in the wrong when her ministry issued a statement containing partisan statements against the Nationalist Party, according to a ruling by the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life.

In a report published today, the Commissioner agreed with the complaint filed by the Nationalist Party in February over the contents of a press statement issued by her ministry through the government’s Department of Information (DOI).

“Contrary to this government, Nationalist administrations abandoned the Cottonera area and never truly looked to provide environmental projects in these localities,” the February statement reads.  

“The Nationalist Party has stuck to the same strategy. They tried to stir up the people in 2019, three months before the Local Council elections when works were being carried out in Triq Rnella, and they are doing the same thing again today, three months before the 2024 Local Council elections.”

The Commissioner ruled that parts of this statement "exceeded what should be included in official statements issued by a government department".

As a result, the Commissioner found Minister Miriam Dalli in violation of Articles 4.9, 4.10, and 7.4 of the Code of Ethics for Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries, specifically:

1. Abusing her influence over the Public Service;
2. Failing to keep her roles as Minister, Member of Parliament, and member of a political party separate; and
3. Disrespecting the principle of political impartiality within the Public Service.

The Nationalist Party, while welcoming the Commissioner’s decision, noted that the government has long delayed and ignored recommendations from successive Commissioners to draft a policy on what type of statements can be issued through the Department of Information.

Indeed, in his report the Commissioner recommended that such a policy be drafted, and that the DOI has full power to reject statements that do not align with such a policy.