Saving his skin

On 1 August 2023, Robert Abela appointed backbench Labour MP Chris Agius as Chairman of Yachting Malta. Agius has no interest, no knowledge and no expertise in the field.

“Muscat wasted no time. He swiftly appointed Luciano Busuttil Chairman at Kunsill Malti ghall-iSport in October 2013, just weeks after changing the law. Busuttil had no experience, competence or qualifications in sport.”

On 27 October, the global standards watchdog, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), advised Abela to stop giving his back-bench MPs consultancies, directorships, chairmanships and other cushy jobs. “The practice of placing elected officials in the executive fundamentally undermines the accountability role of parliament,” the OECD warned.

On 24 November, even Joseph Azzopardi, the Standards Commissioner who Abela appointed through an anti-deadlock mechanism, told the Prime-minister that “the existing practice of MPs having secondary jobs, especially when that employment is a government post or consultancy, is one that is not compatible with the main role of parliamentary deputies”.

So one week later Abela appointed another backbencher, Omar Farrugia as Chairman of SportsMalta.

Abela was warned about the dangers of appointing MPs to key government posts by the OECD. A 227-page report clearly condemned the practice of appeasing MPs left out of cabinet with plum jobs and generous remuneration. The OECD gave Abela recommendations on how to improve standards in public life. But since when is Abela remotely interested in improving standards? Since when has Abela implemented any recommendations to improve the nation? He’s ignored all of the Caruana Galizia recommendations. More than two years later, he’s failed to fully implement a single one of them.

The OECD recommended the constitution should be amended to ensure the practice of appointing disgruntled MPs to plum posts is prohibited. Abela couldn’t care less. With default arrogance Abela showed the OECD and his own Standards Commissioner his utter disdain for their recommendations. He defied the OECD and put them in their place.

As early as July 2019, when Joseph Muscat still ruled the roost, Standards Commissioner Hyzler published a report condemning the practice of appointing MPs to government posts as “fundamentally wrong”. The report noted that “the practice dilutes Parliament’s role of scrutinising government and goes against the underlying principles of the Constitution”. Such roles, the Commissioner commented, “place MPs in a position of financial dependence on government, undermining their independence”. Besides, their appointment tends to politicise what should be independent authorities and entities.

Muscat was livid. He justified his abusive appointment of backbench MPs like Luciano Busuttil and Manuel Mallia to key government positions by claiming that “the same practice was adopted by previous administrations”. Ironically he pointed towards Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando’s appointment as Chairman at Malta College for Science and Technology during Gonzi’s time.

Muscat ordered Civil Service Head Mario Cutajar to ‘analyse’ the Commissioner’s report. OPM stated that the analysis would look at legal and administrative implications and the report would be made public. Right enough in November 2019, Mario Cutajar completed his report - entirely to Muscat’s liking. He rubbished the Commissioner’s report claiming that “legal advice indicates there is nothing in the law that prohibits the appointment of MPs. No breach of the constitution is being made, no disavowal of the principles of the Constitution is taking place, no laws are being broken and one cannot say there is a conflict of interest for the MPs”. That legal advice came from the notorious Peter Grech.

Of course, no laws were broken because one of the first things Muscat did on getting elected was change the law to allow Labour MPs to get second jobs in government positions. The PN Opposition voted against these amendments.

Muscat wasted no time. He swiftly appointed Luciano Busuttil Chairman at Kunsill Malti ghall-iSport in October 2013, just weeks after changing the law. Busuttil had no experience, competence or qualifications in sport. He replaced Jonathan Barbara who quit after just four months. He in turn had replaced Labour’s ONE journalist Mark Cutajar who only survived two months in the role. In just seven months Labour burnt through four Chairmen of the Sport authority. In the previous 11 years of PN administration there were just two.

That was Joseph Muscat. But he’s been succeeded by his continuity candidate who’s doing exactly the same. Abela made Omar Farrugia, a Labour backbencher, Chairman of Sportmalta. Farrugia, like Luciano Busuttil, has absolutely no qualifications, expertise or experience in the field. He replaces Professor Andrew Decelis an academic with extensive experience and with a PhD. Omar Farrugia is still a student, following a Bachelor of Law degree, while also an MP according to his Facebook page. Yet he’s been tasked with running the national sport agency on top of his studies and MP”s role.

Standards Commissioner Hyzler condemned the practice of appointing MPs as chairmen of government authorities for “creating unnecessary jobs or filling genuine vacancies with persons who are not necessarily best suited for the job, against principles of transparency and meritocracy”. He was certainly right about Rosianne Cutajar’s fake job and now about Omar Farrugia’s and Chris Agius’ appointments. Robert Abela didn’t appoint them because they were the best candidates. Abela is cynically buying their silence and loyalty.

In January 2020, soon after his coronation as Prime-minister, Abela was already showing signs of his deviousness and dishonesty. “I do not agree with the principal point that when government appoints its MPs to positions it would be buying their silence. It never happened in my case, nor in the case of other MPs. We were always critical of the government in years past”.

Did you ever hear backbencher Robert Abela openly criticise PM Joseph Muscat? Of course not. He was too comfortable drawing his €17,000 per month from the Planning authority and then claiming tens of thousands more in overtime.

Robert Abela knows that what the OECD and his Standard Commissioner are recommending would benefit the country. Yet he does the opposite. The national interest is hardly his priority. There’s his own skin to think about first.